Interior varnish

[johnorr]

Thinking of re-doing the interior woodwork on my ol' Moody this spring. Quite a lot of wood to varnish so I'd like to make sure I get the best result possible at the first attempt. So, I'd appreciate any advice for the best products and/or techniques to use?

 

[MoodySabre]

Have a look at Moody Owners website - plenty of stuff there.

 

[Stemar]

I have an assortment of bits of wood with Rustins(?) diamond floor varnish. Dries in a few minutes, non-slip and sensible price. Hard wearing, too.

 

[tugboat]

I'm not qualified to compare brands, but I'd suggest using a silk finish rather than full gloss. I find it more pleasing on the eye and any little imperfections aren't so glaringly apparent.

 

[Salty John]

Light sand with fine paper to get rid of surface grease, wipe down with white spirits to remove the wood dust which will otherwise turn black as it rots, use a good quality natural bristle brush, or a better quality foam brush such as Jenny brushes, keep the temperature of the working area up and the humidity low, apply many thin coats rather than one thick coat. Those are the basic rules. If you use a silk finish you must stir the varnish, this can create air bubbles which mar the finish, so wait until the bubbles have subsided before using - natural varnish is usually not stirred to avoid air bubbles. Some prefer the duller tone of silk, gloss gets more applause initially but can be a bit OTT at times. A combination of white painted panels and gloss varnish trim is very attractive I find, but as with all the above, is only my opinion.
If you are of an obsessive nature varnishing can take over your life!

 

[Frontier]

You could try the waterbased varnish I guess. Its easy to dilute for the first coat and dries fast. With all varnish I warm the tin in a saucepan of hot water first.

Sand with very light paper between coats, and put a lot on. A carpenter who had a very nice woodblock floor once told me it needs 8 coats to get that glass type finish, but once its done its just a light sand and one coat a year.