The Holy Grail of wood protection

[bowderygiles]

After nearly two year worth of weekends and before I get disowned by my family,
I need to get our first boat finished.
(Note to self do not buy a project boat as your first introduction to boating)
So the last job is to protect the internal wood (ok I use the term “wood” loosely teak faced marine ply)

We need a product that will: - Protect the wood from decay and keep the look of wood.
(We do not care about a “Glass like finishes” and “depth of shine”…etc)

So to the Product Requirements:-

Easy, we need to be able to slap it on without worrying about keeping wetted edge
Maintaining a perfect dust free / humidity controlled environment etc. (We tried 2 part epoxy with bad results)
Fast, multiple coats in a day or can be recoated at any time with little preparation
Simple, Ideally no special thinners or pre primers or #-coats of 50% followed by #-coats of 70%
Low maintenance (ok we can all live in hope! But after watching the old boy next door put on 16 coats of trad varnish only to scrape it of 2 years later is not my idea of fun)
So something that can be over-coated easily without the back to bare wood process.

I have spent a while searching the forums and seeing the war’s this topic creates so I am looking for recommendations pros and cons and not opinions (opinions I can get from any chandlery ;-)
According to forumers the following products seem to get the nod

If you have used any of these and changed to something else because of XYZ then you advice is greatly received.

The Short List

Le-Tonkinos: - so far seam’s to tick all the boxes
Deks olje: - needs both 1 and 2 but some say Le T is better?
Varnol: - seems a possibility anybody used it?
Sikkens Cetol: - wood stain requires a UV blocker slow to dry

Epifanes: - High quality varnish well liked slow to apply requires some maintenance?
Coelans :- special primer slow to apply but low maintenance

Sorry for the long post by I know the answer is out there.

 

[fluffc]

Brown Dulux Gloss Paint is the answer!

Seriously though, brightwork can only be kept in good order with lots of TLC - regardless of the product you use.

If you want something easy to apply, good finish and easy to maintain, use an enamel paint such as International Toplac or similar.

 

[asj1]

If it's internal wood then UV will not be a factor and proper varnish should last for ages.

 

[Aja]

Seems a shame to cover perfectly good teak faced ply with Dulux brown paint.

Any decent varnish will be ok for internal wood.

Donald

 

[ccscott49]

Slap it on?? Only one product I know you could use, ceetol. I hate the stuff, but it does have it's uses, one of them is the ability to slap it on.

 

[bilbobaggins]

Ronseal Ultra Tough HardGlaze.

DIY stores..... Lots cheaper than 'yottie' stuff, and certainly more effective than most of the special stuff my mates have spent various fortunes on, over the years.

Make sure the surface is clean, using white spirit and kitchen towel, then 'Slap it On'. Idiot-proof..... Believe me, I know!

Show us the results when you've finished!

/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[RobWales]

Got the same sort of thing in my Bayliner
A good few coats of teak oil re-applied on a regular basis keep mine looking superb.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Have a look at this product made in South Africa for the very high UV that we get.

I don't know if it is currently available in the UK.

I use it at home Johannesburg at about 6000 ft avove sea level the UV kills most varnish in no time.

There is also tinted varnish with even better UV protection.

http://www.rystix.co.za/timbacare/products.htm

 

[npf1]

I'd never varnished before until a few weeks ago and chose to use Le Tonk. I'm glad I did as it looks great. It's very easy to apply - just slap it on and then brush lightly in one direction. I didn't thin it down but did use the new formula of Le Tonk (there's now two variants).

I didn't do much prep in between, literally five minutes with P240 then P400. Four coats has provided nice deep gloss with no grain marks on teak faced ply. I did make sure it was rubbed down well first with P180, maybe P240. Most of the sanding was done wit a power sander and only a few bits by hand.

I did learn the hard way on one coat as I did not properly remove all the dust from the sanding and had to rub most of that coat off. Tack rags make life easier. Oh ... I used foam pads rather than a brush - new pad with every coat.

