Wondering about some new finishes for base coats???

[Ax-man]

I found some new and different to me products at our local Menards store that I might try and use for base coats on some carvings I am planning on doing for some upcoming events and wondering if anyone has used them in the past.

In the past I have used shellac, sanding sealer and boiled linseed oil as a base coat to basically seal the wood. None of these base coats would stand up to being outside without a couple topcoats such as spar varnish which I like because it gives decent UV protection and has worked well for me in the past.

The new finishes I found at Menards is Raincoat by the Rustoleum company which is oil base and suppose to be a clear finish. The other is Flood CWV-UV I think this one is water base finish. Both are wood sealers and offer some UV protection and suppose to prevent cracking , mildew protection and other good stuff.

I was wondering if anyone has used these products and if they can be top coated with spar varnish with no ill effects. I haven't had a chance to read the entire label if you can do that or not. If these products are similar to that Thompsons Water Seal I'll probably pass on them.

Another base coat I might try is Teak Oil as a base . It is also a sealer and has good UV protection at least that is what the label says . I have used it for small lathe projects and it is good stuff but it can get pricey for carvings.

I didn't know this but Rustoleum also makes a gloss spar varnish and the label on it says that it is a marine varnish. I found it in paint section when I was in the store picking up some metal paint . I am anxious to see how this works compared to the other brands of spar varnish I have tried.

If anyone has had some experience with the two deck sealers I mentioned I would like to hear some feed back.

 

[Ax-man]

I was back at the store today and carefully read the labels on those two sealers I was asking about. They will work but they are best used on new pressure treated lumber if your building a deck ,fence ect. ect. . I decided to pass on using them and decided to stick with what I have been using as a base coat.

I did try some Teak oil on a carving and will see how that turns out . It is thinner than Boiled Linseed oil but the label said it had mineral spirits in it . I am assuming that this is to help it penetrate the wood and dry faster .

 

[Ax-man]

I made a comment earlier in this thread about some spar varnish made by Rust oleum. I tried it on some carvings recently and it is good stuff . I don't know if there is any difference between one maker of spar varnish compared to another but this one is by far the best of all the spar varnishes I have tried. The label says three coats is recommended but so far I have put on two coats with good results using a base coat of boiled linseed oil.