Any varnish experts out there?

[chasroberts]

Greetings, fellow forumites.

From research it appears that the science of perfect varnishing is a bit of a dark art? Mirror finishes seem to require multiple coats, sanding and tack cloth.

Now then; I'm not after a perfect finish by any means. All the interior woodwork was covered some years ago (not by me, I hasten to add) with a really dark, hard to remove wood stain/varnish and it makes the inside of the boat seem too gloomy. The 'stain' is coming away in lumps in places and doesn't seem to have penetrated the original finish.

With new upholstery (thanks again Mrs R - great job!) it seems like time to try and get rid of it at last.

So my question is twofold really. First, the best way ie easiest and cleanest, to get rid of the old 'stain' and second the best ie easiest and cleanest type of varnish to use on interior woodwork. I'm really trying to KISS.

As always, thanks for all thoughts and ideas.

Chas

 

[Tranona]

No easy answer. First you have to find out how to take the old finish off, so a bit of experimentation in somewhere that will not notice is required. Three main methods are chemical stripper, heat or dry scraping. Solid wood is usually no problem, but veneered ply needs care because the top veneer can be very thin. Keep sanding to a minimum for the same reason.

Once you are back to bare wood there is a choice of treatments. You may find that you have to stain to get a consistent colour, so, again a bit of experimentation might be needed. Personally I would finish with Ronseal Satin as it is easy to get a clean rubbed type finish and it is very durable. Fetishists may prefer to build up layers of conventional yacht varnish to either a high gloss or use a "rubbed" finish for the final coat.

You could, of course paint the bulkheads and highlight the solid trim with a bright finish - saves a huge amount of work. Can look really good if you like that style, but once you have done it you are probably stuck with it.

 

[prv]

You could, of course paint the bulkheads and highlight the solid trim with a bright finish - saves a huge amount of work. Can look really good if you like that style, but once you have done it you are probably stuck with it.

I've not lived on a boat done that way, but I like the pictures I've seen. If I bought a boat with tatty internal woodwork I think I'd definitely paint rather than varnish. Plenty of oiled hardwood trim as accents, as you say.

I have seen advice to slap on a coat of varnish first, to keep the paint out of the grain of the wood so it can one day be removed if someone wanted to. Not sure I'd bother though

Pete

 

[chasroberts]

Thanks to both of you for your thoughts....

Chas

 

[samwise]

I am about to try Le Tonkinois, which has attracted some good reports from the classics fraternity and seems to tick most of my boxes. It does require multiple coats to build up a good finish, but once achieved, seems easy to maintain. Clearly , as with all these things, preparation is key, but Le Tonk appears to be less sensitive and demanding than routine varnishes. Look them up on the web.

 

[kindlebooks]

Can't help with stain remove, but Deks Olje varnish is good (but expensive).

 

[Poignard]

I am about to try Le Tonkinois, which has attracted some good reports from the classics fraternity and seems to tick most of my boxes. It does require multiple coats to build up a good finish, but once achieved, seems easy to maintain. Clearly , as with all these things, preparation is key, but Le Tonk appears to be less sensitive and demanding than routine varnishes. Look them up on the web.

Yes. I reckon it's good stuff. I have been using it for several years and I am very happy with it.

The only drawback is that it's not stocked in UK chandleries (none of the ones I know, anyway) and you have to buy direct from the importer. He is very helpful and ships it very quickly but it does mean you are faced with a carriage charge each time you buy a tin.

 

[pcatterall]

Old stained and varnished stuff may be a nightmare to remove evenly, some bits may be easy but others ( in corners etc) may be hard to remove properly but if you dont then they will show.
I would certainly consider painting with just some nice wood trim to preserve the feel of things.
Just make sure the surface to be painted over is sound and smooth.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

I am doing much the same as you. Unless you can get rid of all staining you have to accept that it will show through. On my older boat I have used Ronseal Exterior Matt Varnish (I would have went for the Satin but it wasn't in stock). It is very good. I sanded down with a 220 grit sandpaper after removing all surface stuff, washed clean with white spirit and then brushed one coat on diluted 50/50 with white spirit using a the best quality Harrison Brush that Homebase had in stock. I brushed on two more layers undiluted, lightly sanding between layers and washing with white spirit. I allowed the white spirit wash to dry over night and varnished indoors in the utility room, rather than my unheated workshop. I got a blocking in the morning because of the smell.

