High gloss wood exterior finish

[dba3087108]

I've previously used sikkens cetol and hls to get a lovely finish on some slatted fencing. It's now been on for 10 years and looks tired. What are the alternative? I've used yacht varnish on other things in the past at it cracks after a couple of years.

[mart 63]

If the Sikkens lasted 10 years, I would use it again.

[OutInTheShed]

Outdoor varnish is a pain.

How long it lasts is very dependent on the wood, and the preparation, and the weathering it gets.

I've used Ronseal Outdoor Varnish to good effect on some boat bits, seems tough and looks good 2 or 3 years later.

[dba3087108]

It's just tantalised softwood. But when I painted it in sikkens it looked like those posh redwood slatted fences that cost loads. I don't think you can get anything as good as sikkens. It's just a bit time consuming to put it all on. I need to rub down all the slats and take them off the fence as well to do a good job. There are only 5 panels so not the end of the world but still a pain. What's anyone's thoughts on osmo? Also sadolin used to do a 1 coat called ultra but I don't think they do it anymore.

[JoshSm]

Might as well just use the latest version of what you did before as it seems to have worked well.

Also it seems to have been woodstain, not varnish, which is designed to weather & erode in a way varnish isn't. They're 'shiny' but usually satin, though will look glossy enough.

Also most woodstains are made to allow for overcoating due to the way they work so you might not need to strip it & can potentially just go over the top after removing any loose bits.