I did a dash a few years ago. I wanted a finish that was perfectly colorless,
and completely waterproof and UV proof. In the urethane "varnishes" there is
Spar Varnish which is quite water resistant and UV proof, but it has a definite
golden color to it. I have not found a clear Spar Varnish. Then there is
furniture urethane varnish which is crystal clear. It is great, except it has
fairly poor water resistance and also poor UV resistance.
So, what to do?
I had one person suggest automotive clear coat. I tried it and it worked
FANTASTICALLY. It is able to be applied in layers to get a good thickness. It
can be block sanded to get it mirrror flat, and it can be buffed to a perfect
shine. I really like it. Now, 5 years later it looks as good as the day it
was finished.
One problem. Expense. I could only get it by the quart, and the catalyst by
the quart. WOW that really set me back. I think that next time I will get to
know someone at a paint shop and have them spray the dash when they are doing a
car's clear coat. I would then block sand the surface and have them do it
again a few times do build the depth. If all they have to do is to shoot a few
square feet of board at the end of a clear coat spraying, then the added cost
to them is next to nothing, and if you do all the prep work, then it should be
fairly inexpensive.
-Tony
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