Epifanes Clear Varnish

Somewhere between 11-15 years ago I used Epifanes Varnish to finish a table that was going to sit on my porch in the sun. I picked it because of a Wood Magazine article saying it was the best marine varnish. The table still looks as if it was finished yesterday. Now the down side-- It is expensive and you MUST put on seven coats, light sanding between each, after 3 or 4 coats you just want to be finished, but if you persevere it is worth it. After the 7th coat I rub it down with 0000 steel wool. Just finished 3 benches and I'm sure the will still look great when I am long gone.

This is the best wood finish product but it is difficult to work with for someone like me who never painted or refinished anything.Lessons I learned: Always thin the product, even for the final coats. Otherwise it will "pull" off the hardened varnish from the table when brush strokes overlap. By the end of the table, the product is too thick to use reliably and thinning it a bit will prevent that from happening.Use a good brush (purdy > yachtsman, or whatever that brand is called) and stick to 3-inch size or smaller. Anything larger is too difficult to brush on smoothly without thick brush strokes needing sanding down later.Don't over sand the sides of a table. They sand down way quicker than the top and you will sand to the bare wood if not careful.Apply in the most dust free setting possible. Wet the floor if you have to. Then, if anything drops on the wet layer, wait till it dries and sand it off. Picking at it will worsen the surface more. Also, pull the brush hairs before applying the varnish to ensure no loose ones fall out while applying.Don't go over any layer a second time. Once there, it's done. Period. Missed a spot? Sand down most of the layer there and start over. I had to re-apply at least 3-4 layers cause of mistakes.Ensure your brushes and varnish containers don't touch anything dirty. Otherwise, you will find dirt in a layer and have to sand it off completely then reapply all over again!Get a good sanding block for between the layers. Once using fine grain (>220), fold a papertowel to the sandpaper and block size and use it in between the paper and the block to ensure a softer pad and better contact with the varnish surface.BUY THE BIG CONTAINER. I went through 3 small ones (500mL), not sure why, maybe cause I stopped thinning it and was using a 4 inch brush, but for a table that cost a lot and I shoulda saved by getting the largest size.I used generic mineral spirits, but probably would get the epifanes product retrospectively as the flow was not that great and I think it would of been better if their mineral spirit is as good as their varnish. Dip the brushes in the mineral spirit first, press out the excess spirit and then let it soak up the varnish like a sponge. Allow strokes to slowly pull out the varnish from the brush as the surface drags it out from the hairs. Keep the brush upright with very little pressure for less brush strokes to be left behind but enough pressure to ensure all hair tips are in contact with the table (I'm pretty sure this is what gave me the best results, comment if I'm wrong about that.)Do NOT press-out excess varnish into the varnish container you are using. Microbubbles will contaminate the varnish and leave spots in the layer, again needing deeper sanding and slower overall progress. A lot slower.Don't go over one spot twice, and when you are varnishing, brush from the dry surface into the wet surface so as not to leave the bristles ever exposed to surface when they have no varnish running down them. If you do, it will "pull off" the varnish you are brushing on and leave dry spots despite having plenty of varnish on your brush.The more layers the better. But don't get impatient and keep thinning (a little bit at least) the final layers.Get a small can of the rubbed-effect semi-gloss/matte varnish for the final one-two layers. The glossy clear varnish is over-board when it comes to the clarity and a final semi-gloss sheen looks more classy and refined than the overkill flashiness of the glass-like clear varnish alone.Get a lot of sand paper. 220, 320, 400, 600 if you have to. I'm just waiting for this final layer of rubbed-effect varnish to dry completely, hope the brush strokes I see in it are not so deep they reach the last gloss layer, and will sand and buff this baby table top with an electric sander equipped with buffing pad. That is, if I don't decide to take the small amount of remaining semigloss and paint on another layer before doing so. (it always looks better with one more layer, every time). Just not sure if I have enough remaining to do that. I'd have to thin it a lot. If the sanding takes out the brush strokes/dry spots without reaching the gloss layer, then I'll just buff and be done with it.Total time will be at least 6 weeks for me. But DAMN that is a nice table top. So nice I was gonna use it in the kitchen for the family but I think I'll make it my office desk instead.

