TotalBoat Lust Marine Varnish

I have an outdoor covered kitchen that emulates the kitchen in the house. Needless to say it sure requires maintenance to keep it looking good. In the past I have tried all different varnishes with limited success. They always look good when first applied but give it a year in the Texas elements and they deteriorate. So this time I thought I would try this lust varnish. The kitchen was looking pretty rough. First I sanded it all down, patched, and re-stained it. Next I applied the lust high gloss marine varnish as directed. First I started with a quart of the high gloss. I did three coats with this. First 50% dilution, then 30% dilution, then 20% dilution. I allowed this to dry since I did not have my can of matte finish yet. I have to say it looked great and pretty flawless at this point. I am not a fan of shiny finish so I waited for the can of matte finish to arrive. First I scuffed the surface with 800 grit scuff pads and cleaned it off. This step was a royal pain and I wish I had all the cans available on the same day. The directions state the matte finish can only be used as final coats and high gloss must be the initial coats. I applied the matte fnish at 20% dilution for 2 coats. I was a little horrified because some areas became hazy as opposed to matte. I did thoroughly mix it and mix it as I as working with it. It must have something to do with the flattening agent or the Texas weather. I also noted as time went one it will gel up in the container I was using. I ended up doing an extra undiluted coat on the areas that were hazy that helped with the haze. The final product turned out pretty nice but not perfect. Perhaps a sprayer would have been better. The real test will be if this nice finish lasts in the Texas elements. I have used other marine varnish in the past and they do not hold up. I also never put on five coats of those varnishes. This is definitely a time consuming process, I hope it will be worth it. There is no way you will find a reasonably priced contractor that will be willing to do five coats of this. The previous varnishes I had were applied by paint contractors and sprayed on but only two coats. If you want this much effort it is going to be a DIY job. Only time will tell if it holds up. Also a small can goes a long way considering you have to dilute it. One quart can would be more than enough to have done five coats on this outdoor kitchen, there is another section opposite the grill that is the same length. So I would have saved myself the cost of the extra can if I stuck with the high gloss finish. I may use the left over on my french doors.

Matte finish exterior varnish is pretty rare and this brand lets you know by charging $50 a quart. I’ve worked as a professional finisher and have lots of experience applying fast dry, oil based finishes. I used mineral spirits to thin the varnish in order to suspend drying time to brush onto 8’ boards without tacking. I often use a technique of applying several coats of gloss varnish followed by a couple of coats of flat, matte or satin varnish. The first coat I applied over gloss went blotchy and will take one or two more coats to achieve the desired results. it appears that the matte finish will be more like satin or semi-gloss. The true test will be to see how well the finish holds up under a blistering, Mississippi sun.

To be honest I’m not so impressed with this stuff. I used it to seal an out door oak table .. Put on sealer first , then 3 coats of high gloss filled by 3 coats of matt . Has been out in the elements in upstate ny and already it is wearing off in spots .. Some people swear by this stuff but personally I wouldn’t use it again .

I would consider myself an expert with a brush so that's the first factor. It thinned the gloss 50-50 for the first 3-4 coats. I used Pettit brushing thinner because I ran up to West Marine after I decided not to spray my doors. I continued with about 8 more coats with 25% thinner. 90 degrees in the shade. Product flowed well and didn't "gator" when I thought it should have. I sanded on time to level then two coats of satin with 25% thin. I now see why they want you to build with gloss and topcoat with satin. It did "gator" on a second coat. Not enough for me to sand it out and it is on my house, not the boat. Overall, wetedge and flow were great. I put three to four coats per day with maybe 1.5 hours between. Sanded great and looked gorgeous in gloss and satin. Use to use Awlgrip spar and thought I would try this at 1/2 the price and available.

This stuff is a great finish! It’s the first time for me using it and I love it. I was going to use Epifanes varnish but I couldn’t justify the cost, so I rolled the dice with TotalBoat. I’m glad I did. I used a foam brush on my sample piece. I thought I would spray the end project but now I’m not so sure. You can’t tell it wasn’t sprayed. IMO I’m making a raised mobile garden using African Mahogany. The final finish will be 2 coats 10% Epifanes mahogany stain (killer) in 90% TotalBoat “Lust” Gloss. Then 3 coats T.B. “Lust” Matte (no stain). The test piece in the picture has 3 coats 10% Epifanes mahogany stain in solution 90% T.B. Matte. Here’s the bottom line…. It’s a test piece so no particular care was taken…… the results ….Looks Just Like the Pictures in the Brochure. Can’t often say that.