Varnish Alternatives?

[Little Rascal]

Last year I spent ages getting a nice finish on the oak hatch rails of my Europa with lots of coats of International Original and then bedded/ fitted them to the boat. After one trip they got a bit bashed about , allowing water to get at the wood over the winter and now I need to do it all again

Can anyone suggest an alternative that would be less work, take some wear and still look acceptable?

Ideally I'd like to scrape them in situ and use some kind of oil?


Thanks.

 

[KristiferColumbus]

I used oil on my oak tiller & it has turned black.

 

[Tranona]

International Woodskin is just what you need.

 

[coopec]

I share your aversion to varnish but I don't know that I can help you much. I bought a kit with 3 different products ONE Oxalic cleaner (wear gloves) TWO Teak brightener THREE Oil

I found the Teak Brightener was household bleach, Oxalic acid is common in household cleaners and the oil was Boiled Linseed oil (35%)/Kerosene (65%) and that was available from the hardware store already mixed up.

The last time I did the teak I used a rechargeable drill with a nylon brush and that was a help

View attachment 40588 a nylon brush

I suppose the experts here will be aghast at what I did!!

 

[coopec]

I used oil on my oak tiller & it has turned black.

You didn't use Raw Linseed Oil did you?

 

[Tranona]

I share your aversion to varnish but I don't know that I can help you much. I bought a kit with 3 different products ONE Oxalic cleaner (wear gloves) TWO Teak brightener THREE Oil

I found the Teak Brightener was household bleach, Oxalic acid is common in household cleaners and the oil was Boiled Linseed oil (35%)/Kerosene (65%) and that was available from the hardware store already mixed up.

The last time I did the teak I used a rechargeable drill with a nylon brush and that was a help

View attachment 40588 a nylon brush

I suppose the experts here will be aghast at what I did!!

However, that is all unsuitable for the OP who has oak handrails. Oil turns it black. Oil has no place on a boat - it is sticky and attracts dirt. Either leave teak bare or use one of the many effective coatings available, of which porous woodstains such as International Woodskin are probably the easiest to apply and longest lasting.

 

[KristiferColumbus]

You didn't use Raw Linseed Oil did you?

No.I used something described as teak oil though not a fancy brand.

 

[VicS]

Last year I spent ages getting a nice finish on the oak hatch rails of my Europa with lots of coats of International Original and then bedded/ fitted them to the boat. After one trip they got a bit bashed about , allowing water to get at the wood over the winter and now I need to do it all again

Can anyone suggest an alternative that would be less work, take some wear and still look acceptable?

Ideally I'd like to scrape them in situ and use some kind of oil?


Thanks.

Teak I would leave untreated or perhaps lightly oiled.

I am not sure if that is appropriate for oak.

For a varnish like finish but requiring less maintenance Sikkens Cetol Marine was the best I found. That has been replaced by International Woodskin.
+1, therefore, to Tranona's suggestion.
.

 

[KristiferColumbus]

However, that is all unsuitable for the OP who has oak handrails. Oil turns it black. Oil has no place on a boat

I'm not so sure about that.I used the "teak oil" on my main hatch & slides & it seems to have protected them for a year without all the need for endless maintenance that you associate with that wood skin stuff.(might try some ALDI fence stuff that I bought cheaply as an alternative.After I do a test piece).

 

[coopec]

Tranona

I will look at International Woodskin as anything must be better than what I am using.

There is another thread on Teak Dressing in 2012 which is quite informative,

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?300148-International-Wood-skin

 

[KristiferColumbus]

Two years dos'nt sound long enough to determine if there are any long term maintenance problems like blistering or flaking & what the implications are for redoing the whole shooting match.
They claimed 4 or five years for that wood finish stuff with no mention of all the problems associated with keeping it up to scratch.Never again!

 

[coopec]

Has anyone tried Semco?

 

[Tranona]

Two years dos'nt sound long enough to determine if there are any long term maintenance problems like blistering or flaking & what the implications are for redoing the whole shooting match.
They claimed 4 or five years for that wood finish stuff with no mention of all the problems associated with keeping it up to scratch.Never again!

Suggest you have a look at the long running tests on wood finishes published in both PBO and Classic Boat. Woodstains in general outlast all other finishes with minimal maintenance. 5 years is typical before a light recoat.

 

[Tranona]

Has anyone tried Semco?

Semco is suitable for decks, if you can tolerate the colouring, but not so suitable for trim.

 

[coopec]

Exterior Wood Finish Test Two-year Update
Two-part varnishes leading in durability as long-term test reaches 24-month mark.

http://www.practical-sailor.com/issues/37_9/features/exterior_wood_10576-1.html

 

[rogerthebodger]

I use a product called timbacare by a local to me company Rystix

4 years age I varnished some garden seats at home in Johannesburg with the yellow tinted Exterior Wood Sealer.

At about 2000m above sea level and 26.2 degrees south the UV is very high and there has been no pealing or other damage. I also use the same on my boat the yellow tint outside but clear inside and again in 4 years no damage.

The wood on my garden seats and the external wood on my boat is always iroko being like teak an oily wood.

This is available in the UK

http://www.ajsmith.uk.com/rystixtimbacare/rystix-timbacare.html

The guy who developed the product is a retired industrial chemist who lived in a timber house in the southern cape and was so fed up of revarnishing his house every year he developed this product.

I have no connection just a very happy customer.

They also do a water based product and wall as a Penetrating Oil but I used the moisture curing turpentine base product.

 

[andygc]

without all the need for endless maintenance that you associate with that wood skin stuff.

Endless maintenance? Wash down with fresh water and re-coat where needed.

 

[dartmoor]

International Woodskin is just what you need.

Second that - best stuff I have used. PBO review of it a few months ago was good

 

[afterpegassus]

International Woodskin is just what you need.

Hmm. Not sure.
On the strength of what I read on here last year, I did my larch gates with Woodskin in August. They are already beginning to look stained after the winter and they are in a reasonably sheltered location. This was premium grade knot free flooring that I wanted to maintain the colouring of rather than have it weather, but it looks as though the choice has been made for me now.

 

[dartmoor]

Hmm. Not sure.
On the strength of what I read on here last year, I did my larch gates with Woodskin in August. They are already beginning to look stained after the winter and they are in a reasonably sheltered location. This was premium grade knot free flooring that I wanted to maintain the colouring of rather than have it weather, but it looks as though the choice has been made for me now.

Yep, I don't think there is an infallible product out there - any coating on wood will eventually succumb to being broken down by UV. "Flexible" products will eventually degrade and crack from the fact that wood will absorb moisture, expand, then dry out in sun, and contract again. Best you can hope for is something that does more than a season or two, doesn't trap moisture under a skin or surface so that the wood rots, and is easy to sand and re-coat. For all those reasons I don't use Varnish! I dare say those who are willing to spend hours and hours on preparation can get reasonable results with Varnish - I have never had the time or the patience!