CPES alternative

[Mike Angeles]

Anyone have any experience using this Minwax product? Might be an aternative to the CPES? Anyone? Anyone?

http://www.minwax.com/products/woodmaint/hardener.cfm

Mike

[Arne]

I use it in modeling (r/c airplanes).. makes thin balsa much stiffer and more durable.... not sure about how it would work on a tear, but I have thought of it... I also am not sure it would be any cheaper.... I have the container you show, which is not very big, and it was pretty expensive..

This is from the rot doc site:

There are miscellaneous non-epoxy "wood hardeners" on the market, such as Minwax's "Wood Hardener" and, more recently, Bondo's wood repair kit. Both of these are sold through mass-merchandising outlets and are intended to meet a very low price point. If you want a permanent repair of the damaged or deteriorated wood, these are basically a waste of time. The Minwax product is an acrylic with an alcohol solvent. It mixed poorly and didn't emulsify well, lacks any kind of structural strength and will be chemically unstable after long term exposure to moisture.

[Mike Angeles]

Well I have a Pt. so Ill at least give it a try on some end grains where applicable. I really don’t have a need for "permanent repair of the damaged or deteriorated wood"  Just thought it might add some protection to susceptible areas. CPES would certainly be better If my final finish was wood, I certainly would go for the added cost.

Thanks,
Mike

[txcamper]

So I'm into my build to the point I need to seal outer walls and was wondering if anyone had tried this, my search found this thread but it didn't really give me the definitive answer I was looking for.

I know you get what you pay for but $40 a gallon sounds better than $100.

Has anyone used this like the generic benroy plans say to use CPES?