TotalBoat Halcyon Marine Varnish | Water-Based Polyurethane Wood Finish | Clear Satin UV Protection for Interior and Outdoor Use (Clear Satin, Quart)

I am now hooked on the Halcyon Satin clear varnish by TotalBoat. Once I found the right process for application, it’s almost bullet proof. For anyone considering this for their outdoor projects, quit thinking and just do it. Here is my process. Sand to 220 grit, tack cloth, then wipe down with denatured alcohol. Let dry for about 15 minutes. Brush on coat one. Second coat in one hour. Third coat an hour after that. Then I give it a couple of hours. Then I sand with 320 grit, tack cloth, then wipe down with denatured alcohol. Let dry for about 15 minutes. Brush on fourth coat. Fifth coat after an hour. Then it sets overnight. In the morning, I buff with a green 3M pad. Wipe with a soft cloth and it’s ready to go. Is this a lot of work? Yes! But it’s so worth it! And the customers love the soft glow the satin finish gives the project. The picture I shared is of some white oak I am using to refinish an outdoor bench for a customer. Like I said in the beginning, if you have been thinking about trying this, stop thinking and order yours today! And no, I am not being paid by, or a spokesperson for, TotalBoat.

Awesome product as an amateur woodworker this product was great to work with, lays down very nicely with a good brush, self levels. Just finished a bench I restored with redwood, love this stuff !!

I can't speak to the UV protection or longevity, but I can speak to the claims it dries clear. I made a table that is a combo of paint and stain and rather than use gloss outdoor paint, I used flat and varnished with this product since I wanted a consistent finish where the stained wood and painted wood met. I thought it would be clear as it's water based and I didn't order amber. Well, I started to notice a yellow tint and as I layered it on. Even worse, when I asked Totalboat, they really didn't care saying the product website says may yellow, which I didn't find on their page or it's not easy to find that disclaimer. Over the stained part, looks clear enough, but look at this picture on the base, where I painted over part of it with the same white paint I was using to show Totalboat. I wound up having to sand and repaint the base of the table but the top, since I have sections that are stained, I left as is (and also like and wanted the super gloss look), but it's visibly yellow. Buyer beware. It might be great over stain, but be very hesitant over paint (and it wasn't just over white, I have other colors on the table and it was yellow looking over those too). And this product is also very expensive for as many layers as you need to put down to get a real heavy gloss

This will be the my main go to varnish. It blows polyurethane out of the water! Halcyon goes on go smoothly and one layer makes a beautiful difference. I can use less of this finish and get results that are above and beyond anything else I have used.

Yes, most of this products description is correct, re-coat quickly, nice hard finish, but it does yellow a bit. However, this product does have a very nasty off-gassing chemical smell & the smell isn't pleasant (even 60 days post). So heads up if using on interior projects, may need to air out for sometime...