America’s Best Varnish is a new varnish that is designed for the person needing a professional finish but with the ease for a DIYer. This varnish is designed for wood boats, outdoor applications or anywhere sun and water will be a nuisance - i.e. boat decks/sides, fences, doors, decking, siding, tables, chairs, cabinets, trellis, pergolas, etc.

Some of the key features of America’s Best Varnish are:

• You can recoat after one hour without needing to sand between build coats (up to 5 coats in one day at 72 degrees).

• After 8 hours of the build coats drying, you will need to sand the surface with 320 grit. This sanding step will smooth out the surface/brush marks for subsequent build coats or for that perfect final coat.

• Most projects will need 4-6 coats total for years of protection.

• The VOC’s in America’s Best Varnish are half as much as other marine/outdoor varnishes - making it much safer to work with.

• The gloss factor (measured as DOI) is 8% higher than other marine/outdoor finishes - so you will have one of the best mirror-like surface after proper sanding and build coats.

• The UV solids is greater compared to other marine/outdoor varnishes. So you will know that your hard work in creating a great varnished surface will last much longer than other leading brands.

• The viscosity is very smooth and flow’s exceptionally well.

• This varnish can also be sprayed straight from the can with proper spray equipment.

• America’s Best Varnish has a amber-tone color for that classic varnish look and is compatible with other polyurethane and urethane products (do not overcoat white and light colored paints). Enamel and lacquer base products may cause a negative reaction with America’s Best Varnish if under/overcoated.

If you are going to be applying America’s Best over new wood - sand the bare surface up to 120-180 grit, going with the grain. Do not use an orbital/power sander as your final sand - the “pig tails” and other sanding marks created by the power sander will show against the grain once the varnish is applied. You can apply America’s Best over most properly dried wood stains and marine filler wood stains. It’s always good practice to do a sample piece to test stain/varnish compatibility and color. America’s Best varnish can work well over oily woods like Teak but over time it may delaminate depending on how much the Teak will “sweat”. The amber-tone will richen hardwood and softwoods like White Oak, Mahogany, Walnut, Cedar, Fir and Pine etc. really nicely.

A good varnish schedule to follow is: Apply 3-4 build coats in one day and let that dry over night. Then sand the surface flat and smooth with 320 grit and a nice sanding block. Then apply 1-2 additional build coats or use these coats as your final coat.

Some tips for application:

You technically can apply up to 5 coats in one day but sanding that amount of build coats flat/smooth may take more time due to the amount of brush marks.

Sanding the surface flat and smooth is the most important step in achieving the best gloss and surface appearance. This also insures the proper mechanical bond between build coats and final coat.

The roll-and tip method works really well. Make sure your brush and foam roller are free of any dust.

Wet the shop floor with water to help reduce any dust while varnishing.

Clean surface with vacuum cleaner and then denatured alcohol on a clean disposable rag.

Apply enough build coats of varnish so the grain is filled/smooth. Then you know your final coat will looks it’s best and the wood will be thoroughly protected.

*The Low Viscosity Varnish is great for any project needing a smooth, reflective surface or where details like routered edges or carved surface features are present. Examples would be sides/deck of a boat, interior components, cabinets, doors, chairs, tables, trim work, etc.

*The Traditional Spar Varnish is great for projects where protection is the priority over surface smoothness or where applying refresh coats in the future may be cumbersome. The Traditional Spar has a thicker viscosity compared to the Low Viscosity for this purpose. Example projects could be siding, decks, barn doors, fences, tables, masts, booms, etc. The Traditional Spar is also great for build coats and then apply a final coat of the Low Viscosity for an even smoother surface appearance.

Please send any questions for application or further technical data to info@fitzkeboatworks.com

America’s Best Varnish is made in the USA