Treating / finishing interior hardwood?

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prv

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I'm about to make a start on the long-awaited interior furniture rebuild on KS (chart table, saloon table, electrical panel trim, cabin-side trim/fiddle strips). I've ordered a quantity of sapele from my local timber merchant - although the chart table will have a faced ply top, all the rest will be solid timber.

I have a sample piece whose appearance I am quite happy with as-is, so I don't need to do anything for aesthetics, but I'm wondering whether it will need some treatment for protection. I'm not going to varnish it, but perhaps there's some kind of light oil that would soak in and help prevent (say) curry spills on the saloon table from instantly staining the wood. Or does sapele mostly resist everyday use ok on its own?

Nearly all the existing woodwork is ply with some bog-standard stain; the few existing bits of hardwood look fine but it's hard for me to tell if they've been treated or not.

Cheers,

Pete
 
You can just wax it, but think you will be better off with something more substantial. I have successfully used Ronseal satin polyurethane. cheap, easy to use and gives a good stain resistant finish.
 
Trouble about leaving it bare is absorbency - it's porous. I'm not keen on high gloss finishes and like a natural look. You could use decent varnish then finish with satin top coat so you get protection and a woody appearance. Danish oil or Deks Olje would work but varnish might be more curry resistant :)
 
You've reminded me of some experimentation I need to make. The interior woodwork on my boat is satin finished with a mix of Deks Olje 1 & 2. I need to play around at home to find what proportions of the two are used to give that level of sheen... The resultant coating resists most spillages - except when a "friend" left an oily engine part on the table. The main advantage is that the finish is easily restored by rubbing in a little more of the mix (some of which I found in a locker) and it dries, so doesn't feel oily or slippery to the touch.

Rob.

http://i780.photobucket.com/albums/yy87/rob2hook/p1010003.jpg
 
I would recommend Rustin's Danish Oil. I have just treated my new cockpit table to 3 coats applied with a cloth, and am very pleased with results. Dries quickly, couple of hours and not oily or greasy to touch, and should stop staining, but very easy to repair, quick sand down and reapply. If you want the lacquered look can use wet/dry paper using the danish oil to "wet" it.

Here's how to do it professionally. http://www.ehow.com/how_4448639_finish-wood-danish-oil.html
 
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I,ve used satin varnish,as peviously recommended.Gives a nice finish.If you use Danish oil and apply with a cloth,dont forget to lay the cloth out flat when you leave it as instantaneous combustion can take place.
 
Thanks, but a couple of those suggestions sound awfully varnish-like. The wood that's already there is definitely not varnished, and it seems to have survived ok. If it has had any treatment, it's so unobtrusive that I can't tell whether it's there or not.

Pete
 
Having followed a couple of those links, I think I'm going to try out some Danish oil on an offcut and see how it looks. Other oil-style suggestions still welcome.

Thanks,

Pete
 
prv said:
I'm about to make a start on the long-awaited interior furniture rebuild on KS (chart table, saloon table, electrical panel trim, cabin-side trim/fiddle strips). I've ordered a quantity of sapele from my local timber merchant - although the chart table will have a faced ply top, all the rest will be solid timber.

I have a sample piece whose appearance I am quite happy with as-is, so I don't need to do anything for aesthetics, but I'm wondering whether it will need some treatment for protection. I'm not going to varnish it, but perhaps there's some kind of light oil that would soak in and help prevent (say) curry spills on the saloon table from instantly staining the wood. Or does sapele mostly resist everyday use ok on its own?

Nearly all the existing woodwork is ply with some bog-standard stain; the few existing bits of hardwood look fine but it's hard for me to tell if they've been treated or not.

Cheers,

Pete
Click to expand...
We have used this
http://www.choiceful.com/choiceful-id-100553-Mr-Sheen-Topps-Dark-Wood-Scratch-Cover-100ml.html
in small areas, gives a nice deep finish, Ive also used Coloron stain, followed by Halfords clear car laquer.
Stu
 
Try OSMO Hardwax Oil instead of Danish oil.

prv said:
Having followed a couple of those links, I think I'm going to try out some Danish oil on an offcut and see how it looks. Other oil-style suggestions still welcome.

