Ayrton Oneill
Boat varnish is an important consideration for boat owners. Varnish is designed to protect the wood of boats and yachts from decay, but it can be difficult to choose the right one. There are many different types of varnish available, including oil-based, polyurethanes, and two-part varnishes. Two-part varnishes are made up of a resin base and a hardener or catalyst. Some people also use epoxy resin as a base coat before applying varnish. This can speed up the process, but it can also cause cloudiness and discolouration.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Epoxy resin | Has no UV resistance, so without a topcoat that’s heavy on UV filters, it will change colour, and allow the wood underneath to bleach out |
| Varnish | Designed to address both stretch/shrink cycles and UV degradation but will eventually break down and fail |
| Yacht varnish | An extremely durable solvent-based coating that is designed to protect the wood that yachts are made of and stop it decaying over time |
| Oil-based varnish | Usually made with tung oil as one of the main ingredients |
| Polyurethane varnish | Generally has a synthetic-oil base |
| Two-part varnish | A resin base to which a hardener, or catalyst is added prior to application |
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What You'll Learn
Using epoxy resin as a base coat
Epoxy resin can be used as a base coat for varnish, but it has its pros and cons.
Epoxy resin is flexible and adheres well to wood. It can be used as a clear base over wood trim before applying coats of varnish. Three coats of epoxy followed by three coats of varnish can achieve the same depth and look of twelve or more coats of varnish. This is because there are no solvents evaporating away from the epoxy, so it builds thickness faster per layer than varnish and it doesn’t shrink when it cures.
However, epoxy resin has no UV resistance, so without a topcoat that’s heavy on UV filters, it will change colour, and allow the wood underneath to bleach out. It can also get cloudy, which makes the varnish look cloudy.
There are three kinds of varnish: oil-based, usually made with tung oil as one of the main ingredients; polyurethanes, which generally have a synthetic-oil base; and two-part varnishes, which, as the name implies, is a resin base to which a hardener, or catalyst is added prior to application. Yacht varnish is an extremely durable solvent-based coating that is designed to protect the wood that yachts are made of and stop it decaying over time. Most varnishes are made up of a penetrating oil, resin and solvent.
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Varnish vs. resin
There are several different types of varnish, including oil-based, polyurethanes, and two-part varnishes. Two-part varnishes are made with a resin base and a hardener or catalyst. Varnish is designed to protect wood from UV degradation and decay. However, over time, UV degradation and stretch/shrink cycles will break down varnish.
Epoxy resin is a popular alternative to varnish. It adheres well to wood and builds thickness faster per layer than varnish. However, epoxy resin has no UV resistance, so it will change colour over time without a topcoat.
Some people choose to use a combination of epoxy and varnish. For example, professional yacht refinishers use WEST SYSTEM® 105 Resin/207 Special Clear Hardener as a clear base over wood trim before applying coats of varnish. This combination can achieve the same depth and look as twelve or more coats of varnish.
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Oil-based varnish
Some varnish experts start by applying multiple base coats of thin WEST epoxy to bare wood for fast build-up, then finish with a couple of coats of varnish, or maybe Awlbrite. However, epoxy can get cloudy, which makes the varnish look cloudy, and it has no UV resistance, so without a topcoat that’s heavy on UV filters, it will change colour, and allow the wood underneath to bleach out.
One varnish that does have extra UV filters is Epifanes Clear, an old-school tung oil, phenolic alkyd resin varnish.
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Polyurethane varnish
Varnishes are designed to protect the wood that boats are made of and stop it from decaying over time. They are made up of a penetrating oil, resin and solvent.
Some varnish experts apply multiple base coats of thin WEST epoxy to bare wood for fast build-up, then finish with a couple of coats of varnish. However, epoxy resin has no UV resistance, so without a topcoat that’s heavy on UV filters, it will change colour, and allow the wood underneath to bleach out.
One varnish guru recommends using the traditional stuff, rather than epoxy, as it can get cloudy, which makes the varnish look cloudy.
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Two-part varnish
Some varnish experts prefer to use the traditional stuff, rather than epoxy resin, which can get cloudy and has no UV resistance. However, others use a combination of epoxy and varnish, as the epoxy builds thickness faster per layer than varnish and doesn't shrink when it cures.
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Frequently asked questions
Boat varnish is a solvent-based coating that is designed to protect the wood that boats are made of and stop it from decaying over time. Resin is one of the main components of varnish.
Yes, you can use boat varnish like resin. Some varnish gurus start by applying multiple base coats of thin WEST epoxy to bare wood for fast build-up, then finish with a couple of coats of varnish.
There are three kinds of varnish: oil-based, polyurethanes, and two-part varnishes. Oil-based varnishes are usually made with tung oil as one of the main ingredients, while polyurethanes generally have a synthetic-oil base. Two-part varnishes are made up of a resin base to which a hardener or catalyst is added prior to application.
