I was tailoring my advice to him for his particular project (birdfeeder) as
I try to do with everything. The list below would be quite different if I
were talking about a wood floor of a house, for example. A good
polyurethane would be at the top of the list in that case. Far more wear
resistant in that situation and that makes a huge difference there.

Anyway, yes, I was classifying the Spar Urethane and the Marine Finish close
together but not as the same thing. There's really not much difference *in
this application* between the two and, depending on where you live and shop,
they equate the two as the same thing.

As mentioned in a different thread, the lacquers do possess some UV
protection depending on brand, type, etc. But UV protection is only part of
the level of protection I was trying to categorize. Wear, moisture,
flexibility, and temperature effects were also some of the factors. Like I
said in there, I wasn't taking into account looks or ease of
use/application. g


- Andrew



In decreasing levels of protection (but not necessarily looks or ease of
use)...

1) Epoxy. If you can get a good-looking finish from it.
2) Spar Urethane or other "outdoor urethane" / "Marine Finish".
3) Catalyzed or Pre-Catalyzed Lacquer.
4) "Normal" Lacquer
5) Polyurethane
6) Varnish

I'd tend to think that a long-oil marine varnish would be #3. I really
don't know much about lacquers, but I'm unaware of any particular UV
resistance they might possess. Or did the slash (/) indicate a separation
between urethane varnish and long-oil "Marine" types?

Max