Bristol Finish, has anyone used this product?

[John Dodge]

I'm thinking of refinishing my cabin sole and was thinking of using Bristol Finishany pro's or con's?

 

[Chuck Collins & Peggy Howrigan]

Bristol after one season

We chose Bristol because it appeared to be the most straightforward product on the market & easiest to work with. So far, after one season,most of the brightwork we used it on looks super. Everyone says we've got the best looking hatchboards in the harbor( for what that's worth ). On the areas that show some breakdown, I think it was our fault for not doing proper prep. On the advice of a neighbor in our harbor, we applied 8 coats on most surfaces and if you get it right, your brightwork will sparkle and the surface appears very durable. Surprisingly, on a good day ( 60+ air temp, low humidity and a light breeze of 5-8 knots ) you can easily do 4 coats on outdoor surfaces. Beware, if it's blowing above 10 knots, wait for another day. This stuff starts to dry VERY quickly and becomes hard to work with - like painting with warm chewing gum. Good luck !

 

[Les Murray]

I have used it for three seasons

I have been using Bristol Finish for three seasons now and really like it for exterior teak. It holds up well, and just as the last poster said, it only breaks down were surface prep was not good.As far as on floors, I think it will work great, but I would consider that overkill. Bristol Finish is very durable and UV resistant. Interior floors generally are not exposed to much UV. I think if you used something like normal floor urethane that would work just as well.I refinished my floors using a one-part urethane called Spar Urethane. It is tougher than normal urethane, but is still one-part.Good luck,Les Murrays/v Ceilidh'86 C-36 #560

 

[Lauraine]

An opposite view...

We tried Bristol Finish. While the finish itself was fine, we found that the stuff had to be mixed in EXACT proportions as specified in the instructions. There was no margin for error. It is very temperature-specific or you ended up with a bad batch that either would not dry or dried too fast. The stuff is thinner and difficult to apply compared to regular varnish and the fumes'll kill ya! BF recommends at least six coats. I found that six coats of ANYTHING will last as well as BF. For the amount of money this stuff costs, it should be able to apply itself. Give me Epifanes Varnish any day! Just my opinion...

 

[Mike Casucci]

Love it !

Applied it this season. Love it ! Must do good prep and don't skimp on the number of coats.

 

[IslandJack]

Practical Sailor article

This summer or maybe last spring PS reported on testing wood finishes. The best product they reviewed lasted only a year. I'm spending my money on sailing from now on, the hell with the sail product marketing scams out there....IJ