TotalBoat Gleam Marine Spar Varnish, Gloss and Satin Polyurethane Finish for Wood, Boats and Outdoor Furniture (Gloss, Gallon)

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.

Goes on easy, dries fairly quick....great product.

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.

I was looking to finish coat a table that remains outside and one that remains inside. I Looked around at all the options and decided to try this stuff. It was a little pricey, but it is well worth it for sure.Coverage is good and just follow the directions on the can. I used a brush, I put two coats on, sanded lightly with 320 and then two more coats. Pictures speak for themselves, but the finish is beautiful.

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.

I've used a lot of varnish -- both marine grade and standard outdoor varieties including Helmsman and Eplfanes. All have their advantages and disadvantages. However, I've never used one as nice as Gleam. This stuff is amazing. First, it's perfectly thinned right out of the can -- making it glide on so smoothly, you'll wonder if it's really varnish. The first 2 coats soaked nicely into the wood (deck railings / banisters). The third coat was where I noticed the most advantage over the others. It flowed onto the wood extremely smoothly without any brush tugging (waited until dry to the touch - about 4 hours at 66 degrees) and it stayed put - didn't run or begin to sag on vertical surfaces. But wait -- there's more. I just finished the fourth coat and using a natural bristle wood stains and finishes brush - it went down extremely smooth -- the bush glided along the wood like it was lubricated and still - at half the quart used -- it still needed no thinning. It was perfect. It was how the varnish glided so evenly onto the finish that impressed me so very much. Now, with all this said, I plan to put on two more coats and let it cure for several days (in the basement shop) before re-installing onto the deck. We'll see how it stands up to sun, rain and snow over the next year. Other finishes have only lasted 1-2 years. While I don't expect this finish to last more than 2 years, I certainly won't mind re-finishing once again with this GLEAM for it's excellent application qualities. Good stuff!