Order of finishing

[davidpm]

I'm planning on doing the hull etc with LPU and brightwork, transom, rub rail etc with varnish.

What do you do first and why?

[davidpm]

I suspect you do the painting first.

But while the fairing is going on I'll bet it works best to epoxy coat the wood that will be bright because if you get a little paint in the wrong  place it's easier and safer to scrape or sand it off off the epoxy rather than the raw wood.

So the order of events as I imagine it not ever doing it before is:

1. Sand everything

2. epoxy Coat everything once

3. Fair surfaces to be painted

4. epoxy Coat everything again

5. Third coat epoxy on bright work

6. Paint

7. Varnish

Is that about right?

[markja]

David,

I would varnish before painting because it is easier to extend the varnish a little bit into the painted area, then go back and mask off a neat edge on top of the varnish a bit and lap the paint a little over the varnish, rather than the other way around.

...if that makes any sense.

MARK

[davidpm]

Not sure what you are saying. If you varnish first and paint over the varnish I would be concerned about the paint sticking.

Also I don

[Charlie Jones]

Varnish is pretty much paint with no pigment. Not exactly of course but paint will stick just fine to varnish.

Don't believe it? Try getting some paint on brightwork where you DON"T want it ;D and try to get rid of it!!

Varnish on a light color paint on the other hand, will leave a yellowish streak.

[markja]

I think it is easier to clean paint where it runs or seeps over a varnished surface rather than a sanded wood or epoxy surface. You don't want to find any paint under varnish. But if there is varnish under paint, you will never see it. So if you varnish first, paint next and if any paint laps on top of the varnish it can be wiped or carefully scraped off.

MARK

[davidpm]

Thank you all. Just the opposite of what someone who has never done it before would have guessed.

Although come varnish touch up time I get to try it the other way.