Exterior wood work question

[Bob Quinn]

I know the norm is to refinish and varnish and repeat every few years.

Is it possibly to do something like a thick polyurethane coating that would "last much longer" or is that just not feasible? I'm thinking like what you see on some restaurant tables where they have a very thick coating. I'm guessing with moisture issues that is not possible, just thought I would ask

[aquacraig@shaw.ca]

Cetol teak followed by Cetol clear..Easy to apply and maintain. Varnish is a myth!

[SKYCHENEY]

The thick table coatings are epoxy. UV light is the issue. Varnish looks great but to get longer lasting results that look the same you can go with Imron MS1 Clear or Awlwood by Awlgrip.

[jim rosenthal]

Awlwood. Not cheap, but lasts and lasts.

[Bob Quinn]

Awlwood. Not cheap, but lasts and lasts.

time is money, if that is the longest lasting that is what I will (attempt) to use!
It looks like I will have to figure out how to do it myself, can't find anyone to do it for me.

[jim rosenthal]

Awlwood is not difficult to use. Any AwlGrip product has good directions. Follow them and you'll be fine. Doing test areas on scraps with the various stains is a good idea.

[madhatter1]

time is money, if that is the longest lasting that is what I will (attempt) to use!
It looks like I will have to figure out how to do it myself, can't find anyone to do it for me.

This is what I had to do. I have exterior wood on slider door, door trim, aft window trim, freezer top, sink inserts, and the bow pulpit trim. All were starting to show light spots, about to go south. So with no responses and no shows I did it myself.

Honestly the hardest part is prep for your first coat. I did initial 3 coats. Now once a year I sand with 220, add a coat, and then a second within specified time of first coat application so I don't have to sand again. Between tape, sanding, cleaning, tack cloth wiping I spend 2-3 hours. The coats don't take long to apply. Use high quality brushes! Once 2nd coat is on I carefully pull off any tape.

My work is as good as anything I have paid for before. Also each year with the sanding and adding coats it gets better looking.

[SEVEN]

A tip for everyone who decides to use varnish. Strain the varnish and pour it into a plastic tub. Put the varnish in a microwave oven for about a minute until it gets really warm. You will find it flows like water and you will have absolutely no bubbles. When you wipe your brush off on the edge the bubbles dissolve back into the Varnish.

[edward]

How does ALWOOD compare to the IMRON MS1 clear ?

[SKYCHENEY]

How does ALWOOD compare to the IMRON MS1 clear ?

No idea. I have only ever sprayed the MS1