stand waterproofing

[karazy]

ok, so my stand is all stained and has 2 coats of varnish on it.

but i think i would like to waterproof it a bit more, cuz this stand will get used for a long time.

so what would you suggest for really good waterproofing (remember, its stained and varnished already)

[landshark]

Varnish is a hard finish to begin with. If you're not sure of the durability, you could try a good quality outdoor polyurethane. I've used Minwax "helmsman"? outdoor with great results. 1 year and not a blemish yet. Not sure if you can just sand lightly and apply or not.

[karazy]

i'll try sanding some and applying that polyurethane. thnx

[mike31154]

Hmm, I built a cedar strip/fiberglass canoe and the base for water proofing and treating the fiberglass cloth is a special two part epoxy. As waterproof as it gets. Then 4 to 5 coats of marine grade varnish. All pricey stuff. The epoxy is the ultimate waterproofer but breaks down under UV radiation from sunlight, hence the topcoats of varnish. The varnish also provides a finish more pleasing to the eye than just epoxy.

Not sure if you could put epoxy over the varnish, but I doubt it. You'd have to sand down to the bare wood, then do the epoxy and varnish after that. Stuff is very pricey though. Google West System epoxy and see what you think.