Thanks,

Pete
Click to expand...

Pete

I wouldn't use Danish oil, as its not really that water-resistant; boats tend to be damp and even internal woodwork on boats usually gets some kind of soaking. If you were to use Danish oil, then use a fresh tin of either Rustins or Liberon.

A much better product would be OSMO Hardwax Oil, a German product designed for timber flooring, especially in high-use areas like restaurants (also less fumy to apply and safe when cured for use on children's toys). OSMO sells itself to 'lazy' contractors by saying only two coats are needed, but the downstairs parts of my house where I put three coats down have stood up to wear by outdoor shoes much better than those I only put two coats on.

I also refinished my old veneered desktop with OSMO (scraping the old lacquer off first and sanding up to 240 grit), by applying with a folded cloth (see method below) six equally-thinned coats (25% white spirit to thin it down from the full viscous state) and lightly de-nibbing between coats. The result is really tough, resists any marking by glasses of water or cups of hot tea, and has a lovely satin sheen.

If you do use Danish oil (or OSMO), apply it by wiping it on with a folded cotton cloth (like a folded hankie) then use a fresh folded cloth to pull any excess oil off, especially at the end of panels. Thin the first two or three coats with white spirit, say 50:50 for deeper absorption into the wood and faster drying (but anyway allow 24hrs between each coat), then the final two or three coats at full concentration, wiping down excess as per above after every coat. Its a good idea to lightly de-nib between every couple of coats for a smoother finish.

Another alternative would be an appropriate waterproof synthetic lacquer, usually applied by brush. But you'll get a richer finish with oil, which soaks into the wood as well as sealing the surface (it is however hydroscopic), whereas a lacquer tends to sit on top of the wood.

The problem with varnish (and lacquer) is that once the barrier is penetrated by scrathes etc, you'll get damp ingress between the varnish and the wood, with discolouring. That's why varnish needs to be renewed regularly on wooden spars etc.

A professional tip: whatever finish is to be used (except spraying of course), you'll get much better results if you 'pre-finish' each component before assembly. This way you've got a clean run with the application and soaking-off cloths, as well as the sanding-block between coats - with no gloopy buildup of oil or dust in any corners. After glue-up, let any squeeze-out of glue (waterproof PVA) dry, then carefully prise the bits up off the finished surfaces and sever with a sharp chisel. Don't try to wipe wet glue off with a cloth as you'll smear it.

Babs
 
Outdoor furniture oil. Any of the name brands will do. Just follow the directions on the tin. Handle moisture and minor abrasions. Recoat every now and again, just wipe over with a damp cloth and when dry, recoat.
 
I bought a small tin of Colron Danish oil at B&Q this evening, and have just put a coat of it on my sample piece of sapele (main delivery coming on Saturday). Although it's only one coat and I'm not sure it's fully dry yet, it does look nice. I think Danish oil is going to be what I use although I might switch to Rustins after this bottle if that's reckoned to be better?

Cheers for the advice on oiling before final assembly - I was kind of thinking of doing this already, but your point about buildup in corners is a good one and now I definitely will. Although I wouldn't deliberately oil the faces of joints I imagine some will inevitably get in there - presumably glue copes ok with this? Incidentally, what glue for this kind of work - you say waterproof PVA? Most of what I find on Google for that term seems to be about building and cement and floor screeds - is it the same stuff?

Cheers,

Pete
 
As suggested in your thread on your mast, one pot polyurethane glue such as Balcotan is the Biz. Easy to use and gap filling. Water resitant and dries to a clean line. Most chandlers stock it or similar in small plastic pots. Make sure you use gloves tho' as it stains flesh!
 
