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popa: I don't know if you are getting oak or pine. Both responded well to the Pelucid/Helmsman combination. We applied the pelucid with brush in our tests and applied the helmsman with spray. We did not thin it. This was in July so the material died quickly. I would not wait too long between coats to assure good linking between coats of the pelucid. This quote is from our tests http://www.mar-k.com/wood_finish_testing_ii.html We pretty much followed the instructions from POR15 about using Pelucid.

"PELUCID by POR 15 and HELMSMAN by Minwax

Pelucid is a single component polyurethane clear coating. In the first series of tests last year, we tested Pelucid by itself and found it to be quite durable. As noted, however, it is not intended for continuous outdoor exposure. Although adhesion was good, the sun darkened the wood significantly and some small cracks in the finish occurred. For this second test, we used the Pelucid as a primer coat to seal the wood and provide adhesion and used Minwax Helmsman for a finish coat to provide UV protectioin. We applied three coats of Pelucid a few hours apart then allowed it to cure 4 days. When cured the Pelucid was block sanded and then three coats of Minwax Helmsman were applied. This system is being tested on both pine and oak."


The finish has held up very well on the pine, with maybe one small flaw after almost 2 years in the Oklahoma weather 24/7.

We tried automotive clear over epoxy but not over Pelucid. It lasted well but not as well as the Pelucid/Helmsman. It sure looked nice though. You can put on several coats of the epoxy and block it to as smooth as you want then let the clearcoat make it shine.

Mar-Ktech