Remove Varnish - Leave Epoxy Untouched???

I am having some trouble with varnish over epoxy. All my decks have a coating of epoxy over plywood. The epoxy looks good, but I wanted to provide protection of the epoxy from sunlight damage, so I covered the epoxy with UV resistant spar varnish. In some places the varnish has poor adhesion, and can be flaked off with my fingernail. Other places the varnish is stuck onto the epoxy very well. Now I want to remove this varnish and start over with better surface preparation.

The question: Does anyone know of a solvent for varnish (varnish removal) that will not touch the epoxy under the varnish?

I have tried Acetone, with no softening of the varnish, and Acetone cuts almost everything (except epoxy, and evidently varnish).

Is there a particular brand of varnish that will last a few years protecting the epoxy from sunlight damage?

 

sounds like you used a blushing epoxy...... next time upgrade to no blush epoxy.....

99% of chemical paint strippers will do nothing to epoxy, so that might well work. Also, I suspect a heat gun will lift the varnish long before it gets the epoxy.

paul oman
progressive epoxy polymers inc.

 

You will need to improve the key in to the epoxy after you get the varnish off.
Just sand off the varnish and scuff up the epoxy in so doing. If the epoxy is looking less then perfect when you get down to it- apply a couple of recoats, let cure, scuff it up and go over again with the varnish.

Is there a strong reason to use varnish over the epoxy instead of paint?
Mahogany veneer etc?

If you can skip the varnish, a coat of 545 followed by LP topcoat will get you years and years of service.

 

I understand that I need to provide good surface preparation before varnishing. But my question is:

Does anyone know of a solvent for varnish (varnish removal) that will not touch the epoxy under the varnish?

All of the varnish removers I have found also state that they will remove epoxy, and I don't want to remove the epoxy that I have.

 

Can you scrape instead of chemical stripping? It's the best way to remove old varnish, while leaving the epoxy unmolested. Chemicals can work, but the can's instructions will be the key. Look for the words, "safe for fiberglass" and you'll do fine.


The usual retail choices are:

Ready-Strip Marine
Aqua-Strip
Ultra-Strip
Sea Hawk Marine Paint Stripper
Interlux Interstrip 299E
Petit Bio-Blast
Franmar’s Soy Gel stripper
Marine Safety Strip and Marine Strip II by Peel Away

Bio-Blast and Aqua Strip work pretty good, the Interlux product is pretty cheap and the Franmar's product the "green" way to go.

 

Thanks Par for the info.