Feast Watson

Fantastic result-could not be happier – I researched many different brands of Timber oil and spoke with numerous so called experts at major hardware companies( most of whom did not have… Read more

much of a clue), to determine the best solution to renovate the cedar cladding on 3 sides of my house which was installed new about 8 years ago when the house was built. We purchased the house 18 months ago and knew that the previous oil coating was very poor, and that it needed to be rectified.

I finally reached a consensus of opinion that it was wise to pay a premium for the best product to suit cedar cladding, as most products out there are aimed at the decking market!

I chose Feast Watson Wood shield product specifically for cladding applications and purchased 1 Litre to try on an area that was out of site, before buying 20 litres to cover 100 m2 X 2 coats at a cost of $580 at Bunnings. I firstly used my high pressure water jet machine to blast away the old dirty covering on the cedar until the wood was porous and clean as new. After trying the 1 litre which covered almost 9 m2 as a first coat, I knew how much I needed to purchase to cover the total 200 m2.

The first coat I brushed on as per the instructions, which went on very easily but was just a time consuming job. The second coat I sprayed on a few boards at a time with a Wagner air spray, and then went over the area sprayed with a lambs wool applicator with a long handle ( also from Bunnings for $16). This second coat went on very easily and was all done in one long day!

Since I finished we have had some heavy downpours and it is terrific to see that the water just beads up and runs off easily on the new surface covering.

It was a lot of work, but the end result has not only really weather proofed the house, but has brought out the original rich western red cedar colour to the wood- prior to that it was dull, light and had a greenish tinge!

Glass like finish on interior timber with a few catches – I purchased the 0.5 sq.m Glass finish kit to restore a round table top for indoor use. The table top had been sanded back to bare wood and given an… Read more

appropriate stain with Feast Watson Japan Brown Prooftint. Initially I was going to use a water based varnish, but then found this after some research. The obvious attraction is a very hard wearing and tough two part epoxy finish that the manufacturer claims equals more than 40 coats or varnish!

Application involves mixing the epoxy and hardener together in a suitable pot and stirring for two minutes, or better yet pouring between two pots. Following this, you pour it onto the surface to be covered, making sure to mask areas you don't want covered. Once mixed, it it honey-like in consistency, and you basically have to allow it to flow across the coverage area. It certainly helps if you can tilt the area, as I was able to do with the round table. I had already masked the edges with masking tape, and ensured the surface was clean and free of dust. The mixture releases carbon dioxide gas during early curing, and the manufacturer states you must play a butane torch over the surface to properly liberate the bubbles and avoid any being trapped.

So how does it go? If you have a look at the photos, you will see that there is some haziness present (the lighter areas of the wood are because of the variation in the stain). I only had a small kitchen torch to use for de-gassing, and this was not really big enough: there are a lot of bubbles and initial haziness, so you really need a hardware sized torch to do it properly. The end result initially looks just like a glass top, but after it had fully hardened, I was a little disappointed to see the few areas of haziness present that were not there initially. This may well be because I did not have the proper butane torch. One other problem is that the resin "wicked up" around the edges of the table, resulting in a small lip that stayed there after the masking tape was removed (even though this was done at the recommended 5 hour mark)

Overall, the finish still looks pretty good, but not perfect. It is certainly very hard and tough, and I am sure it will last a long time. It is a bit fiddly to apply, and you must follow the instructions to the letter to get the best result.

VERDICT: Takes some effort to get a perfect result; fiddly to apply; does give a tough hard wearing finish- Cautious recommendation

Very unhappy; used Wood Shield timber cladding & screening oil – We used this on our patio doors, which are western red cedar. They were in good condition but had not been protected with any oil for about 10… Read more

years. They were not discoloured. We had used FW before but could not remember what we used. We did clean the doors with your appropriate product and the cedar colour came up really well. We just wanted a natural untinted finished and we were told this was it. We put one coat on and the wood turned a dark brown colour. Because the instructions said to paint the second coat on wet, we put on another coat. WE thought the colour would lighten up when dry, but it did not. The colour is horrible and we don't think there is anything we can do. We tried cleaning off a patch with Oxalic acid but this had no effect whatever. We now read the small print where it says that the oil is 'slightly' tinted. How can you call this 'natural'. The timber samples did not include cedar but there was one for Jarrah (which was quite similar to the colour on our doors) and the finish was barely darker, so we thought it would be OK. The picture shows the door from left 1. after cleaning, 2. before cleaning, 3. After applying the Wood shield. NB all three are dry and the Wood Shield was applied on well dried wood. Any suggestions on what we can do? Also we have another set of similar doors to do but we don't want to ruin them. What should we use?

