Varnish

[SteveB_Sigma33]

Does anyone have some good pointers for varnishing?

Just about to sand down and varnish the interior of my boat and wondered if anyone has tried using a roller rather than a brush?!?!

I know you can buy the rollers that say they're for varnish, but do they give a good finish?!?!

Thanks in advance.

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[tcm]

Good pointers

1. sand down using the finest grade you can get away with, in the direction of the wood grain, with a backing block on flat surfaces.

2. A giveaway for an amateur job is the thickness of the coats you apply - thinnest as possible.

3. You won't get a fine finish with a roller - you need the best brush you can get, swallow hard and buy the expensive ones from a hardware store, not the "3 for £5" offers which are fine for painting a fence or behind a telly in an old house.

3. Another giveway for an amateur job is the treatment of the corners and crevices - sanding away and leaving gunk in the edges is a no-no - get the crevices cleaned out early, and the flat surfaces can be done at the end.

4. Yet another giveaway for an amateur job is the smoothneess and all this relies on preparation, not varnishing. The best varnishing results from as much as 80% prep and only 20% varnishing. if you can avoid it, don't go back down to bare wood.

5. Pay particular attention to the areas that get touched and groped - at around waist to eye height, door handles and door jambs are where most people fondle shiny wood.

6. On a working day, if at all possible, the final task is the varnishing, after which you shut the door and leave overnight. Just before varnishing, try and lay (ie get rid of airborne) dust by light spray of water mist on damp newspaper.

7. Erm, not sure it is a great idea to do much varnishing in ambient UK feb/march? - it will take a long time for the varnish to go off and dry. Generally better to have warm conditions, no?

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[timevans2000]

Best advise is dont.

I have just removed all my varnish, back to bare wood.

We have applied 4 coats of Danish oil then 2 coats of wax. The result is excellent. You dont get any brush marks. It is a lot easier to do as you just brush the oil on then leave it 10 mins and remove the excess with a cloth.

This is the same approach applied to professionally installed wooden floors. It is more durable than varnish and a lot easier to repair local damage.

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[SteveB_Sigma33]

Are there any products that you would recommend?

I must admit I have a wooden floor which is done that way and it is stunning. Just wasn't sure you could do that on the woodwork in a cabin.



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[SteveB_Sigma33]

Are there any products that you would recommend?

I must admit I have a wooden floor which is done that way and it is stunning. Just wasn't sure you could do that on the woodwork in a cabin.



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[Benbow]

Foam 'brushes' - (Jenni brushes ?). Work better than traditional brushes.

The tin will probably say 'don't thin', ignore that, you must thin for a good result.

Watch the temperature, you will get horrible resultys if its too cold or the temp falls significantly after its on.

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[timevans2000]

We use Rustins Danish oil natural. This is what was recommended to us. We have finished the galley already and is looks superb!

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[Twister_Ken]

Rustins Danish Oil

We use it at home for wooden work surfaces in the kitchen - works really well and stands up to normal 'kitchen abuse' (far more than a boat will get) for about six months before another coat needs to be wiped on. Also polishes up nice with a a damp rag and washing-up liquid. Many hardware stores stock it - or can get if if they don't. Another advantage - it costs DIY shop prices, not chandlery ones.

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.rustins.co.uk/Dano.html#begin>Read all about it</A>

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[boatmike]

Agree entirely with tcm. There ain't no shortcut. Preparation is everything. Ensure all old varnish is removed if you are intending to go down to bare wood. You will regret any corners and areas where old varnish shows through. BE CAREFUL WHEN SANDING THOUGH! Remember the veneer is probably very thin.....
I have used lots of different varnishes and would recommend Epifanes. Expensive but superb. Thin about 30% for the first coat and get it to penetrate the wood for a key for the rest. sand very lightly with fine wet&dry (I use it wet) to remove raised grain and dry thoroughly. Use a clean dust free rag soaked in thinners to remove all dust. Build up up to 6 coats of gloss sanding in between if necessary to fill the grain and get an even flat surface. DONT use an orbital sander! Use a rubber sanding block and sand along the grain. When you have an even depth of gloss and are dazzled by the shine, for internal work I always finish with 2 coats of "ready rubbed" for a matt finish but that's just my preference. You need to build up with gloss first though or you won't get the "depth" in the finished job.... Lots of work but very satisfying long lasting professional looking result. I also agree that the job is better done at above 16 degrees..... try it on a sample panel to perfect your brushwork first and don't try to put too much varnish on in one coat..... It's all about mastering brushwork. Practice off the job first...... And I concur that you should buy a really good 2" brush which is all I ever use regardless of the size of the panel.
If you can't stand the pain and hard work the alternatives to traditional varnish the other guys have suggested work quite well and shortcut the hard work and require little skill to apply. But it does not give the same result as the lustre of good traditional varnish work. Epifanes and Blakes both publish good little books on the subject too. Recommend you have a read....
If you persevere I guarantee you will never regret having developed the skill of a dying traditional art. Go for it!

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[Ripper]

Funnily enough our local chandlery sells "Hardware" type items cheaper than B&Q or Homebase - so don't assume you will get these things cheaper at a hardware store.

If you are going back to bare wood we have found that Coelan is an excellent long lasting (up to 10 years OUTSIDE) I am told. It costs an arm and a leg but looks great and if it lasts that'll be a real bonus.

Failing that, Epifanes now have a rapid build Varnish for laying down the initial coats (4 coats in 2 days) which can then be overcoated with traditional oil based varnishes.

Another alternative is Sikkens Cetol Wood Oil - which performs excellently in indepemdent tests and is relatively cheap.

Anyone who thinks that a kitchen worktop has a harder life than a boat must give their boat a real easy life!!! (and maybe they do).

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[Twister_Ken]

Using your boat as a chopping board.

Anyone who thinks that a kitchen worktop has a harder life than a boat must give their boat a real easy life!!! (and maybe they do).

Certainly the interior woodwork on Indigo (we are talking interiors here) never gets hot saucepans placed on it, nor vegetables chopped and bread sliced, nor blender overflows, nor wet dishes left there for hours, nor newspapers stuck to the surface with dried orqange juice, nor hot fat splatters from carving the joint, nor...

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