Maintenance Varnish

How can you tell when it is time to add maintenance coats of varnish?

When it is time to add, what is the process?

Comments for Maintenance Varnish

Click here to add your own comments

Sep 22, 2020
 Sunlight
by: Bill

The more sunlight the varnish is exposed to the more often it should be touched up.
Sep 22, 2020
 Water Beading
by: Mike

For a quick check on sound varnish use the ‘water-beading’ trick.
Water sprinkled on a varnished surface should form beads, if it just spreads out evenly then it is time to touch up.

That’s assuming that there are no chips, cracks, dings or blisters, if that is the case then you will need to get out the scraper, remove any loose varnish then sand with fine abrasive paper, and clean up with a tack cloth.

A bit of annual maintenance can save you time later, scuff-sand back the top layer of varnish, wipe the surface clean, and apply a coat or two of varnish to add depth and maintain the UV protection.

For touching up, the first coat of varnish on bare wood is best thinned, then add two further coats, a further three to four coats may be needed for a long-term finish.

Click here for more on Boat Varnish

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Questions and Answers Forum.

Want to add more photos?

Photo Uploader

If you are having problems uploading Photos or would like to add more click on this link for the Upload Form.

Show / Hide