Hopeless container – Ok to use but comes in a can with pop-out spout. Product goes hard on the surface. there’s no way to remedy this. Have to use it all at once.

Japan Black colour – Very nice, goes on evenly if you work quickly. I just wiped it on with a Chux cloth. You do need 2 coats to get a deep black. The instructions say… Read more

use a sanding sealer beforehand on wood like pine with a pronounced grain pattern. You should definitely do this. I had used all my sanding sealer and was too miserable to buy more - so the grain is still obvious. Sanding sealer reduces the contrast between the pale summer wood and dark winter wood pattern. Dries dead flat - you do need to use some form of clear coat on top.

Very tinted – Good if you are trying to make the wood darker but terrible if you are looking for a clear coat to protect a paint finish. Left distinct brown… Read more

colouring on the paint. The stain they use also settles so stir it well before using. If you want a clear coat that doesn’t change the colour use a water based product.

Avoid blotchy result when using Stain Varnish – Using Feast Watson (or any!?) Stain and Varnish combined product? My review refers to Feast Watson product although I don't necessarily recommend… Read more

this product over any other you may use.

***To be fair -Feast Watson (FW) replied to this post when I first created the review when I WAS optimistic and before I had major problems with this product. I have since changed my opinion.***

(Edit: 4 Jan 2025)

The short story is -

1. FW Stain/Varnish product - Don't use it! - tacks off in 2 minutes not allowing brush lines to even out - wherever the product is slightly thicker it will be darker - the stain is IN the varnish! - cant roll it, even though the can says you can, leaving surface orange peel pitted because it tacks off too quick -cant brush it on for same reason as above and wherever a vertical brush line meets a horizontal one will be a dark ridge because it will not flatten out and the varnish is in the stain (again). - it will gum up your sandpaper even after a week of curing. Sign of a poor product.

2. And to fix the mess it created on my door (read below) I had to spray this product onto my door ( because the door frame was already finished in the stain/varnish product and sanding that back was not attractive, and I couldn't match the stain/varnish combo in a straight stain.

Understand that this is essentially a oil based varnish. The stain in the varnish only just bites the raw wood surface. So if you have to sand it off (after cured) it IS possible.

--------------the following is IF you decide to stain first then varnish.----------

SPIRIT BASED STAIN alternative: The BEST way to get a great finish (without brush lines or roller pitting) on your door is to use a different product type; wood prep then spirit based stain and then varnish.

Work on it flat. I drilled into the top and bottom edges and mounted some big screws to hang the door on trestles. If you don't hang it, then when you turn it over to do the other side, even if it's dry-it won't be cured, you will get impressions on your finished down side.

1. watch heaps of you-tubes! 2. always test your process on an off cut!) 3. Seal the wood - FW proof-tint or sand-sealer. It Homogenises the wood surface for even stain uptake. AVOIDS BLOTCH. 4. Thin the Stain (get advice on proportions - at least start at say measured 10% and test on off-cut as different wood surfaces and temp will matter) with a FW color reducer (ESSENTIAL - helps the stain flow evenly). Use a cotton rag folded into a wad (and use gloves eh!) to wipe on liberally and evenly. Don't go back over it after application you will only wipe off what you wiped on! Wait and after a couple of minutes wipe off with a clean rag... I.e. Follow can instructions. Repeat till color depth obtained. There will be minute wood hairs on the wood surface that draw in the stain only sand super lightly in next step! 5. Happy? We. Need to now Seal the stain with minimum 2 -3 coats of clear coat varnish. ONLY light sand the first coats of varnish between to remove pimples etc. DO NOT sand the final clear coat. The multiple coats of clear are important for any future maintenance- If the surface needs a light Sand and another clear coat in future you don't want to sand down to the stained wood and created light dark streaks- Disaster approaches! So I sprayed 2 coats of the thinned satin varnish (5% thinning but depends on the varnish and your pay gun - always test on off cuts first!) to avoid brush marks or roller pitting. Again - research how to spray. My tip - DONT use a roller even if the product says you can.

