[Woodcarver] question about outdoor varnish

[Ivan Whillock]

There is no outdoor finish that, to my knowledge, you can apply and forget, even the paint on your house.  Paint lasts the longest, but it covers the grain.  Spar varnish, (and marine varnish), has a longer staying power than many varnishes, but it eventually yellows and peels.  I've had the best results with waterproofing stain.  The sealer is a water barrier and the stain, which is quite transparent, keeps the wood from turning grey (or covers the graying wood).  However, it must be redone every few years, depending on the exposure to sun and weather.  Rather than letting them think the sign will stay looking new forever, I usually included instructions for the customer on what to do to keep the sign looking fresh, which includes reapplying the waterproofing regularly--or as soon as it shows any sign of losing its color.  The advantage of waterproofing stain is that you don't have to remove the old finish before applying the new one.  A yellowing varnish has to be removed in order to get rid of the yellowing.  Sometimes the customer prefers the leave the sign alone and live with the "rustic" changes that take place with the aging of the finish. 


Ivan Whillock Studio
122 NE 1st Avenue
Faribault, MN  55021
Visit my website at
http://www.whillock.com
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http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?username=ivancarve

Kings of Swing:  http://whillock.com/swing/
  From: Merrilee Johnson 
  Sent: Tuesday, June 22, 2010 1:46 PM
  To: woodcarver at carverscompanion.com 
  Subject: [Woodcarver] question about outdoor varnish


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  Good Day all!
     I have a question that has been asked before but I am not at home where all my information is.  I am making an out door welcome sign.  I remember Joe Dillett saying what kind he uses but can't remember the name.  Also lots of talk about marine varnish vs others.  So my question is what is the best finish to use on an outdoor sign that won't have much additional care given after I put on whatever.... I did use Helmsman Spar Varnish on a garden stake last year - stuck it in the ground end of June and by September it was greyed.  I was so disappointed.  So please share your wealth of knowlege with me.  Thank you!
  Merrilee


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