Finishing Veneer ... For A Bathroom

[bushwacked989]

I am building a cabinet that is getting veneered for a bathroom. I am using raw wood with heat lock glue (iron on) ... What type of finishes should I be looking at that will protect from the moisture of the bathroom and not ruin anything on the veneer or soak through the veneer and get into the glue and ruin that. (Is that even a thing anymore?)

 

[Holmz]

I am building a cabinet that is getting veneered for a bathroom. I am using raw wood with heat lock glue (iron on) ... What type of finishes should I be looking at that will protect from the moisture of the bathroom and not ruin anything on the veneer or soak through the veneer and get into the glue and ruin that. (Is that even a thing anymore?)

I am doing almost the same with per veneers MDF.
I edged the test panel yesterday after glueing on 1/2" wide edging with biscuits.

I have an order in for some epifanes, and intend tyre sections:
1) The 2-pack poly
2) the single pack spar varnish
3) the single pack over the 2-pack.

Then I wills leave it in the shower for a week or two in order to give it a good hiding and exposure to plenty of water.

I intend in finishing all the components and then assembling it, likely with roo glue and lamello clampex. I may brush a thin line of spar on the internal panel junctions.

Basically I have no authoritative idea, but ^this^ is my plan to work the theory out.

 

[bushwacked989]

sounds like a good plan there ... Let me know how it works out!

A little more in depth than I was thinking haha. I was thinking just some wipe on poly to finish

 

[mrFinpgh]

I have oak wainscoting with black stain my bathroom.  My bathroom has no vent and the wainscoting is maybe 2' from the tub.

I used three coats of General Finishes High Performance and that has been sufficient.  After three years, the finish still looks great.

Best,
Adam

 

[bushwacked989]

I have oak wainscoting with black stain my bathroom.  My bathroom has no vent and the wainscoting is maybe 2' from the tub.

I used three coats of General Finishes High Performance and that has been sufficient.  After three years, the finish still looks great.

Best,
Adam

Adam,
Was it the water based stuff?

 

[Holmz]

I have oak wainscoting with black stain my bathroom.  My bathroom has no vent and the wainscoting is maybe 2' from the tub.

I used three coats of General Finishes High Performance and that has been sufficient.  After three years, the finish still looks great.

Best,
Adam

Adam,
Was it the water based stuff?

Water based or not, would you want to test Adam's recommendation and another 1 or 2 on a test piece?

 

[mrFinpgh]

Yes, it was the water based product.

I've heard of people having issues if they use stronger cleaners on those finishes, but I tend to have a light hand with that type of thing so it is a non issue.

[member=40772]Holmz[/member] really has the best idea, though.  If you can get some samples of different products, try them and see which one works out best for you based on your vision and priorities. 

-Adam

 

[Holmz]

Yeah [member=59039]mrFinpgh[/member] , but I dropped and Aussie kilobuck on varnish and shipping.

The last really great fiasco was refinishing a teak veneered table, and when I told the Haus-Boss I was getting some veneer to test the finish on that was deemed to be, "A science project"... the fish eyes on the heirloom table were something I would have found out with testing.

To top it off a red back spider had taken up residence in the 3M repirator mask hidden behind the seal . I had the respirator on for an hour, and then Mrs wanted to use it, and Mr. spider bit the Mrs on the nose out a minute after she put it on.
I keep those in big ziplock baggies now, and we each have our own.

And I found that what I was using was actually problematic for oily woods like teak.

 

[Holmz]

Ok - here is where it is at...

1) Try not to be a moron, and read the instructions.
The instructions said put the varnish on wood. So what did I do?... I tried it on some shellac.

Rustoleum is the importer of Zinser in Australia, but they do not import the waxless Seal-coat (TM).
So I used some mastercraft flakes and put a strip on one side and a patch on the other.

Side #1:


Side #2:


For coat #1 I thinned the varnish 50% as per the instructions and it sponged in.
It was ~0C (32F) over night and about 15C/60F during the day.
I chucked it in the oven at 50C for an hour before sanding for coat #2

Coat #2 was thinned 25%
Same oven trick for 1/2 hour before sanding for coat #3

Right after the third coat:


I will bring it inside later and then chuck it in the oven tomorrow.
Then chuck it in the tub for testing.

 

[Holmz]

It seemed like a wankfest to make a test peice.
The side that was roo glued seems to have swollen.https://www.flickr.com/gp/32230177@N06/15B4yh
So testing it was useful.

I gave it a soaking in the pool: