Thread: Painting and clearing hardwood timber

G'day Scotty and welcome to the fount of knowledge!!

How clear do you want the varnish to be?? Most varnishes I know of will discolour the paint underneath.

You will need a tough varnish so perhaps a marine varnish would be best.

Good luck with all the advice you are going to get!!

Thanks Artme
I am expecting the slight discolouration, so i will just have to live with that.
I have tried a marine varnish before, but that was on bare sanded timber, and i wasnt sure if it would stick to a painted surface.
would you recomend a water based varnish or stick with the oil based?

Car acrylics and clearcote, they are designed to work together; you could even go 2-pac if you have the right equipment.

Thanks Master Splinter.
I read that Acrylic Lacquers are too brittle for timber.
I do have the equipment for 2k finishing.
Has anybody had any success using 2k clear or spraying 2k colour onto bare timber?

I'll let Chris Minick from Fine Woodworking #111 (1995) answer that...

"Furnituremakers may question the wisdom of using automotive finishes on wood. After all, aren't car finishes brittle and meant for relatively immobile surfaces like metal instead of dimensionally unstable substrates like wood? Although that argument was true in the past, it is no longer accurate. Automotive primers, aerosol paints, clear-coat finishes and touch up paints have changed because car components have changed. The latest materials, such as high-impact plastics and composites, are used to manufacture car bumpers, trim and door panels. So paint makers have had to reformulate their coatings to accommodate increasing flexibility."

If you're really concerned, you can always add one of the plasticiser additives that are used when spraying onto bumpers and plastic trim. And they've been spraying 2 pac onto kitchen doors for years and years and years.

The only problem I've ever really noticed is that on some woods (like jarrah) you really need to seal sap runs with epoxy first, to hold them in place/replace the sap so they don't flake out.

Thanks Master Splinter
that makes sense I suppose, I'm gonna go talk to the guy who we buy our automotive paints and see what products he has and recommend.
Thanks for your help.