08/19/2015: Epifanes Clear Varnish (1000 ml (about a quart))Ambient temperature for all dates = 65-75 degrees F. Humidity = approx 80-85%.August 15:First coat, 1:1 Epifanes high gloss and Klean Strip odorless mineral spirits (Klean Strip is $33.63/gal plus $27.50 shipping at Amazon or $14.63/gal and free in store pickup at Home Depot). Varnish coat was applied with a foam brush over finely sanded and stained mahogany on a 1962 Chris Craft wooden yacht. The mahogany was in poor condition due to exposure to several windy and rainy winters.Dry to the touch in 4-6 hours but still a soft/fragile feel (as with all subsequent coats. (Just about right for the next coat)).The first coat already showed signs of a superior gloss but the wood grain still had a feel that it should be filled with additional coats of varnish.August 16:Second coat, no sanding, 1:1 applied with a foam brush.August 17:Third coat no sanding, 1:1 applied with a foam brush. Now building a beautiful gloss.August 18:Fourth coat still no sanding, 2 parts Epifanes and 1 part mineral spirits (2:1) applied with high quality bristle brush. Wood grain now filling nicely and a high gloss is obvious.August 19:Light sanding with 320 grit wet/dry (wet) paper, wiped clean with damp cloth, wind dried.Fifth coat 2:1 applied with a high quality bristle brush. Gloss is now deep and far superior to any product I've used to date (I've used many over the past 30+ years).I will let these coats cure for 5 to 7 days, sand with 320 or 400 grit wet paper and apply coats six and seven. I will update this review at that time.Epifanes lives up to the many stellar reviews it gets and looks like many many hours of hard work went into this old wood (well, it did but it looks like many more than what was actual).This varnish spreads on easily and flows nicely to eliminate most if not all brush marks.I still have at least 3/4 of the first quart and I ordered a second can so there will be no interruption in the work.The only downside thus far is; I live with a Malamute Husky and he is blowing fur right now so keeping his hair off the wet varnish is a challenge. I can't blame him or Epifanes for that so I just live with it and have a hair picking session each evening. Good opportunity to drink a beer and admire the results of this great spar varnishNow if only it is as durable as folks claim,,,If the beer is nice and cold, I just may apply an eighth coat (or ninth).More later!,,,,,It's now later and as promised, here's more:8/25/15:The first coats cured very well and I applied an undiluted coat of Epifanes. The overall result is a bit disappointing, not because of any real flaw with the varnish but undiluted it simply gels and leaves a wavy feel as well as visible texture on the surface. The varnish itself is quite thick. More like a high viscosity motor oil treatment than conventional varnish. I suspected this may be the result so I only varnished a small area. Now when this coat cures, I'll sand it smooth and re-coat with a mixture of 2 parts Epifanes and 1 part mineral spirits.08/26/2015:I applied a mixture of 2 parts Epifanes and 1 part mineral spirits. The result is back to outstanding so I will not use this product undiluted in the future.The gloss really is great and tough. Remember that Malamute Husky? Well. he's still blowing fur. He jumped on the varnished mahogany when the coat was only 24-28 hours old. To my amazement, there were no scratch marks at all. When this fully cures, we will both be happy little boatsters!!I love this stuff!!! BUT, I strongly recommend that you use a 2:1 dilution for final coats. The application is much easier and the resulting gloss will make you proud!AND, SINCE THIS IS A RATHER PRICEY ITEM, A COUPLE HINTS TO HELP SAVE A FEW BUX:1. If you don't use it all within a week or so, as you use this up, pour the contents into a smaller can. This will reduce the air space and help keep the remaining varnish from turning to gel.2. If it does start to gel, thin it with mineral spirits and use one of those Mr. Coffee type fine mesh strainers and pour the varnish through it. This will filter out a large majority of the clumps and help insure a nice smooth finish when you go to use it again. I shouldn't have to say this but in case the hot coffee lady from McDonald's is reading,,, if you filter the varnish through the coffee filter, don't use that filter for making coffee.Thank you.AU//(~_~)\\