Oil or Water based varnish?

Ray Palmer

I recently got a new banister put in and the banister guy said use water based varnish. The decorator has said use oil based varnish. Who should I belive?

paddy147

Ray Palmer wrote: »

I recently got a new banister put in and the banister guy said use water based varnish. The decorator has said use oil based varnish. Who should I belive?

I recently refurbed an old 1930s bannister,stripped/sanded it back to the bare wood,and then gave it 3 coats of Ronseal quick drying wallnut varnish.

Its water based and easy to clean up after you.

Clean the bannister down with alcohol wipes or turps,then leave to dry,apply 1st coat of varnish.

Sand down quickly with very fine sanding pad,remove dust and then give 2 more coats of varnish.

End result will be a lovely smooth and varnished bannister.:)

Alun

I agree, I recently sanded down and revarnished an oak veneer table that had had a water spill and a lot of the existing varnish had bubbled off, and used the Ronseal quick drying stuff too. It's dead easy to put on, much easier than oil based varnishes, especially for an amateur. It's touch dry within 20 minutes, and can be sanded and recoated after 1 hour, so you could even do all 3 coats in an afternoon if you want.

Possibly a professional using an oil based product might be able to get a better finish, but you'll probably not notice the difference to be honest.

slowburner

+ 1. And you don't need to buy white spirit to clean everything afterwards - which means less pong and the water based finishes are less pongy themselves.

Ray Palmer

It seems water based is good for DIY due to the difficulty using oil based stuff. Oil based stuff apparently lasts longer and is tougher.

slowburner

I've seen one or two debates about the merits of oil based versus water based finishes. It would be interesting if someone could come up with facts and figures from an authoritative source.
:pac:

paddy147

Ray Palmer wrote: »

It seems water based is good for DIY due to the difficulty using oil based stuff. Oil based stuff apparently lasts longer and is tougher.

Ah,decisions decisions.......

cardwizzard

While water based is getting better its no where as tough yet as oil based. Simply put oil penetrates the wood deeper. This allows for the 'build up' of the varnish to be greater, thus lasting longer and retains its sheen and colour, where appropriate, longer.

Water based is handy in aspects such as easy clean up, little smell, easier to use. But I'd prefer a longer lasting job compared to these. Something like doors or banisters I'd go with oil, but thats your decision.

slowburner

slowburner wrote: »

I've seen one or two debates about the merits of oil based versus water based finishes. It would be interesting if someone could come up with facts and figures from an authoritative source.
:pac:

There are masses of discussions all over the place about this subject - most folk seem to be in favour of water based, from what I can see.
One thing that comes up frequently as a negative about oil based, is that it becomes brittle over time and can crack and peel if not re-coated regularly - that might be just outdoors though.

An authoritative source anyone, surely a boffin somewhere has done an experiment?

Wertz

Given the time and the expanse of work, I'll always choose oil over waterborne. So much nicer to work with...
If I'm doing a job where the oil will not hold me back too much in terms of waiting for curing before I can proceed to the next stage, it'll be oil, everytime.
Water is handy when you have something small to do do and want it finished in a day but it's not as hard wearing, leaves brushstrokes in the finish and the working time is too short. It's also more expensive.
Points about fumes and the need for costly solvents for clean up are well made, but tbh you only need a drop of spirits in the bottom of a can to keep brushes or for thinning.

If it's outdoors work I simply don't use waterborne varnishes...the odd time water based stain will be used to build up colour quickly but I'll always top coat it with oil...someone mentioned cracking; that's usually incorrect product. All exterior wood finishes need to be UV resistant. It can also be down to product applied to thickly...multiple thin coats > couple of thick ones.
Exterior timber also needs room to expand and contract and the coating needs to be able to handle that...again oil does that better without failing IME.

The problem with looking for authoritative tests is each situation is different: moisture levels, temp, sunlight, wood type...the paint companies say that the waterborne is better...my experience of looking back at previous work after a few years says otherwise.
We'll have no choice in a few years but use the waterborne, so whilst it's about, I'll enjoy oil for as long as I can.