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Epoxy and Non-Epoxy Clear Resin Coat Options

Commercial Grade - Contractor Grade

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There are lots of reasons for putting a clear coat finish over surfaces and even more clear coat products to select from. Progressive Epoxy Polymers, Inc. offers several options, from epoxies to polyurethanes, to acrylics. Let's look at these options and hopefully determine which is best suited for your needs.

Clear epoxies are often used as a sealer and topcoat over decorative epoxy - colored sand (or vinyl chip) flooring systems. They also find their way on to table and bar tops and over fine woods (for that shiny - glassy look). The problem is that there is really no such thing as a stable clear epoxy. They soon turn an unattractive yellow and often get cloudy besides. They certainly lose their shiny very quickly too. All this is a result of exposure to the sun's UV radiation (More on UV blockers). The best solution is to keep your clear epoxy out of direct sun and it will stay clear. Unfortunately, that's often not possible.

So why even mess with clear epoxies? Floor applicators like them because the typical solvent-free clear epoxy is basically odorless - an important factor in large indoor areas. Epoxies also provide good sealing and waterproof properties, as well as chemical resistance and when new and shiny they look great.

For about a year and a half I've been testing various urethanes, varnishes etc. to discover which will work best at sealing and maintaining its shine outside. My test platform was a wood slotted park bench I owned. My test zones where the right and left halves of the seat slots and the left and right half of the backrest - about 12 different ‘zones'. The bench was coated and left outside in New Hampshire for 2 summers and 1 winter (buried under the snow). The coatings consisted of a vanish from Ace Hardware, a clear polyurethane from Home Depot, our clear watery Low V epoxy, our 2 part (LPU) clear polyurethane with UV blockers and absorbers. Multiple coats of each were used and multiple products on each slot (except on the backrest where varnish was used on one side and poly on the other).

The absolute worst product was the Home Depot one part polyurethane. It failed and peeled miserably.

The best products were the epoxy and the varnish and the 2 part clear polyurethane (our Acrylic Poly UV Plus). For years we have been telling folks that vanish over clear epoxy was a winning combination. I learned that from maintaining the brightwork on a sailboat located on Galveston Bay for 10 years. Seal the wood with the epoxy and then protect the epoxy with varnish. This test proved how good that system works. The half slot still looked bright, shiny and new. The slot with the epoxy, varnish and the 2 part clear poly looked just as good. I suspect over time t(another year or two) his one would have been the winner as the 2 part poly is tougher than the varnish and should hold up better over time. The other combination of coatings all feel someplace in-between. All products really like having an epoxy base. The water- based product lost its shine and just didn't hold up as well as the other products (which matches my experiences with most other waterbased coatings).

So if I were going to clear coat a big wooden sailboat mast that wasn't going to get any additional TLC for a few years, how would I coat it?

1) one or more coats of our solvent thinned clear epoxy primer (ESP 155). The solvents help seal the wood and penetrate below the surface. This is important as I have found the coatings (even epoxies) begin to fail on edges and corners where air and moisture can get under the coatings. Anyway, begin by sealing with a solvent thinned epoxy primer.

2) I would then add 2 or 3 coats of our watery, clear, solvent free epoxy called Low V. This product could be solvent thinned too and used in place of the solvent based epoxy primer (ESP 155) mentioned above, but I would personally rather use the ESP 155 as I suspect it would penetrate better. The Low V epoxy in this step provides a serious barrier coat to the wood and adds film thickness. Film thickness is a good thing, it keeps scratches and nicks away from the wood.

3) Next would be 3 or 4 coats of varnish. I have never noticed a difference between marine varnish, spar varnish, or ‘varnish' from the hardware store (albeit I haven't done any tests). The varnish protects the epoxy and gives the surface a ‘warm' look and feel. It also adds more film thickness.

4) You could stop here and be very happy with the results for perhaps several years. However, I would suggest 2 or 3 coats of our 2 part clear poly on top of the varnish. The UV blockers and absorbers will protect all the coatings below it. The toughness of the poly should also protect the softer varnish under it. My tests show good bonding with the varnish (probably because of the large amounts of strong solvents in the 2 part polys, they chemically etch into the varnish, offering both a mechanical and chemical bond). When applied just over the epoxy, there was a bit of whiteness present, not the case when applied over the varnish (probably more ‘fusing' between the softer varnish and the 2 part poly that provided a better "air/moisture" seal. Note that the 2 part poly layers are very thin, not much protective additional film thickness.

So remember, varnish over epoxy. Always. Our two part clear poly is unique because of its UV blockers and absorbers and not available any place else. It should serve as a good, long lasting protective coating for the varnish.

Clear Products offered by Progressive Epoxy Polymers

Our Low V epoxy is our recommended epoxy for sealing or as a penetrating epoxy when solvent is added. Clear, with just a trace of amber color. A very popular, general purpose, low viscosity, clear epoxy. Will bond to damp surfaces. Fast 'time to hard'. Also used as a primer on porous surfaces and under polyurethanes.

