TotalBoat Gleam Marine Spar Varnish

I used this on a couple live edge pine slabs for my dock bar. The stuff looks great & dried quickly for spar varnish. I brushed on 3 coats. It looked great, but a few hours later I notice one area w/brush marks & a couple that had almost a puddle, like it was too much in those areas. It seemed nice & dry so I took some sand paper & sanded those areas. All of those sanded areas sanded well. The product “talc-ed” up while sanding & didn’t load up the sandpaper with sticky fresh paint sometimes does. When paint is dry it dusts/talcs, if it’s not dry enough it’s gummy. This sanded well within 6 hours @ 90 degrees. Anyways, I wanted to apply another coat that evening so I brushed it on. An hour later I checked on it & was pissed to find everywhere I sanded it, the last coat wrinkled. Apparently, sanding the outer surface opened up the inner layer, which wasn’t quite as dry. The application of more varnish confused the inner that wasn’t as cured/dried & attacked it, wrinkling it. So I let it set for 24 hours, & then really sanded all the wrinkled areas with a DA sander w/150G, then 320G on the entire surface. Then I gave up on the brushing method & since I’ve got some nice spray guns from my auto body biz, I sprayed. Apllied more coats of Gleam, waiting a couple hours in between @ 95 degrees. Couldn’t be happier with the results. I don’t know why I tried brushing it. You’ve got so much more control with the gun. You do have to reduce it about 10-20% with xylene, which in California is thought to find, however Klean Strip makes a replacement product called Painters Solvent. It worked great.

I’m so impressed with Gleam! I used it to finish our front door and I wanted a product that’s easy to apply, quick to dry, and looks great. I followed the instructions that in order to get a good satin finish, you start with gloss and add satin at the end. I applied the first coat thinned with the TB thinner and did a flood coat with gloss. I applied the finish with a foam roller and tipped it off with a foam brush. The door got 6 coats of gloss (1.5 cans) which made it so reflective I could see my face in it! I then scuff sanded, cleaned, and applied 2 coats of satin which gave me a great sheen. I was impressed with how smooth it went on. It flattens out nicely, and was easy to apply.

I just used the product a few days ago, so I have no idea about durability, obviously. What is clear, though, is that the product is indeed recoatable within hours (and not tacky for days and days like traditional spar varnishes, attracting all kind of stuff and dust in the process). The ‘glossiness’ of the Gloss variant is outstanding as well and the enhancing effect on the wood’s appearance is very convincing. I applied the varnish with a foam roll and immediately eliminated the unavoidable bubbles with a soft brush. The varnish being not overly thick-flowing, this worked very well and resulted in a thin, very even coat (which is good, thick varnish coats are not a good idea, by experience). Be prepared, therefore, to apply the recommended 4-6 coats… To be noted: I have used the Satin version as well (bought on Amazon like the Gloss). The effect is different, but good as well. Be aware, though, that for some reason, this variant dries very quickly. So you have to be very fast in order to avoid brush marks! One last remark: while the product dries indeed very quickly, it stays fairly soft for several days until it completely cures.

The product is great but I don't know who is shipping it. Why ship a gallong of expensive product via USPS with no box packing to keep the can from being dented? It arrived with a can of spray paint The paint was from another distributer but both were just rattling around in the box with no cushioning. Not sure where the full order originated but they must have run out of packing material. I'd rather pay for FedEx or Amazon delivery if that got the package packed properly. Most of my orders do arrive packed well--not sure what happened here. Anyway, the can held together without bursting.

This product has been absolutely fantastic to use on my boat. The teak has never looked better and after months of direct sunlight appears to still look like I just apply it to the boat.

Used to finish sauna on deck at beach. Went a long way. Dried clear. No long lasting smell. Looked great! Water resistant.

I needed to replace an "address stump" beside my driveway that was there for almost 15 years, it finally rotted and fell apart. I had this American elm log laying around and my grandson and I agreed that it would make a good replacement. It was a fairly quick and easy project for us, it only took about 3 days to complete. But unlike the last one I wanted to use a sealer that would bring out the wood grain. This worked perfectly for what I needed. It gave the wood a slight honey color, went on easy, only an hour between coats with no sanding between each coat, and it brought out the wood grain. It's only been out in the weather for 2 months so only time will tell how it holds up under the hot sun. I'll try to remember to do an updated review after summer is over.......uh, no guarantee that I'll remember.

This product is the best I ever used,gives wood projects a mirror like finish,yea the glaze is unbelievable !!!

I wanted a marine varnish to protect 2 tables & 4 benches that were being left out in the sun and rain from late May to early October, restaurant patio season. With covid and the onset of outdoor patio's the rain had worn the finish off both these tables. I sanded down to remove the water damage and purchased a gal of gloss and a gal of satin from TotalBoat Gleam Marine Varnish. I did the first 5 coats of gloss and the last 3 coats of satin to bring down the shine. Before I topped it with satin, the gloss finish looked like it was a thick clear epoxy finish. I lightly sanded with a 400 grit every 2nd coat, the finish on these tables and benches is just amazing. I love this quality product better than any varnish I have used to date. And I only used about 1/2 the gal of gloss and 1/4 of the gal of satin. The photo's are of tables and benches finished with the satin varnish.

Was a few days later receiving than expected delivery date. No instructions on can, but there is some online. Brush product on, and it does show brush strokes. Used lacquer thinner. Thinned 50/50. Overall I am very happy with this product, way better than other products out there. Used to refinish seats in Lund boat. Looks good and seems to protect wood well. Would look great if I sprayed it.