Difference between floor varnishes and furniture varnishes

Hi all,

In almost every hardware shop I see varnishes specified for furniture, floor or exterior.

A project I'm working on is a slightly raised plywood home theatre stage which I plan to finish in a clear coating. Seeing as how it's so close to the ground I'm thinking of using a floor finish for better wear resistance. The catch is I'm also building a TV rack to sit on top of it, which for cost and time reasons, I'd like to finish in the exact same product.

My question is what's the difference between the 3 (besides cost) and could you, for example, "upgrade" to an exterior finish for raw interior furniture without significant drawbacks? (likewise for floor finishes on interior furniture.)

Exterior grade finishes are usually more resistant to UV exposure. Some internal finishes can take on a yellowish appearance when exposed to sunlight over time.

Flooring finishes are more hardwearing, for obvious reasons. The drawback to them is that being designed to go on thicker with a mop or a roller, they don't spray to well.

The furniture is basically the easiest varnish in term application. It drying faster and most proper for furniture finish.
The floor varnish has medium elasticity and strong enough tho withstand the abrasion since the activity on the floor.
The spar varnish is varnish that is designed for finish the outdoor uses.It is more durable and strong to withstand the outside weather, but it need longer time to dry.

Varnish for wood finishing

Thanks for your replies guys, now I understand!

I have used floor varnish on a kitchen unit and a refurbished table where the surfaces were expected to get a fair amount of abuse from a growing family of demolition experts. You can thin it a bit to make application easier.
Regards
John

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Originally Posted by orraloon

I have used floor varnish on a kitchen unit and a refurbished table where the surfaces were expected to get a fair amount of abuse from a growing family of demolition experts. You can thin it a bit to make application easier.
Regards
John

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Thanks John, how did you apply it?

I use floor finish on all my furniture these days, I have used Wattle Interior, exterior, F&W int, ext, Satin floor finish and I now by fate have Cabots CPF satin floor finish which has impressed me the most. Its very fine and easy to get a great finish. Have a look at all the pieces on my web site, almost all the later pieces are floor finish.

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Originally Posted by Claw Hama

I use floor finish on all my furniture these days, I have used Wattle Interior, exterior, F&W int, ext, Satin floor finish and I now by fate have Cabots CPF satin floor finish which has impressed me the most. Its very fine and easy to get a great finish. Have a look at all the pieces on my web site, almost all the later pieces are floor finish.

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Thanks Claw, your work is superb, love the look of solid wood. Might just have convinced me to try CPF :)

I think you'll like it, I have only used it a couple of times but the difference in finish was noticable.
Have fun

PS, I never use the water base finishes due to having seen a couple of instances where liquids will go straight through them and leave stains in the timber,

Clawhammer,

I used Cabots CPF floor finish on an exterior bench lid/ seat over cypress pine, applied 3 coats with a brush, with one coat Feast Watson UV protected spar varnish . Extremely disappointed.
Less than a year and it is almost all peeled off. The bench gets about 4 hours sun a day.
I'm guessing I did something wrong?

Hi Clinton, anything outside in the sun and elements I just don't use poly, you generaly have to sand and give another coat at least every 6 months and sometimes every 3. I use oils these days. The big Lutyens bench seat that I did a while back has been done with home brew Danish as are quite a few other items I have done for exterior use. With oil if you don't top it up every 3 - 6 months it doesn't mater much, it doesn't flake because the oil is in the timber and not on top. You just give it a light sand and splash on some more oil and you generally don't get patchy spots everywhere.
If you use poly and you don't top it up, it flakes off and leaves spots and patches. It doesn't mater how much you sand them (unless you take them down to the bone again) you will still have dark and light spots. I look after a Blackbutt outdoor screen on the entry to an office block, it was polyed, even though I sand and coat it up several times a year it failed (blotchy and has some dark mould in the base of the uprights in about 3 -4 years. The owner has asked me to make another screen to replace it (not so bad I get another job out of it). This time I will use Danish and just stop by form time to time and wipe on a fresh coat. Thats my experience to this point anyway.

PS. I think it says something about the recoats on the can doesn't it?

PPS Cypress is very oily (expectorants) to start with so the poly probably doesn't get great penitration into it to start with and the expectorants may lift the poly as well.