PS: IF you have started with the Stain and varnish combo product, like me, and then decide to move to a SPIRIT BASED STAIN only product then as you sand off the stain-varnish on your lovely door - it doesnt bite far into the wood!- any illusive retained varnish will resist any stain and result in blotchy look again. Disaster. Wipe with damp rag to reveal shiny bits left there. To remove the FW S/Varnish I Used 120/180/240 sandpaper carefully in an random sander then 240 hand held sander (being careful to sand out the previous grade scratches), which is less aggressive, working with the grain (!) Sigh, and still I had small areas of unseen varnish that have now resisted stain and caused another messy complexity later. Shaking my head in Anguish. Make sure you get ALL the varnish off before staining! To check Wipe over with damp rag to reveal remaining shiney bits of retained varnish. Let it dry.

Start again!

----------- Edit 9/7/24 ---------

This section is about the FW Stain and Varnish FAIL.

Mistakes that I hope you don't make. It nearly broke me!

Mistakes; 1: Not using wood prep such as SandSealer or ProofSeal - this step will AVOID BLOTCHY outcomes generally. 2. Applying stain/varnish on a vertical hung door risking dribbles and runs. 3. Not working fast enough, brushing a tacked off product when tempted to go back over an area causes drag marks. You may be able to carefully sand that area after it's cured for 3 days but if it's really bad wipe all off immediately with heaps of turps and start again tomorrow. 4. Sanding too heavily between coats - remember you are sanding through stain inside the varnish - causing color variations. 5. Using a brush to apply has created ridges where the vertical stile meets the horizontal panel (i have 5 glass panels in my door , yours may be built differently). stiles are vertical side panels. 6. Not removing the dribble into the corner of the glass panel moulding as the brush passes by. Try earbuds. 7. Using a roller (best is mohair nap 4-5) created pitted finish that I expected to flatten out but the FW varnish went off too fast. 8. Not testing the product and your process on an off cut. 9. Masking the edge of the FWSV finished (pre clear coat) down side of the door (on trestles) to avoid droplets - and tearing off the finish when removing the masking tape. Don't use masking. Apply product more thinly and keep a turps rag handy to wipe under the edge. The turps will dull the finish but you will be using some clear coat later anyway. 10. use an off cut to test your process that is not the same wood species or grain texture. try to use one that has similar wood grain. My door frame off cut produced a very different color Uptake than my door panels!

--------------

The FWSV products Main problem is it tacks of too quick. 2-3 minutes and you can't touch it after that. Work fast. Because it tacks off so quick. When working from west to dry, the second time to apply the brush to the wet doubles the stain depth. Oops. So when you try to homogenising the stain depth on your panel by brush strokes it will tack off and fail. Blotch, streaks, etc. Thinning measured 5% recommended and work very fast.

But Very difficult to work quick and precisely with a brush when working with panels and stiles that are grain opposite and glass inserts. The brush strokes cause lines where panel meets opposing panel. No, you cant lay off that little ridge as it causes the stain in the varnish to streak across grain on the opposing panel. Disaster. Passing the brush by the glass inserts moulding causing a corner build up dribble. Careful to remove it quickly using an earbud maybe? So with all this going on and a product that tacks off very quickly - near impossible.

P.S. The Stain/Varnish mainly sits on top of the wood with minimal uptake of stain into the wood so it doesn’t reveal wood textures as much as straight stain. It can be sanded off down to the bare wood again after curing. I know, I did it - twice. it’s painful but possible.

I made all the mistakes!

Summary 1. started with brushing FWSVarnish = runs, dribbles, drags, blotch. Removed.

2. Moved to stain then oil based clear varnish. Stain wrong colour and blotchy where previous varnish resisted.

3. Sprayed FWStainVarnish over step 2 with acceptable results plus 2 coats of clear again (so future sanding maintenance does not risk sanding the FWSV - we don't want to sand the stain in this product as it will create colour variations.)

BUT I recommend using the spirit based stain first then clear varnish second '===================

RESULT- good enough. See pic. I know the door is darker than the frame: it hides the mistakes: and I quite like the two tone look anyway.