The matt finish is actually very good, nice and warm and it doesn't accentuate the dark spots like a gloss would, in my opinion. However the dark bits still show through. I have been advised that oxalic acid can remove dark patches on wood, however, on ply, it is likely that veneer is stained right through, it being so thin and I don't know what a good soaking with oxalic acid would do - maybe it would lift the dark patches right out the grain.

Below are the links that I gathered up my information from. Its quite easy really. I used a paper towel to wipe clean the sanded wood soaked in white spirit. I am happy with the results.

http://www.defender.com/html/varnish.html
http://www.defender.com/html/varnish-repair.html
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...Id=11151&catalogId=10001&page=Varnishing-Tips
http://www.diybob.com/diyTeak.htm
http://www.cvrda.org/boats/hintstips/varnishing/varnish_menu.htm

I would agree with Tranona and prv that painted interiors with contrasting, varnished trim look very good (personally not gloss). That would be the way to go if the veneer is very stained.

However, give the varnishing a go, you may be very pleased with the results.

 

[Gordonmc]

Yes. I reckon it's good stuff. I have been using it for several years and I am very happy with it.

The only drawback is that it's not stocked in UK chandleries (none of the ones I know, anyway) and you have to buy direct from the importer. He is very helpful and ships it very quickly but it does mean you are faced with a carriage charge each time you buy a tin.

Or catch him at a boat-jumble, which is where I stock up on Le Tonk.

 

[Poignard]

Or catch him at a boat-jumble, which is where I stock up on Le Tonk.

Boat jumbles? Terrible places where your money disappears.

 

[prv]

Or catch him at a boat-jumble, which is where I stock up on Le Tonk.

I think he was at the Wheels Day car show this year. I didn't see him, but my car-nut mate gave a description that sounded very similar.

Not sure what the hotrodders are using the stuff for; surely you can't varnish chrome?

Pete

 

[Poignard]

From the Le Tonkinois website:

http://www.letonkinoisvarnish.co.uk/VarFAQ.html

"Is it just for wood? Can it be used for metal?
It gives excellent corrosion protection to metals. It is suitable over most materials such as fibre glass, epoxy, etc provided the surface is lightly sanded to give a key. We do not recommend epoxy on teak.
Pictures in our photo gallery show it used on metal garden furniture and over paint."

I have used it to protect tools from corrosion. Maybe hotrodders paint chassis and suspension components with it.

 

[oliverkinchin]

Hellon Chasroberts, I am in the same situation as you here. I used my Dads electric sander to strip the layers of old stuff off, I think it was 40 grit. I now have bear wood. I have brought International perfection plus which has worked fantastic on my first attemp and after only 3 coats, it makes such a difference. I still have some bubbles so I am going to sand back again and re apply.

Good luck

 

[samwise]

Or catch him at a boat-jumble, which is where I stock up on Le Tonk.

If you live on the Eastern side , Traditional Boat Supplies in Beccles stock it. The place is hard to find, even if you have the address (look for the pub!) , but he keeps a good stock and is very helpful.

 

[KREW2]

When varnishing my tiller I started to get a few fine bubbles, so I decided to apply the varnish with a clean cloth damped down with a bit of thinners, this was kept in a sealed jam jar between coats. I was a bit like French polishing, and after about 9 coats it looks rather nice

 

[Corribee Boy]

I bought some Le Tonk recently, but was concerned to find a little note with it stating that the formula had been changed, probably to comply with solvent abuse rules or somesuch, and that there could be problems with fresh coats being rejected by the previous coat: the new stuff can bead up and roll off, unless you clean and abrade.

Having said that, the end result looked good, but I'm waiting until the end of the season to judge.

 

[tim_ber]

I love the smell of varnish - just hate doing the prep work.

 

[BAtoo]

My 2p's FWIW..

Dont go for a gloss varnish finish - it shows all the fingermarks. Use Satin finish at most..

Apply varnish only when its comfortable to be wearing a T-shirt, otherwise its too cold.

Multiple thin coats.

Lay off vertically.

 

[Fergus]

Epifanes rubbed effect is my preference!