Mask the glue-surfaces when finishing

prv said:
Cheers for the advice on oiling before final assembly - I was kind of thinking of doing this already, but your point about buildup in corners is a good one and now I definitely will. Although I wouldn't deliberately oil the faces of joints I imagine some will inevitably get in there - presumably glue copes ok with this? Incidentally, what glue for this kind of work - you say waterproof PVA? Most of what I find on Google for that term seems to be about building and cement and floor screeds - is it the same stuff?

Cheers,

Pete
Click to expand...

Good question. After sanding but prior to applying the oil, mask all joint areas (tenons, mortices, tongues, grooves, biscuit-slots, dowel-holes, etc) with decent-quality masking-tape. If you're going to denib areas between coats in the same plane as the masked joints, then remove the tape for denibbing and re-apply before the next coat. Its a bit of a faff, but well worth it.

I use ordinary PVA for indoor furniture, but the waterproof stuff is much the same while being safer for marine applications. Buy this stuff: http://www.titebond.com/WNTitebondIIITB.asp from: http://www.axminster.co.uk/titebond-titebond-iii-ultimate-wood-glue-prod29225/

As to the joinery itself, for quickest accurate assembly of carcase panel components consider buying a good quality biscuit-joiner, then practice using it on scraps. I've had the Bosch for 10 years, avoid the DeWalt (poor quality control on their biscuiters), and no need to buy the original but very expensive Lamello. See: http://www.axminster.co.uk/bosch-bosch-gff-22a-biscuit-jointer-240v-prod22178/ but throw away the box of 1000 free bisuits and buy Lamello's own quality compressed beech biscuits (3 sizes: 0, 10 and 20).

Hope this helps.
 
Tranona said:
As suggested in your thread on your mast, one pot polyurethane glue such as Balcotan is the Biz. Easy to use and gap filling. Water resitant and dries to a clean line. Most chandlers stock it
Click to expand...

Brilliant - sounds like the business. Thanks.

Babylon said:
As to the joinery itself, for quickest accurate assembly of carcase panel components consider buying a good quality biscuit-joiner, then practice using it on scraps. I've had the Bosch for 10 years, avoid the DeWalt (poor quality control on their biscuiters), and no need to buy the original but very expensive Lamello. See: http://www.axminster.co.uk/bosch-bosch-gff-22a-biscuit-jointer-240v-prod22178/
Click to expand...

I have a reasonable quality router which I've been practising with, and I'm deliberately not attempting any too-complicated joints. I'm not sure what a carcase panel is; I'm not knowingly making one. I can see a biscuit jointer might be handy for joining the two boards that I'm using for the central leaf of the table, but not at £250 for one job :eek:. I'm planning to make a spline joint here although I can see it will require care to get the groove at the exact same depth on both parts so that the tops are flush. I'm going to use the plywood I originally got for this job, before switching to the sapele, to make jigs for this and other precision processes.

Thanks,

Pete
 
An update:

I've finished construction of the chart table. It's somewhat complex since it both slides horizontally (for access to the fridge and sink beneath) and has a Yeoman plotter embedded inside it (I never liked them sliding around on top with flimsy plastic clips holding the chart). It's my first bit of proper "furniture" - the first time I've done woodworking to sub-millimeter accuracy (using a digital caliper, the micrometer screws on my router, and a knife-blade instead of a pencil for more accurate marking-out). I'm really pleased with it.

Although I liked the look of the Danish oil, I've decided it won't give enough protection to the thin sapele veneer on the plywood top. So I've started by applying 50/50 Epifanes since I had it to hand, will build up some more (less thinned) coats, and may go for their "rubbed effect" topcoat if it ends up too shiny. This will also seal any gaps where the ply runs into the rebates in the solid wood and stop any spilled liquid getting into the structure.

I'll probably stick with the Danish oil for the saloon table and the cabin-side fiddles, which will all be solid wood and hence will stand the occasional light sanding and refinishing.

Cheers for your advice thus far,

Pete
 
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