# Minwax spar urethane



## Cmac08 (Oct 19, 2013)

I am re finishing a vanity for my shop bathroom.... I sanded and stained and it turned out great.... Now I have put on two coats of minwax indoor/outdoor Helmsman spar urethane clear gloss in a rattle can..... What is your guys method of in between coats?! Steel wool?... Buff ?... Sand? And what about final coat?


----------



## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Depending on the color of the wood the minwax spar may not have been a good choice. If it is light, the finish will yellow as it gets older but if the bath isn't very sunny may take a long time. Anyway the between the coats sanding should be done with 220 grit sandpaper or an alternative most of the time I use an extra fine Glit sanding pad. It's a 1/2" piece of foam with the sandpaper adhered to one side. It's a bit easier and more comfortable for hand sanding. Once the sanding is done clean the dust off and spray the final coat in the same manor. Try to overlap each coat of spray so you don't have streaks in the final finish. You layer the finish kind of like a roofer puts down rows of shingles, one row overlapping the previous.


----------



## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

Cmac08 said:


> I am re finishing a vanity for my shop bathroom.... I sanded and stained and it turned out great.... Now I have put on two coats of minwax indoor/outdoor Helmsman spar urethane clear gloss in a rattle can..... What is your guys method of in between coats?! Steel wool?... Buff ?... Sand? And what about final coat?


Just a note on the spar varnish. It's different than other varnish because it has more resins that make it flexible so as to keep it from cracking when applied to "spars" as they flex and bend. When finishing spars. We shoot for at least 10 to 15 coats and sand in between. 

Al

Nails only hold themselves.


----------



## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Al B Thayer said:


> Just a note on the spar varnish. It's different than other varnish because it has more resins that make it flexible so as to keep it from cracking when applied to "spars" as they flex and bend. When finishing spars. We shoot for at least 10 to 15 coats and sand in between.
> 
> Al
> 
> Nails only hold themselves.


It's different from other varnishes because it has more oil, not more resins.








 







.


----------



## Cmac08 (Oct 19, 2013)

Steve it is on red oak with a darker stain.... It is going in a shop bathroom so there is 0 sun light.... What would the spar be best used on?


----------



## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Cmac08 said:


> Steve it is on red oak with a darker stain.... It is going in a shop bathroom so there is 0 sun light.... What would the spar be best used on?


I know you asked specifically for Steve. I'll just say that I don't use spars for interior use. They don't finish very hard and can take weeks to cure.


















.


----------



## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

cabinetman said:


> I know you asked specifically for Steve. I'll just say that I don't use spars for interior use. They don't finish very hard and can take weeks to cure. .


+1 and sometimes even longer. At this time of year it's gonna take some time. Not my first choice of finish.


----------



## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Dominick said:


> +1 and sometimes even longer. At this time of year it's gonna take some time.


If the OP had filled out his profile and stated his general location, answers to questions like this could be addressed more specifically.

















.


----------



## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Cmac08 said:


> Steve it is on red oak with a darker stain.... It is going in a shop bathroom so there is 0 sun light.... What would the spar be best used on?


 A spar varnish is formulated to be more elastic than polyurethane so it can tolerate going from being wet to being in the hot sun for exterior applications. A lot of folks complain the finish is soft however there are a lot of other finishes commonly used on bath cabinets that are softer. The only objection I would have is if it were on light wood where the finish yellowing would be an issue. Since you have the vanity out of the sun I think you will probably be alright.


----------