PPPS Deck oil is also good for a lot of those lid type things too, once again you still have to recoat and I have only had good success with oil base not the water base finishes.

I think thats all:doh::U

:2tsup: thanks mate, clear and concise.
(i guess I should read the can more often)

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Originally Posted by Claw Hama

I use floor finish on all my furniture these days, I have used Wattle Interior, exterior, F&W int, ext, Satin floor finish and I now by fate have Cabots CPF satin floor finish which has impressed me the most. Its very fine and easy to get a great finish. Have a look at all the pieces on my web site, almost all the later pieces are floor finish.

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Your blackwood dining table inspired me as i already made a bed out of Blackwood and Blackheart sassafras. Making the table as we speak in school hols and i want to put the same surface coat on as yours - well done.

Claw, I hope you're still around because I have a question about CFP!

I have a tough time getting all the CFP out of the brushes. It's a good deal thicker than regular poly and doesn't seem to like dissolving in turps very much. After washing my brushes twice and letting them dry I'm afraid I've already bricked one of them. Soaking it in turps softened it a bit but the tapered filaments are all glued together and the brush barely works anymore. How do you clean your brushes?

Hi Kaisergrendel
I found CPF to be quite thin maybe you have got some old stock or something. I usually rinse out with turps twice and haven't had any trouble but you could go twice with turps and then with soapy water, bout all I can offer.

Clinton, buc, glad I could help and entice.

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Originally Posted by Claw Hama

Hi Kaisergrendel
I found CPF to be quite thin maybe you have got some old stock or something. I usually rinse out with turps twice and haven't had any trouble but you could go twice with turps and then with soapy water, bout all I can offer.

Clinton, buc, glad I could help and entice.

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I resorted to buying "easy brush cleaner" from bunnings and that seems to dissolve the varnish more easily, towelled the brush off as much as I could, then washing the brushes 3-4 times with heaps of washing powder. I also thinned down the varnish quite a bit with turps, even though the instructions say not to. Guess I'll find out in a few years if it was worth it :P

Thanks for introducing me to CFP, it was a PITA to apply but the result is quite fabulous. Pictures in a few weeks when my whole setup is complete.

I bought a second can the other day, also very viscose and runny like the first can which makes me think as I said before that you got a dodgy can. I brushed the first two coats and sprayed the last two and realy didn't have to thin it much to spray it. It takes quite a bit to sand through the coats so very impressed with its toughness. I don't think you will have any problem if it set ok.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Claw Hama

I bought a second can the other day, also very viscose and runny like the first can which makes me think as I said before that you got a dodgy can. I brushed the first two coats and sprayed the last two and realy didn't have to thin it much to spray it. It takes quite a bit to sand through the coats so very impressed with its toughness. I don't think you will have any problem if it set ok.

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I also bought a second can that seemed identical to the first. It's probably due to the fact that I'm applying it in a colder environment than you are - outside with no heating. I thought about spraying it but my homemade booth is a straight up fire hazard and only really suited for waterborne coatings. :B On the other hand when I sanded it it turned to powder really fast - maybe because it's colder and therefore harder? It does seem a good deal tougher than regular poly though, and it lays down like a coat of glass rather than a thin film - which is not to everyone's liking but it suits me fine :U

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Claw Hama

I bought a second can the other day, also very viscose and runny like the first can which makes me think as I said before that you got a dodgy can. I brushed the first two coats and sprayed the last two and realy didn't have to thin it much to spray it. It takes quite a bit to sand through the coats so very impressed with its toughness. I don't think you will have any problem if it set ok.

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Finished the table, got 4 coats of varnish down - EEE polish ok to finish it off?
Does it need anything after the EEE?

EEE should be fine, shouldn't need anything after that. Depends on the look you are after realy. I always go for a satin myself.

How long should i leave the varnish coat before polishing.
Im itching to finish this week as the chairs are ready but dont want to rush.

By the way Claw, can you buy ubeaut up here in newy anywhere or do you have another suggestion?

im also a satin fan and get all my students to go the satin as well.

Hey Bucy, I just pick it up at the wood shows or I imagine mail order would be the next best thing. Deponds on the weather but usualy 24hours is long enough. If it rolls when you sand it, it needs a bit longer maybe two days or untill it sands powdery. hope that makes sense.