Varnishing is all done now. I applied 6 coats of Interlux Perfection Gloss. Recommendation is for 4 coats. Hopefully this stuff will be as durable as advertised.
Next up. ELECTRICAL!
Next up. ELECTRICAL!
May 2012 Archives
I started varnishing this past Saturday. The varnish I'm using is actually a Linear Polyurethane (LPU). The folks at Practical Sailor tested a bunch of different coatings and Interlux Perfection seems to be the one coming out on top. After 1 coat, this stuff looks amazing. 
It is water clear and that means the true color of 'wet' teak will come through. I emphasize 'wet' as the natural color of teak is considerably lighter when it's dry. Nevertheless, the results so far are very promising. If you are thinking of using Interlux Perfection, there are some things you should know. - It's expensive: $75/quart. Though that's actually a lot cheaper than what it was when it first came out at $95/quart! I bought two quarts and I am almost done with the second quart. I will probably need two more quarts. Ouch.
- It's NOT varnish. Though varnish can have a very strong odor, it's not all that unpleasant. This stuff is extremely noxious and you will want to use a respirator. Also, it will pretty much eat anything that's not wood. I used nitrile gloves when applying and after one coat on all the wood I need to replace the gloves.
- A traditional, natural bristle brush doesn't seem to work all that well. I've since switched to a very soft synthetic bristle brush and so far it seems to be holding up ok. I normally use foam brushes, but I wanted to give a real brush a try. You have more control over the amount of product you can apply.
- Pot life is pretty short. It takes me an hour or so to apply one coat and at the end of the hour the stuff is starting to coagulate in the container.
I usually suck at mixing chemicals. So I have been fretting over this for some time. I came up with an elaborate plan to use turkey basters and graduated containers for mixing. I was surprised at how well this worked. I was also surprised when I got some of the Part A stuff on one of the bulbs of the baster. It pretty much got eaten right away. Overall I'm pretty impressed with this stuff. I hope it holds up and isn't too difficult to maintain.
