Varnish "too glossy" HELP

[Jay Knoll]

Hi everyone

A friend asked me if I would refinish his front doors. They face east getting LOTS of Florida sun. They were pretty beat up from years of neglect, had peeled/no varnish on them plus a wonderful patina of salt spray, crusted plant material etc. I should have taken pics!

The Festool Rotex and the Multimaster took care of the old finish just fine (well as fine as he wanted, I couldn't sand off enough mahogany to get it back to pristine condition).

I sealed and put four coats of Interlux Schooner gloss varnish on them, after the second coat I sanded with 400 grit paper. Had him look at the progress and he said "it is too shiny" I never heard of anyone saying that varnish on a boat was "too shiny" and that was the level of finish I was shooting for.

Actually it wasn't a problem because I needed to put more coats on anyway to get maximum protection/longevity, so I bought a can of Interlux Schooner satin varnish for the final coat.

I have been told that if you want a satin finish you should build the foundation coats with gloss and then just do the top coat with the satin; this avoids a "milky" appearance that can be caused by the additive that gives the varnish the satin appearance.

Just finished the top coat and things are drying. I'm concerned that it will still be "too shiny". Never having had to "dull down" a varnish finish before I am starting to worry a bit, Do I just rub it out with 000 steel wool? Will that leave scratches?

Thanks for your help

Jay

[tod evans]

jay, try white scotch-brite instead of steel wool.......02 tod

[Howard Acheson]

>> Interlux Schooner satin varnish

I have never see a satin Interlux Schooner. Is it something new?

That said, if you let the finish fully cure for 3-4 weeks you can rub it to whatever gloss you want using gray scotchbrite pads and mineral spirits as a lubricant. It takes varnish about 3-4 weeks to fully cure to the point where it can be rubbed to a consistant sheen.

[Jay Knoll]

Good news, they like the doors as they turned out with the satin varnish, so I don't have to do any rubbing out

Here is a link for information on the satin varnish (may have to copy and paste both lines)

w.jamestowndistributors.com/find;a;1;ID;,Paints,Varnish,Interlux.Varnish,Golds par.Satin.Varnish

Thanks again for your help and advice

Jay

[Rob Glynn]

For next time.

Rub the gloss finish down with 0000 steel wool soaked in orange oil or any good exterior furniture oil. It not only looks like satin, it feels like it. Periodic maintenance is then just a wipe down with the oil.

Down here we know all about sun damage and it works for us.

[Howard Acheson]

Jay, I was looking for the "Schooner satin" you referenced, not the Goldspar.

FYI, the Goldspar satin is an INTERIOR varnish. It contains no UV inhibitors and will probably have a rather short life on an exterior door getting lots of sunlight. Urethane finishes rapidly deteriorate when exposed to UV.

Heres something from the Goldspar Satin spec sheet: "Goldspar Satin is a low luster modified urethane varnish designed for application to interior wood surfaces.

I have done lots of marine finishing and Interlux makes some good products but they work best when used for the intended purposes. That's the reason I questioned the "satin" Schooner.

[Jay Knoll]

Howard


Well, I"m in trouble now! I didn't notice the label should have been more careful.

Guess I"ll have to promise to varnish it again after that coat fails! Oh well, it will need another coat or two next year anyway. Next time I'll have to do it the old fashioned way and rub it out after using the high UV stuff.

Jay