Minwax Water Based Helmsman Spar Urethane, Quart, Semi-Gloss

Works great. Easy to install. Looks fantastic. Good quality. Dries clear. I used gloss. It was very shiny. Good coverage.

This varnish works wonderfully for my acrylic paintings. It gives me extra time to work with on my 3-D art projects

This product was easy to apply and gave a nice, durable finish to our new wood picnic table which sits out in the elements year-round. It took one can to do the initial coat for the tabletop and the seats, and then a second can to add a second and third application.

I had EXCELLENT results using this project on a 50 year old solid oak door. Absolutely no brush marks visible after the job was completed. Make sure to follow the directions closely. I applied three coats to the door, sanding lightly with 220 grit sandpaper between coats. There is no odor and product is water based. Very easy cleanup. Highly recommend.

I have always thought that Minwax Clear Satin Spray Polyurethane was about the ultimate in attractive wood protection. I recently stumbled onto Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane Spray. The can indicates superior protection against rain, moisture, and UV damage from sunlight, as well as enough flexibility to withstand seasonal swelling and contraction of wood. The spray works fine, but then I tried a quart of oil-base Helmsman, and WOW, what a difference. There's no messy overspray to deal with, and brushing it on fills lots of imperfections that would require who-knows-how-many coats of spray to smooth out. Plus, the cans are $12, and they don't cover that much area ... a quart is $20 (gallons are $50), and just one coat comes out SO much smoother than even 3 or 4 coats of spray. The trade-off is having to clean the brush, but the results are worth it. The spray is a fine, convenient product ... but if you want the slickest finish possible, get a quart and a good brush, do conscientious prep work, give it one coat of Helmsman, and show off your work. Super-satisfied ... 5 Stars.

This is a top notch product. The color is pretty much clear . I used it to make a back splash out of some reclaimed wood for my outdoor kitchen. I chose to brush it on and throw the brushes away after each use for ease of cleaning. I saw some reviews complaining about the coats but I had no issues just make sure they dry and lightly sand in between. I used one small can on the backsplash but since it’s outdoors I overkilled with 5 coats. It’s a great value for the money and looks great . I did not spray so I can’t attest to the spray quality but generally with poly I had always been taught that a brush was the best way to go. Although it’s not too thick so if you have a good spray it should spray just fine. The cleanup is super easy. I also made a small tabletop . It came out great as well. Both are holding up well to the elements.

An awesome product! We redid our wood dining table and this stuff is super impressive. Easy to clean and no sticky residue and holds up with lots of spills from our kids. Easy to apply as well.

I have an east facing door that gets beat on by the sun for couple of hours every day. The original finish cooked right off and started splitting the wood. I sanded the door back down to raw wood, filled in the splits, re-stained with a Minwax stain, then followed up with 3 coats of Helmsman Spar Urethane. It was tedious to do at first because it was a lot of work to get the door back to raw wood and you have to wait 4 hours and sand in between coats. Now that it's done, it's never worn through the 3 coats. Annually I use a red scotch bright sanding pad and lightly re-sand, add a coat, wait 4 hours and re-sand, then another coat. It's much faster now that I'm just adding coats and using a scotch bright sanding pad to refinish the urethane. Less than 30 min to sand and re-coat each layer. Use a good quality brush like a Purdy. I used a cheaper brush in the past and it left brush strokes in the finish. Clean with mineral spirits. I liked it so much I ended up doing the same finish on my east/west facing wood gate that gets sun all day long and it holds up great.