The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Making a Stovebolt Bed Refinishing Spar Varnish Questions

Hey all. I used marine spar varnish on my trucks bed wood some 5 or 6 years ago. It sits outside and is used truck like.

I am in the process of spiffing her up a bit and have the wood back out. The finish is a little worn and down to bare wood in some places. I have sanded down quite a bit but there are a few places where the varnish is still there. I'm afraid to go too far with the sanding.

My question is this. Can I just put a new coat of spar varnish on it and will it fill and blend in where the leftover finish is? Will it fill in where I still have some "spider web" type of finish.

I don't want to replace the boards on this truck as it is not a show truck.

I would probably sell the thing and buy your wife diamonds......

Haha, you better learn to logout when you leave the computer chair.

Bessie, I have used spar varnish with good results.

However, before I even started sanding, I used a good commercial paint stripper, soaked the boards, wiped off the residue, let the boards air dry, then commenced the sanding.

You will have good results, but try to remove as much of the old stuff as you can.

Used a lot of spar varnish, and found that instead of using sandpaper, try some bronze wool, just like steel wool, but any residue won't rust..Comes in differend coarses, and believe you could feather the edges and recoat..Use the wool between coats and make sure it is really dry before using the wool....Use a tack cloth between, and probably put on about three coats..Mine sits out in very cold weather, and looks brand new..I have also used it on some dining room chairs..Just takes patience and it will look great and last forever..
Shooper

Thanks guys. Yes loggin out when the wife around is now at the top of my list.

Bessie....look down the forum a few days or so ago and see the question I ask. I did mine several years ago and need to refreshen it. If I had used spar over the old finish it would have "tones" in it as it will not be yellowed evenly! I took my wood out and had a cabinet shop BARELY plane off the old finish. You will hardly notice it if you stand there and let them only take a little off at a time. Then you can use one of the primer's mentioned in the earlier post and then the spar finiah or you can maybe put 3 coats on it and it will last another five years. I did top and bottom of mine and it really looks good. How it "yellows" will depend on the type wood. Mine was Oak. There is a lot of interesting answers to my post so look back and find it. One guy from Mar-Tek(?) has the results of test they are doing. Its a lot of info but very good. Hope this helps.

Go to the post I made on Jan. 30 and look at the response from Mar-Ktech...and click on the link he provides about the test etc.....

From my days as a sail boat owner....

get your self a paint scraper that looks like an upside down 'U' in profile. It is sharp and you can drag it along the surface of the wood and all loose varnish will scrape off quite easily. This will also plane off a layer of wood to give you nice fresh material to work with. If you relieve the corners a bit with a file, the scraper will leave the metal alone. Always try scraping before you sand something wooden. Then get some marine product called Seikkens. It outlasts spar varnish by double in a salt water environment. Check online for wood finishing technics on boats and you will be away to the races.

I did the same thing as Achipmunk did. I have a 15 inch planer. I ran the boards thru just enough to take off the old varnish, I also ran the edges on a jointer to get the varnish off the sides. Instead of a cabinet shop try a lumber mill, lots of cabinet shops will not run varnished boards because they dull their planer blades.

Whatever you do, do not varnish over the existing coating. It will, in time, laminate and then start peeling out. That said, remove the coating you have by either sanding or using something like Formby's (hard on urethane. Sand lightly after that, and then start with a satin urethane or a product called DEFT. Use steel wool between each of the four coats you then use a tack cloth between each coat. Then, on the final light coat,do not use the steel wool. Be sure that the coats are 48 hours old before recoating.
If you put anything in the bed that could scratch it, use a moving pad under it to protect your investment.