Chas231 Posted February 16, 2017 Report Share Posted February 16, 2017 I have some wooden parts made for the mast I'm working on. I coated the wood with clear epoxy, but they will be outside and need UV protection. Can Cetol be applied over epoxy? Instructions on the can say to remove all previous coatings. Chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Lathrop Posted February 16, 2017 Report Share Posted February 16, 2017 4 hours ago, Chas231 said: I have some wooden parts made for the mast I'm working on. I coated the wood with clear epoxy, but they will be outside and need UV protection. Can Cetol be applied over epoxy? Instructions on the can say to remove all previous coatings. Chuck Chuck, I cannot answer the question, but it is probably best to follow Sikkens directions. I have used both polyurethane and varnish over epoxy many times with good results. When I redid LIZ's rubrails last year I used SIkkens Window and Door finish since it gave me really great results on our mahogany front door that is in full sun half of he year. (The door is on the website and gets redone only about every 4 to 5 years) I stripped the poly over epoxy with a heat gun and think this will be longer lasting. The Window and Door variety does not have any of the orange tint that some Cetol has. It does not have quite the depth look that fresh varnish has but after six months or a year it looks much better than varnish and then lasts for a few years more before demanding to be redone. It does take a lot longer to dry and stand up to abuse but I can live with that for its good qualities. I have to order that particular variety of Sikkens as the local stores only handle the marine versions. They may offer the same good results but I stick with what I know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chas231 Posted February 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 Thanks Tom. I'll go with varnish on these pieces rather than trying to remove the epoxy. I've gotten to like Cetol. I used Cetol Light and Cetol Gloss on my handrails and the mast and boom. I like its looks and expect it to last longer than varnish. My varnished rubrails already need redone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Lathrop Posted February 17, 2017 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 Chuck, After some reflection, I remembered that Sikkens says that it is porous and able to breathe through to the wood underneath. Over epoxy, that would not be possible so that may be why they say to coat only bare wood with it. Anyway I have gotten better results with Sikkens over bare wood than any other product. Of course, if I want the best looking finish and know that it will not be exposed to the elements all the time, I use Z Spar Captains or Flagship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monroj Posted August 30, 2017 Report Share Posted August 30, 2017 I heard that it is better to apply the varnish when the epoxy is still tacky. In this way, varnish will bonds well with the epoxy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oyster Posted August 30, 2017 Report Share Posted August 30, 2017 1 hour ago, monroj said: I heard that it is better to apply the varnish when the epoxy is still tacky. In this way, varnish will bonds well with the epoxy. I have no idea where you got that from. But I have never heard of that. Plus there are some exceptions with certain brands of varnish actually drying and curing over the wide variety of epoxy brands, even when its cured and sanded. So I would not advice you to try that, unless you experiment with it on some scrap wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAR Posted August 30, 2017 Report Share Posted August 30, 2017 Agreed, these sort of "old wive's tales" just kick my butt and make absolutely no chemical sense whatsoever. Many of the things in varnishes and polyurethane protective coatings, will not react nicely with chemically active epoxy. You can kill the full cure of the epoxy, but usually what happens is it (top coat) just doesn't stick well and peels off in sheets. I'm not a Sikkens product fan, though it does seem to stick well to raw wood and porous surfaces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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