Varnishing in cold weather?

[Noodlyarm]

Hello,

I'm used to varnishing in S. Florida. Now I'm up in the PNW. I want to re-varnish my Selene's caprails while its out of the weather. My boat is in an unheated shed where it is 40 degrees; I cannot heat the shed. I use Epifanes Clear Varnish.

Do I need to add an accelerant or drier? What do you recommend? Any other suggestions for dealing with varnish in the cold?

Thank you for any advice, guidance, comments, etc.

 

[fgarriso]

What does Epifanes say ?

 

[SoWhat]

Epifanes recommends no less than 40. An accelerant may help with drying and definitely will give better flow but considering the work that goes into varnishing I wait until it's 60. I use epifanes.

 

[DennisB1]

I varnished when my boat was in a covered unheated boat house. I was coating once a week with the epifane and had no problems. Try a small area and test to see if you can lightly sand after a few days wait. If you can and it does not gum up put on a another coat. I was working full time and would only come on a weekly basis. It does need more time than the normal (70f) one day between coats. It was winter and temps were down to freezing at times (PNW Seattle area)

 

[C lectric]

I've never winter varnished myself but I knew several folks who did exactly that. They kept their boats in sheds., not boat houses.
The job was beautiful. It just took two days for it to be ready for the next coat.
It is long enough ago I don't remember what they were using.

Try a small piece of teak and see what you have to do. It might just work out fine. Let it go through the year in the sun for summer to see how it holds up.

 

[mliemon2]

Our boat is in a boathouse in Portland, OR. I hired a pro who did it in 40ish degree weather. He used Captains varnish and didn’t thin it.

 

[rslifkin]

I've found with most paints, varnishes, etc. you can go a few degrees below the minimum recommended temp. More than 10 degrees below may or may not work well, however. Drying times will be longer than normal, and take extra care that the weather won't cause condensation before it's fully dried.



If you're concerned, find a test piece to try and see if it dries properly.

 

[PMF1984]

I was told by a painter years ago to keep the varnish the same temp as the boat.

 

[koliver]

I use Epfanes. When fresh it is quite a bit thinner than after the can has been opened a few times. When it gets thick, I add a bit of thinner to get back to the original consistency. I haven't ever tried when it was as cold as you are going to try. I have had great results at all of the temps that I have tried.

 

[Cleanslate]

I use Epifanes clear gloss on my boat. Also use Captains. I varnish outside in the water/slip.
I never use either below 60 for a high for the day. Captains dries faster. Epifanes takes most of the day. you must be careful of condensation in the evening , even in a shed .
It will ruin you work if you push it. I know! @##%!

So I would worry about the long dry time. That also can lead to dust and what not getting into the varnish.
It's a gamble.

 

[rslifkin]

I use Epifanes clear gloss on my boat. Also use Captains. I varnish outside in the water/slip.
I never use either below 60 for a high for the day. Captains dries faster. Epifanes takes most of the day. you must be careful of condensation in the evening , even in a shed .
It will ruin you work if you push it. I know! @##%!

So I would worry about the long dry time. That also can lead to dust and what not getting into the varnish.
It's a gamble.

In a shed, I've found the best way to avoid condensation is to paint, etc. when the weather is cooling. The boats in the shed cool more slowly than the weather does, so you don't get condensation. The time things get wet is when the weather warms up quickly and the dew point rises above the temperature of the still-cold boats inside. Then everything is soaked.



That issue unfortunately leads to often needing to paint, varnish, etc. in colder than optimal temperatures early in the spring, as the warmest days are often off-limits due to condensation risk.