Interlux Perfection Varnish

OK, next question on my build.  Has anyone used Interlux Perfection Plus varnish on their kayak?  Did it work well?  How well did it hold up to use?  Any problems?  I know I'll have to use the full respirator/protective gear to apply it, but  I read several reviews that said it held up better than the less toxic types of varnish.

 Kathy


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RE: Interlux Perfection Varnish

Hi kathy,

 As a longtime user of Epifanes varnishes, i can\'t speak specifically about the Interlux varnish.  However, the Epifanes page has a great Q&A section that answers your question in great detail.  Go to http://www.epifanes.com/qanda.htm, and about halfway down the page you\'ll find a question about two-part vs. one-part.  

 

I think the main thing you\'ll find is that the two-part doesn\'t have as much of an amber hue to it. In my opinion its not worth the extra effort using a two-part, but I also have some pretty strong opinions on varnishing in general.   

~Chris 

RE: Interlux Perfection Varnish

Checking out her blog has helped me to understand Kathy's particular brand of madness... http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=3517

I think that if there were a ten-part varnish she may choose it just on principle.  Seriously though, I am interested to hear how your varnish choice works out... particularly for ventialtion, safety, etc.

RE: Interlux Perfection Varnish

OK, so maybe I'm going a little overvoard (hopeully not literally!)  I do have a tendency to over think things (I am laughing so hard at your "if there were a ten-part varnish she may choose it just on principle" that I can hardly type).  In fact, I've spent the last hour searching online for different deck rigging layouts and carry toggle methods people have used because I'm stressing that I'm going to cut holes in the wrong places!  At least I'm having fun constructing it once I decide what to do.  I'll let you know how the varnish choice works out.  Thanks for making me laugh!

 Kathy

RE: Interlux Perfection Varnish

Kathy,

Of course my remarks are out of humor.  We are building in a similarly confined space in the same PacNW climate.  Lucky for me you are a few steps ahead so I have the benefit learning from your posts.

I am a first time build of a Ches 17LT that I am certain will end up with a crazy load of epoxy weight... RAMMING SPEED!!

Tim

RE: Interlux Perfection Varnish

Tim,

Great to hear you are also building a CLC in the PNW.  I was originally really worried about the epoxy step, but now I'm comfortable with that and what works and doesn't work for me, so I've moved on to stressing about things I haven't tried yet.  

I did find that a sequence of a rolled-on saturation coat, squeegeed off so there's not much there (then sand lightly since it seems to raise the grain, especially on Okume) followed by rolling on epoxy over 1 or 2 layers of glass (squeegeed again) works the best for surfaces you really care about how they look.  This seems to keep the thickness of the epoxy to a minimum but produces a nice looking finish with minimal bubbles.  For subsequent fill coats that you want thicker, I've found that the roller gives me tiny bubbles that are really annoying (they do sand out) so I've been using a cheap chip brush and it seems to work well. 

Let me know if you post any photos of your build - it's always fun to look at what other people are doing.  

 Kathy

RE: Interlux Perfection Varnish

Chris,

Thanks for the info about Epifanes.   Which varnish(es) have you used and how do they hold up?

Kathy

RE: Interlux Perfection Varnish

Kathy,

  As this is my first kayak build (I'm planning paint and varnish for April when New England warms up), I'll give you my impressions of varnishing our 30 foot sloop, which has more teak and mahogany on it then I care to think about.  I use the clear high gloss for the exterior teak and mahogany, usually with 7-10 coats, and the clear gloss followed up with satin finish for interior wood.  You'll probably want to use high gloss for a kayak (and definitely won't need 10 coats!).  I find that the epifanes holds up extremely well, as long as you re-coat every year or so.  Any varnish is going to need a new coat or two each season to replace what the sun and salt have worn away.  The thing I like about is that there is virtually no yellowing, probably due to the high amount of solids that the epifanes has.  As far as ease of use... its about the same as any other traditional varnish depending on whether you brush, roll, or spray (I use a high density foam roller and badger hair brushes to tip it out, but you can get perfectly good results using foam brushes and the CLC technique that John outlines in the video).

The downside is that epifanes costs a bit more, at nearly $40+ a quart.  I guess the main reason I use it is that I've done so for nearly 20 years... and you just become comfortable with a certain product after getting consistent results for so long.  Some might say that its like the old "coke vs. pepsi" question.  Of course, you could buy a pint of each and do some side by side tests :)

 If you want any pictures of the brightwork I've used epifanes on, shoot me an email and let me know... [email protected].

 

~Chris 

RE: Interlux Perfection Varnish

Reporting back on my varnish choice.  After much research (yes, I to tend to over-think things) I ended up using System Three WR-LPU which is a water-based 2-part polyurethane.  I chose it because it seemed least toxic, cleaned up with water, and was reported by others on the West Coast Paddler forum to hold up well (5 years to re-coating).  It was a bit finicky to put on as others have also reported, but once I got the hang of it and kept the humidity up and temperature down it was fine.  I chose satin finish (it also comes in gloss and paint) because I happen to like satin, and I figured it would hide scratches (and mistakes!) bettere.  I did 4 coats on the hull and 5 on the deck.  It looks great.  If you want to see any more details, you can look on the link above (in Tim from Olympia's post) that has details and photos of my build. 

Thanks for all your great input!

Kathy

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