Urethane vs Varnish

[michael pierzga]

Polyurethane is very nice to use . It can be applied wet on wet and when fully cured is very durable. Usually the rule is...if you are going to walk on it, use polyurethane

Polyurethane cure time is faster so its easier to achieve a dust free finish on horizontal surfaces. .

[Easy Rider]

I have had about 2 yrs of oil finish experience as nothing out of a can lasted even a year in Alaska for me. I use raw linseed oil and turpentine. Turp is a natural fungiside and drives the oil into the wood (teak). I had heard about Linseed oil turning black and that it was fungus food so in addition to the turp I put a small amount (10%) of Olympic Wood Preservative in the batch. And on the first coat I use mostly kerosene instead of turp. It never really dries. I've never seen water bead up so profoundly. For about a month after coating it's sticky enough that you may sit on it but probably wo'nt. This oil system works much better than McKloski's or Daly's "Sea Fin" for my purposes here in SE Alaska. I do'nt think I'll need to strip either.

Easy Rider