System Three 1811K16 Whidbey White WR-LPU Urethane Paint Coating, 1 Quart Can

I purchased the System Three LPU to apply as a top coat on a wooden kayak I built. I was going back and forth trying to decide between traditional spar varnish or this. The kayak manufacturer stated the LPU finish is harder than varnish so I went with it. The other thing I like is its water based and dries quickly so applying multiple coats is possible. Varnish takes at minimum a day between coats.Now the bad- There is a learning curve to apply LPU. It dries fast, is temperature sensitive, and will leave brush marks. While spraying is the preferred application method it wasn't feasible in my situation so I went with the roll and tip method. I used a small nap foam roller and tipped off the product with a polyester tipping brush. I also tried tipping with a foam brush. Both worked okay. You tip to get rid of bubbles that foam after rolling on the product. You have to work quickly since the LPU begins to dry quickly. It is affected by temperature and humidity. If you happen to double tip a section you can expect brush marks being visible. I thinned mine with water by 20%. I thinned half a can for the hull then thinned the remaining half for the deck. I was able to put on a total of 5 coats from a quart can. The last coat had the catalyst drops. The biggest suggestion I could give is to work in small sections. Roll it on then tip it off. Don't keep going over the part you just tipped. Each coat took about about an hour to dry. The temp I worked in ranged between 60-73° with average humidity. The LPU dri d quicker and quicker as the heat increased from morning to night. Very noticeable! You have to work fast.The one thing I was most impressed with was the customer service from System Three. I called for technical support a couple times and got helpful information. Thy ar dfintly there to help.Would I use it again? Probably. This kayak will be a working kayak. I needed the extra hardness of the top coat over varnish and can live with some brush strokes. Hope this review helps.

Used the Orca's White paint to re-paint my A-Cat carbon mast. Initially I used it without any spray gear, which was a big mistake. This product does not roll and tip very well at all, no matter how hard I tried or what day I tried I could not get the finish to come out smooth, brush strokes all over that required deeper sanding than desired. Ended up buying a Senco 2.5 hp comrpessor (rated at 4.3 cfm at 90 psi) and a harbor freight touch up HVLP gun. I would probably go with a better gun, this one leaks a little bit, I have two other standard HVLP guns I'm more comfortable running on this compressor now that I know it can delivery the air. Anyway, all went pretty well once I started spraying.The big key is to start at 5% thinner with water and go up from there, I did most of my painting when the sun was out at about 10% but as the temps dropped and sun went down I reduced to 5%. I used the hardener on all coats where I could but slowed to only the surface coats as I started to run low on hardener. Big reason for the 4 star rating is Amazon no longer has the Orca's white in-stock, they don't carry the hardener separately (and I don't think it is MEK based on the smell, but I could be wrong), and the rolling/tip method simply doesn't work. Everything else about the paint is pretty good, so far its pretty durable, won't say better than Awlgrip but close, the cleanup is painless, no special reducers needed and this is safe to spray at home with no noxious fumes.

Goes on thin, lays down nicely, good working time, don't have to sand between coats within 24 hours. Nice gloss, eyes in a sprayer. Good stuff!

AwesomeEasy to use

very sturdy when used with crosslinker.

Used it on a wood desk. Sanded off old finishing, applied 3 coats as instruction. after 3 days exposed in the sun, the new finishing start to peel off like a film. a total waste of the money and effect.

Outstanding paint, but requires care and meticulous technique to apply properly. I painted an entire boat - a 23' trimaran - with WR-LPU over the waterborne Silvertip 2-part primer. I got outstanding results. Ideally, this paint should be applied in a cool, humid environment out of direct sunlight, as per the manufacturer's detailed instructions. I was working under constraints and couldn't satisfy any of the above conditions. I had to work in direct sun on a warm, dry day. Spraying under such conditions didn't work for me (with a cheap turbine HVLP). The paint would dry before hitting the target surface. After switching to a roller and brush, the paint rolled and tipped beautifully with just a bit of thinning. So, even under far-from-ideal conditions, the paint worked well. It is also VERY nice to work with a waterborne paint - anyone who has had to spend hours with Awlgrip knows that it is not fun to be around.This paint is tough and flexible, which for some applications is preferable to the tough and brittle nature of solvent-based LPUs like Awlgrip or Perfection. I used the crosslinker and can't think of a reason you wouldn't.System Three's technical support and technical documents are excellent.