Nice Build with Conversion Varnish

Quick application tip for conversion varnish finishes. July 14, 2010

Question
Is anyone using Valspar Global Resistovar conversion varnish? How do you like it?

Forum Responses
(Finishing Forum)
From contributor M:
I am. I do.

---

From the original questioner:
Thanks. How many coats does it take to get a nice build?

---

From contributor M:
The nice thing about conversion varnish is that with Valspar, or any other brands I have used, you can get a good finish with just two coats, and that is using the CV for the sealer first coat as well. Unlike lacquer which bites into itself with subsequent coats, CV doesn't do this. That means that your first sealer coat of CV completely seals off the wood surface and the second coat is all surface build.

With lacquer, your second coat can sink into the first coat and also reopen the surface of the wood in the process, thus necessitating a third or fourth coat to get enough build on occasion.

In actual practice, I usually spray one sealer coat of CV, and then a second coat after sanding the sealer coat, and then a third coat without even moving the sprayed items off the sawhorses from the second coat. I only allow the second coat to go from the wet to the tacky stage before putting on the third coat. What I am actually doing amounts to putting on a second coat which is heavy.