This was all interior stuff where I've done a partial refit to the galley. The rest of the galley has 10 coats of traditional varnish and it's not too obvious which of the work is the new stuff. I can post a pic this evening if you want.

 

[bowderygiles]

Bilbobaggins
went the diy when we first got the boat. all exterior wood was bare, quick sand and 3 quick coats of B&Q special lasted 18month not bad for price and speed but it has lifted so back to bare wood again.
do all varnish lift & peel ?

 

[bowderygiles]

npf1
what made you go for Le Tonk's?
Have you use anything else before quote :- "never varnished before"

 

[npf1]

I fell for the sales pitch at the boat show plus asked a few questions on this forum. Nope, never used any other varnish or ever varnished before. My only experience of painting is a few diy bodges at home! I'll post a pic tonight so you can judge the results for yourself.

IMHO, which isn't based on much experience(!), the fine sanding before starting was probably the most important factor in getting the good finish.

Oh ... worth adding that surely varnish on interior stuff should look good for years if done well. The existing interior varnish on my boat is 12 years old and still looks fabulous. This is on a boat that has spent most of it's life where the weather is much hotter in summer and much colder in winter than the UK. But all the exterior varnish was cream crackered so I took what was left off.

 

[wanderlust]

For internal use Danish oil takes some beating. It is very easy to apply with a cloth. You can build up several layers very easily with none of the brush mark issues of varnish. You can achieve a good shine if you want to or have it matt if you prefer. I did mine in 2003 and it looks great still even though the boat has been used hard in the tropics and the UK. I will never go back to varnish for the boat interior

 

[Salty John]

Sand with 240, clean off with white spirit, making sure you get all the dust off, slap on a coat of Ronseal varnish (B&Q, not chandlers) diluted about ten percent, then two coats full strength. You may want to resand after the first thin coat but, if you do, make sure you get all the dust off before the next varnish coat. Use a good quality bristle brush or, if you prefer foam, a Jenny brush. Wood will look good and be adequately protected below decks.
This has the virtue of being easy, cheap and unlikely to lure you into the murky world of varnish-finish addiction with the attendant risk to health, wealth and personal relationships.
All IMHO, as always.

 

[doug748]

I was alerted to Sikkens Cetol by an article in Sailing Today and decided to give it a go on my handrails. No more than two coats are to be applied and it is very easy to use as it goes on like water. It does not look like traditional garden shed stain and has a pleasing sparkle letting the colour of the wood show nicely. I could not be bothered to afford the topcoat, so I left it at that. Six months later the shine has gone but it still has a good colour and has adhered well, it should be simple to give it a quick "refresher" at the end of the season. Early days yet, but no stickiness as associated with cricket bat oils and none of the hard work or fragility common to traditional varnish. We shall see.

 

[misterg]

[ QUOTE ]
Ronseal Ultra Tough HardGlaze.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was wondering if anyone would bring that up! I've never used it on a boat, but have used in the house, and it is ridiculously easy to apply, and seems to be incredibly hard wearing. Brushes wash out in water, and you can over-coat it in a few hours. Great stuff.

Went for Sikkens Cetol on the boat, and I don't think very much of it, apart from it's easy to apply a new coat. It also stains gel coat on contact /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Andy

 

[bilbobaggins]

Ara, I noted you specified - in your original post - a task with interior wood. The suggestion I made, as did - no doubt - most others, relates to that.

The problem of coating exterior wood requires a wholly different approach.

'....One day at a time'

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[wrr]

Coelan is initially expensive but will outlast all other systems by years. I have just renewed the coating on the teak decks after 10 years. Two coats per day are easily achieved.

 

[LittleShip]

I use.....Burgess Hydrosol then several coats of the topgloss for the inside. It is very easy to apply and maintain

http://www.woodsealer.co.uk

But use Le Tonks for the outside (Now) I used to use the Burgess products and never had problems but prefer the gloss of the Le Tonks for the outside.

Tom