cetol on varnish?

Has anybody put Cetol over varnish? How did that work? I doubt the Cetol people would advise it but.

Greetings,
Mr. e. The only reason I would apply Cetol over varnish is as a stopgap measure to preserve any wood under a failed varnish finish until such time a complete stripping and recoating could be effected.

Your choice of final finish would be to apply a new coat(s) of Cetol or varnish but given the ease of Cetol application and repair, if necessary, I would choose Cetol every time.

Most of my trim is 50 shades of grey but any bright work is Cetol. Usually clear gloss over orange matte for that highly processed wood trim look.

We've put Cetol gloss over varnish and varnish over Cetol gloss, on a grab rails. Both finishes held up well. There were no incompatibility issues.

The varnish over over the Cetol had a smother finish since it does flow better though.

The bench seats on the fly bridge have probably 3 maybe 4 different clear finishes over the last 12 years that I know of. Last month I light sanded with 220 grit and applied 3 coats of the gloss. Looks good for an area that gets lots of use. The finishes hadn't worn through to bare wood.

If you already have the bright work varnished, why not stay with it, same amount of work as Cetol...

Marlinmike said:

If you already have the bright work varnished, why not stay with it, same amount of work as Cetol...

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It's what had at the time, I don't sand the Cetol between most coats and it's easier to touch up. We have some exterior varnish on some window frames and the exterior salon doors. For me, it's more time and effort to maintain than the finishes we use the Cetol on.

Agree with RT on no Cetol over varnish unless necessary. Last year everything went to bare wood for a total refinishing. Stay with one type of product.

I've done Cetol over old varnish / bare wood combo, looks fine if you don't look closely and wood is protected. I have very little exterior teak. I will save the complete stripping and recoating for another day in the future when I have nothing else to do. I do suspect stripping the Cetol off would be easier than stripping varnish.

Varnish over varnish.

Having my cap rails done now. FWIW, the guy sanded them, then put a coat of epoxy sealer, then 2 coats of colored Cetol, then 3 coats of clear Cetol. I haven't seen them in person yet, but the pics look good. Here is what it looks like with one coat left to go.