# Best Exterior Brushable Clear



## Painter Girl (Mar 25, 2009)

Hey,

I am wondering what is the best exterior clear finish for stained wood doors. I have used Graham's Ceramithane Gloss and still have had issues with the level of UV protectant. It has changed color on a eastern exposure. 

I have also used Modern Master's Master Clear (water borne) but am unhappy with the durability of it too.

I prefer not to use Spar varnish for obvious reasons. Mostly I don't have days to wait between coats. 

I am going to be applying a faux bois (wood graining) a two stall aluminun garage door and don't want to mess up what will be hours of work with an inferior top coat.

Any suggestions?


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## NuView Painting (Sep 25, 2007)

i just used Spars Varnish...thats some awsome stuff but I sprayed it... i've used Helmsman isnt bad to work with brushing


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## [email protected] (Mar 1, 2008)

Some Ideas for you. You might try cutting the Spar with a fast dry Napa thinner and adding some Jap dryer to it. Good luck on finding something that will last longer than 2 years exterior


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## slickshift (Apr 8, 2007)

Sikkens Door And Window by far
Really though, you'll need some tint for UV protection, and that's the story
Clears can only provide so much

S's D&W will suggest at least on coat color, two coats clear, for minimal UV protection

Any clear that claims UV protection may technically be correct, as my (clear) prescription eyeglasses (or clear windows) do technically provide a (technically measurable) degree of UV protection
But not much

Realistically I'll need those darker shades to provide real eye protection

That's the deal


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## slickshift (Apr 8, 2007)

Painter Girl said:


> I am going to be applying a faux bois (wood graining) a two stall aluminun garage door and don't want to mess up what will be hours of work with an inferior top coat.


Is that oil/alkyd or latex/acrylic?


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## NACE (May 16, 2008)

Aliphatic Acrylic Urethane Clear. 2 component, may attack alkyds but not acrylics, and no better UV and gloss retention. Gin clear, hard as a rock. Esentially what is the clear coat on a car finshing, or UV, gloss, and anti graffiti protection on bridges, tanks, block walls, and metal siding where graffiti is a problem. If spraying, a NIOSH mask is mandatory. Will work fine on aluminum.


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## ParagonVA (Feb 3, 2009)

slickshift said:


> Sikkens Door And Window by far
> Really though, you'll need some tint for UV protection, and that's the story
> Clears can only provide so much
> 
> ...


:thumbsup::thumbsup:. Sikkens is the bomb. I've used the Door and Window several times. It is expensive, but so worth it. You can tell the difference when it dries, it's so heavy and dries super even. The satin finish looks the best IMO


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## DeanV (Apr 18, 2007)

Do any of you worry that Sikken's might not be upto the task of handling the heat from the sun on metal? I used sikkens on my last 2 front doors. One was west facing with virtually no set back, so I used the colored sikkens for all coats to get the color they wanted and to max out UV protection. Not the best look, but hopefully great protection.

Is it really much different from a high quality spar in how it is made?


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## ParagonVA (Feb 3, 2009)

DeanV said:


> Do any of you worry that Sikken's might not be upto the task of handling the heat front the sun on metal? I used sikkens on my last 2 front doors. One was west facing with virtually no set back, so I used the colored sikkens for all coats to get the color they wanted and to max out UV protection. Not the best look, but hopefully great protection.
> 
> Is it really much different from a high quality spar in how it is made?


Not really sure as to the compostion of the stuff, but it smells so much stronger than other clears. And I swear, the stinkier the product, the better I've found it to perform.:huh: No but really, when the Sikkens dries, it seems to be less tacky much earlier than other products. So you can shut a front door after 4-6 hours or so, and come back the next day and have minimal stickage. I don't know how they get past the new VOC laws, 'cause they must put some ingredients in there that other companies don't.

haven't used it on metal, only wood doors


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## Painter Girl (Mar 25, 2009)

Slickshift,

It will be alkyd for workability.


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## slickshift (Apr 8, 2007)

Painter Girl said:


> Slickshift,
> 
> It will be alkyd for workability.


OK
I'd still have to say the Sikkens...more so actually now that I know it's an oil faux
But honestly I haven't used it in your specific app
I'd call or e-mail them with your specifics though, they are brutally honest about answering those sort of things
It's like they have no marketing dept. or something...lol
No "one product for all apps", or "it'll save the whales" or "prevent tooth decay" type garbage
If they think...er sorry...if they _know_ the product will work for your app, they will tell you in excruciating detail the absolute specifics on how to prep and apply it
They will not suggest it if they think there is even a small chance of failure
But that would be my call for what you have described

As per metal:
I have used it over oil-primed/oil-faux grain on metal doors before
Not a lot, but it worked quite well on the few projects I did use it on
Admittedly none are over a year old at this point (and I am a healthy distance north of the equator, so although I need UV protection, someone in FLA or AZ may need more), but so far so good
And I did discuss the process with Sikkens, and they did say it works well for that app.
...and again, Sikkens tends to be painfully specific about such things
If they think there's a teeny tiny chance of failure, they won't even hint at suggesting it, never mind saying "it works well"


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## slickshift (Apr 8, 2007)

*Love the spar varnishes but...*

It's probably worth mentioning here that spar varnishes need to be coated on all six sides and have a maint. coat every year...or the fix/re-coat process is huge


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## Painter Girl (Mar 25, 2009)

Slick Shift,

Thanks for the advice. I don' know why I didn't think of it.

It's totally true about recoating the spar every couple years. It is such a joy (I hope you can sense the sarcasm here) to prep for maintanence coats. On the other hand I guess that's job security.


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## Painter Girl (Mar 25, 2009)

*Aliphatic*

NACE,

Just curious... 
We have used the aliphatic acrylic 2 component by Ben Moore on a garage floor and it turned yellow from UV exposure pretty much in the area where the garage doors would open. Had to strip it and start over. 
Was great fun let me tell you. 

What brand do you tend to use?


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## DeanV (Apr 18, 2007)

NACE is a BM industrial division employee.


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## NACE (May 16, 2008)

Painter Girl said:


> NACE,
> 
> Just curious...
> We have used the aliphatic acrylic 2 component by Ben Moore on a garage floor and it turned yellow from UV exposure pretty much in the area where the garage doors would open. Had to strip it and start over.
> ...


Are you sure it was M74/M75? It sounds like an epoxy, not a urethane.


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## MNpainter (Jul 17, 2008)

slickshift said:


> It's probably worth mentioning here that spar varnishes need to be coated on all six sides and have a maint. coat every year...or the fix/re-coat process is huge


Every year? thats just Wrong. I have several Lake homes I maintain with Spar usually 4 years is good. Oh by the way Helmsman and many others 
are not worth the time to apply. BM is the best Ive found but am open to suggestions.


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## michfan (Jul 6, 2008)

Best I have used so far was a product from the petri paint company. It was one of their exterior commercial polyurethanes. It is hard stuff to find, but after two years, the front door that we stripped, stained, and sealed looks absolutely amazing. It takes a beating in the hot southern sun too...I gotta find a place in MI that carries the stuff.:thumbsup:


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## paintslinger (Jul 29, 2008)

i use the sikkens clear for my faux garage doors also use a coat of sikkens 2 3 dark oak for added depth


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## slickshift (Apr 8, 2007)

MNpainter said:


> Every year? thats just Wrong. I have several Lake homes I maintain with Spar usually 4 years is good.


1) You are lucky
2) Again, it's not that it may actually technically _need_ it every year, it's just that the fix if you wait too long and it peels is so heinous that one should do it every year just to keep from having to deal with that
Like changing your oil, you need to do it _before_ it breaks down


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