Mix really well - with parts A and B so thin and clear it is very easy to mix poorly and have uneven mixing within the same batch. This will produce tacky sections that never get completely hard and tack free.

Note: We have seen this product fisheye on old wood surfaces that have been 'bleached' and then stained. The oils in the stain or 'teak oil' (perhaps something in the wood bleach, I don't know) seem to remain in the wood despite solvent washing, sanding etc. Old teak trim is a good example. We've seen Low V fisheye on old teak being refinished that seemed to be 'weathered down to just wood'. I think the fix would be (not tested) to 'seal' the wood from the epoxy, say with a coat of solvent thinned varnish which would not be as affected by residual oils.

EMAIL (FEB 06): Hello:

I just bought some of your Low V epoxy and it is superior in every way to the system 3 products I (formerly) used, their clear coat and mirror coat.

Less money, better adhesion, better flow, better release of trapped gas, clarity, speed of cure, and machineability. It's like night and day, and their product is nothing to laugh at!

Great Product, I will buy *whatever* I need from you in the future.....

GREG

Bio-Clear 810 (solvent free epoxy) - - very similar to our Low V epoxy with very similar viscosity. A cycloaliphatic epoxy. Crystal clear, with low yellowing. Approx. 20% flex/elongation. Slightly longer pot life than Low V, but much longer 'gummy' (B Stage cure) cure period which results in very low heat release (exotherm) during cure (generally a good thing). Will bond to damp surfaces. Recommended for exterior exposures where yellowing is a concern, over broadcast floor systems, or in confined spaces were exotherm reaction during initial cure is a concern (such as epoxy injection into a weakened deck core). MOST COMMONLY USED EPOXY FOR TABLE AND BAR TOPS (edges can be routered round) - SEE WEBSITE ON THIS INCLUDING WARNING, DIRECTIONS, OPTIONS, ETC - GO TO: WWW.EPOXYPRODUCTS.COM/BARTOP.HTML

THIS PRODUCT CANNOT BE BRUSHED/ROLLED ON AS A PAINT OR SEALER COAT. IT WILL 'dimple', 'creep', 'crawl' (whatever you want to call it) IF USED IN THIS MANNER. Use with fiberglass cloth, over broadcast non-slip surfaces, and with all epoxy thickeners and fillers. Especially recommended for mixing with our copper powder. It also works great as a poured, thick surface (i.e. table tops, etc. due to its low yellowing and clarity. This epoxy does maintain a certain degree of flex. This is a blushing (amine blush) epoxy. Sold in 3 gal kits and 15 gallon 'commercial' units.

CLICK HERE TO GOTO OUR USERNOTES SECTION: FEEDBACK FROM FOLKS WHO HAVE USED THIS AND OUR OTHER PRODUCTS.

Low V Floor™ a thin, watery, clear epoxy, slightly thicker than our regular Low V™ epoxy but with slower (normal) epoxy yellowing. Generally used as a clear coat / colored chip layer in floor applications. Listed only in our industrial/residential catalog (not in our marine catalog), under clear coatings.

Acrylic Poly UV PLus this is our gloss, clear two part acyrlic polyurethenane coating. Surprisingly most clear coatings have very little UV blockers added to them. This is an exception (just like auto clear coat, which is also an acrylic poly) - it has max UV blockers, so will greatly reduce or eliminate epoxy yellowing. (More on UV blockers)

Solar Guard: waterbased 1-part acrylic urethane clear coat and UV BLOCKER

Solar Guard™ is a our waterbased clearcoat and UV blocker. It is not as tough or durable as the 2-part Acryilc poly plus, but it exhibits many of the same properties at a much lower cost. It has a glossy finish, is non-yellowing and, most importantly, has enough UV blockers to keep our epoxies from yellowing. 36% solids. Like most waterbased clearcoats, it goes on milky white and dries clear. Not for garage floors.

Protecting clear epoxies with marine spar varnish

Those show-piece wood strip canoes and kayaks, and sometimes the varnished brightwork wood trim on yachts are sealed or built with any of the clear epoxies mentioned above. A few coats of varnish (pretty much any kind of varnish works) over the epoxy will protect the epoxy from UV damage. The epoxy seals the wood better and longer than the varnish, while the varnish protects the wood and bonds long term better to the hard epoxy than it does to the porous wood - a great win-win combination. I've tried all the other UV protecting topcoats over clear epoxy and for that mirror yacht gloss nothing works as well as varnish. Unfortunately, traditional varnish is being phased out. Find out why - Click Here.

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"INDUSTRIAL FLOOR EPOXY" (tm) By Progressive Epoxy Polymers, Inc. 0% VOC, Solvent Free and Environmentally friendly, Odorless.

Professional grade floor epoxy paint / coating for garage, shops, and commercial facilities

48 oz, 1.5 gal, and 15 gal kits. Available in any amount over 15 gallons

Purchase at the Progressive Epoxy storefront or the more simple EpoxyUSA.com site