Suggestions for sealing exterior painted wood crafts

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5
Hello Everyone !!! this is my first post :)

The hubby and I make wood Holiday crafts. He cuts and I paint. Snowmen, pumpkins etc... We do a lot of them on ground stakes for outdoor display.

We use all exterior paint when we base coat them. I then paint on them with acrylic craft paint. Then we clear them with clear satin exterior spray paint but it's getting too time consuming. We have a great amount of friends and family that want to purchase them now and the spray paint is just too time consuming.

I've been scouring the internet trying to find some kind of clear sealer that I can just roll on and be done with it.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated TIA ;)
 
I have a suggestion about the finish, but I'm not sure about rolling it on. I'm guessing there should be some cost control on what you use? If not, try Epifanes Marine Varnish. This is a true spar varnish and is fairly expensive. I've never heard of it being rolled on (more in a minute). Another suggestion would be untinted oil based paint. If you get an oil base #4 (the one they use for mixing the deepest colors) it has really good exterior protection; it is not water clear, more like a varnish with the slight amber cast. I've also never heard of anyone rolling it. I would bet that rolling anything isn't going to give you the appearance you want...but that's a judgement you'd have to make. Lastly, there are some good outdoor waterborne finishes and they are water clear, a good one would be General Finishes High Performance, with my same caveat about the rolling. If you have a paint sprayer, it would spray nicely and dry quickly. My last caution: don't get anything oil based that a polyurethane resin in it, they just don't do well in a high UV environment. The waterbornes that call themselves "polyurethane" are mostly an acrylic finish, with just enough urethane resin added that the manufacturer can put it on the label; it seems to be a magic wood with woodworkers. I wish you the best in your search.
 
I have a suggestion about the finish, but I'm not sure about rolling it on. I'm guessing there should be some cost control on what you use? If not, try Epifanes Marine Varnish. This is a true spar varnish and is fairly expensive. I've never heard of it being rolled on (more in a minute). Another suggestion would be untinted oil based paint. If you get an oil base #4 (the one they use for mixing the deepest colors) it has really good exterior protection; it is not water clear, more like a varnish with the slight amber cast. I've also never heard of anyone rolling it. I would bet that rolling anything isn't going to give you the appearance you want...but that's a judgement you'd have to make. Lastly, there are some good outdoor waterborne finishes and they are water clear, a good one would be General Finishes High Performance, with my same caveat about the rolling. If you have a paint sprayer, it would spray nicely and dry quickly. My last caution: don't get anything oil based that a polyurethane resin in it, they just don't do well in a high UV environment. The waterbornes that call themselves "polyurethane" are mostly an acrylic finish, with just enough urethane resin added that the manufacturer can put it on the label; it seems to be a magic wood with woodworkers. I wish you the best in your search.

Thank you Fred, great info !! We do have a paint sprayer and you're right I probably wouldn't be happy with the rolling. I'm gonna check out the General Finishes High Performance.
 
Hi, Angela! Welcome to the Family. :wave:

I don't know about the type of things you make, but the first thing that came to mind is getting exterior paints mixed in the colors you use rather than using acrylics. Have you tried that?
 
Hi, Angela! Welcome to the Family. :wave:

I don't know about the type of things you make, but the first thing that came to mind is getting exterior paints mixed in the colors you use rather than using acrylics. Have you tried that?

Thanks so much Bill. I did some candy corn signs this year and used all laytex exterior and it didn't work out the greatest. I dealt with it and made it work. I think laytex is just too thin for the decorative painting part. I wonder if exterior enamel is any thicker, I'll have to research that or go pick the employees brains at the Sherman Williams store.
 
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