[grouch]

Originally Posted by jcclark

I have always sprayed furniture lacquer on cabinets
and heve read lately on other forums that some guys
are spraying auto clear urethane on wood.
Does anybody know about this? Can I use my "car" clear
on wood? I have a lacquer sealer I put on first then scuff
before topcoating. Would this be a acceptable base
for the clear? My stain is an oil base so I don't think
I would try the clear over just that.
Any input is greatly appreciated.

I worked some years at a furniture factory that used lacquer. It makes a beautiful finish that is easily scratched, easily damaged by heat, easily damaged by moisture but can match the appearance of the old shellac finishes while fitting the operations of a production line much better. I've never used it on anything I've built.

Polyurethanes are much tougher. You can find polyurethane finishes on wood in large public buildings. They withstand heavy traffic, even on floors. Look for those suitable for marine use or "spar" polyurethane "varnish" (they're not really a varnish, but old terms die hard).

I have no idea about the adhesion of automotive clear coat to a polyurethane wood finish. My guess is that it would do fine if provided with a little tooth (scuff the wood finish). You would need to test to see if there would be any bleed-through. You might need to thin the wood finish with the same reducer used for your clear coat to keep them compatible. I always apply at least a couple of sealer coats of thinned (3:1 and 2:1) polyurethane wood finish before a final, unthinned coat.

Since you've sprayed cabinets, you already know to allow for the expansion and contraction of wood. The metal of a car has to expand and contract with the extremes in temperature a car faces, so my guess is that the automotive clear coat already handles movement well,

You can get polyurethane wood finishes in colored or clear and matte, satin, semi-gloss or glossy finish. You can add stains to them.

[Mrwood]

I have used a two part Epoxy-Plus Marine Epoxy from Clark Craft on over 8 pickup beds over the last 12 years, and as far as im concerned you cant beat it. Builds to a tough and high gloss, and i mean it is strong stuff. Put it on all sides of the wood to seal good, and in about 7 years you might need to light sand and put on another coat. The ones i have done have never had to be recoated, but they have been parked in a garage when not being driven. Have never had one discolor yet. I have built over 20 cedar strip canoes using this same product and it really shows the beauty of the wood. Everyone will tell you they have the best product, but its up to you to decide.

[grouch]

Mrwood:
That sounds like good stuff! Does it suffer amine blush? Do you put anything over it to protect it from UV? Do you use it as the adhesive as well as the finish on those canoes? Being an epoxy, it shouldn't be any trouble to clear coat, if that's preferred.

[mrcleanr6]

epoxy is a great coating for wood also. all those thick resin tabletops are epoxy resin base and i've seen those sit outside for years. many companies make clear epoxy resins so they shouldn't be too hard to find locally.

[Mrwood]

They also sell a UV protector for it also. I do not use it as an adhesive. I used my regular old wood glue on my canoes. I dont think you will need to clear coat this stuff. Its kind of milky when you first lay it on, but after about 2 hrs it is as clear as glass. Plus there are no brush streaks, as it levels out great. I put on 3 coats, and sanded between each coat, as my customers wanted a glass like finnish. I have used this stuff for about every outdoor project i have built, and it still looks great. It is not cheap, but is the only thing i use.

[Blackdog]

[QUOTE=quality parts]I work at Mar-K Quality Parts. We make pickup bed parts. Have been testing wood finishes for a while and you may be interested in the progress. http://www.mar-k.com/wood_finish_testing_ii.html There are several clear finishes being evaluated that are specifically designed for wood that is exposed to outdoor environments. The current test has been in place for only a few months so there are no failures yet. We post updates when failures or other notable changes occur.

I got my bed wood kit from Mar-K. They recommended a Marine Spare Varnish, so that is what I'm using. I just put the second coat on and it looks real nice. If they could pre finish the kit they would make a mint.

[Henry Moran]

If I can have my say here for what it's worth. Check out the photo of my truck's
dashboard, I sprayed it with durathane k , in the photo it looks like there's like
white powder on it, this is from smoothing it with fine paper, It's still got to get
the final coat. I dit about eight coats already, sanding in-between coats.

Yes you can-not apply thinners based products over wood stainers or varnishes,
the reason is that they contain oil and are minneral based, that is why you will
use terpentine to thin them with.

And seal the wood right around even inside holes if there are any.