Recommendations for Flat Finish Over Paint?

[Jeff Morris]

Hello folks,

My SWMBO and I recently started making country craft type things together in my woodshop. You know, "home is where the heart is" signs, and things of that nature.

The problem is, we haven't been able to figure out what to use for a finish coat on these projects. We want something clear and flat, that will seal well enough that a little rain won't destroy the projects if they're displayed outside. I checked with the Borg, etc., and they don't have anything flat. You can have any finish from them you want... as long as it's gloss or satin polyurethane. :-) I know that some folks who make things in this style use acrylic matt medium, available in artist supply and craft stores, but I checked that out, and boy is it expensive (like $20 for a *pint*.) Is there anything more conventional available that's flat, transparent, and at least reasonably waterproof? Maybe like a polyurethane, varnish, shellac or something similar?

I know that I could use something satin and knock down the shine with sandpaper or what not, but that seems like an awful lot of work. We're really looking for something that we can either brush or spray on and be done with.

Thanks in advance for any tips!

- Jeff

[Silvan]

Yeah, that stuff is ghastly expensive, isn't it?

flat,

FWIW, if it were me, I'd just leave the paint raw and let the buyers figure out what to do about it in a few years when it fades.

Matte or gloss, you aren't going to be able to do an outdoor finish that will stand up to time without spending a lot more than it's probably worth for goofy signs like that. I'm sure the boat builders could tell you about something good, like maybe a true spar varnish or some kind of epoxy or something, but I don't imagine that would be the cheap or easy way to go.

Poly is worthless IMHO as an outdoor finish. I covered a bench with that Helmsman stuff, and I have to re-do the stupid thing every single year. I painted a carved mailbox with artist acrylics, and top coated it with that junk. A year later, I had big yellow sheets of stuff flaking off, and no way to re-do it without stripping the whole thing down to bare wood and painting it from scratch. I'll never use it again. Much easier to deal with paint without having to figure out how to get the corrupt poly off first.

I can't speak of any other finishes first-hand, so I'll leave it at that.

[Charlie Self]

Jeff Morris asks:

Go to UGL.com. Check out their polys. I'd direct you more closely, but my modem seems to be affected by the wind and damp, so is slower'n a dog with 2 broken hind legs this morning. They have spray polys I am reasonably sure come in flat, as well as brush ons that I know for sure do. Problem with spray flat in a can is the additional goop added to the poly to flatten the finish, so it is weightier. You may be stuck with brush-on.

Charlie Self

"The income tax has made liars out of more Americans than golf." Will Rogers

[Bob Gramza]

The first link talks about flattening a finish. The other 2 are for products.

[Bob Bowles]