Varnish Application: Can A Roller Be Used?

[TSB240]

Hello,

I have a lot of interior varnishing to do this winter. There are some bulkheads, large areas that will need varnishing and I was wondering if a roller can be used, or if it would just introduce too many bubbles.

If a roller is suitable, what is the best kind and tips on usage e.g. thin varnish a bit, tip off with a brush after coating, roller and sand between coats and brush on final top coat, or brush last 2 coats.

The Varnish will be Ronseal Exterior Satin, I have used that with brush on various locker doors and like the finish. So far I have used brushes for my varnishing but have never taken on so much surface area before.

Thanks,

BlowingOldBoots

A lot of yacht interiors are factory finished with Laquer not Varnish. I found toolstation industrial laquer spray in a can was excellent for bringing back your interior to a good finish. It is ideal for small areas, prepare as for using a rattle can on a car. Wear a good mask and ventilate area well to aid drying and not dying! No naked flames or sparks.....

It gives an identical finish to factory and is a great way to make your interior look as new.

I will admit to taking home any large doors and panels and varnishing these with Screwfix yacht varnish using a mini sponge roller and tipping off with a brush after careful preparation and cleaning.
Top tip put your sponge roller in a sealable sandwich bag and you may even be able to reuse it the next day.

Same works for longer with varnish brush. Clean in white spirit wrap in kitchen paper and seal in polybag with tape around handle.

If it is colder than 10 degrees Warm your varnish tin in a sink full of hot water don't bother thinning.

It gave a mirror like finish and IMHO really made the boat look smart. You can opt for satin finish but it looks tired in an older boat.

Steve.

 

[Daydream believer]

A lot of problems with bubbles are caused by silicons. It is called "fisheye" . Polish on the old surface can be a pain. Sanding does not remove them & things like WD40 sprayed in the vicinity will spoil the finish.
Many polishing Cos would not allow the presence of silicones in the workshop.
Depending on the varnish or laquer used different additives do help. I used to employ a polisher in my joinery works ( a real fussy b..ger but brilliant) & he would often coat the substrate with shellac to seal the surface first.
I was asked to polish 14 tables in our sailing club a few years ago but could not remember how he did it. So I immediatelly hit the fisheye problem until a furniture maker reminded me about shelac. Problem solved & 14 tables stained then coated in 3-4 cts Sadolins PV67. Extremely hard. Roller coated then laid off, very scratch resistant. Has to be in a club environment.
Although not designed for a boat, I would use it inside the cabin because the damp is not significant.

 

[Concerto]

TSB240 is correct that most yacht interiors are finished with lacquer, not varnish. They dry so much quicker than varnish and allows 3 or 4 coats in a day, whereas varnish can only have one coat a day and is very sticky allowing dust to be attracted to the surface - something not possible in a factory building shed.

The lacquer used by Westerly and many other manufacturers is Morrells 450, a quick drying, high build, low-odour acid-catalyst lacquer.
https://www.morrells.co.uk/products...0-low-odour-high-build-acid-catalyst-lacquer/
It is available in finishes from matt to high gloss, Westerly used 30% sheen. This is a trade only product that can be purchased over their trade counters but it has to be pre-ordered as it is not trade counter stock item. It is available in 5 litre cans only, and with 5 litres of thinners costs just under £60.

My Fulmar was stripped back to bare wood to avoid any surface problems as mentioned by Daydream believer. Using 3 brushed coats it is possible to do the whole interior. Look at this PowerPoint presentation I gave and the finished results in the video of Concerto at the 2021 Southampton Boat Show.
https://wiki.westerly-owners.co.uk/images/2/25/Interior_Woodwork_Concerto_PowerPoint.pdf