varnishing the interior of a Hanse 291

[ifoxwell]

So I'm pretty much back to bare wood now and hope to start re varnishing soon, if I can find a suitable weather window and enough heaters.

Any advise on technique, varnishes to use, re coating times etc greatly appreciated. Plus I was planning on using International Gold Spar just because we have used it before and like the satin look but is there some thing better we should be using... especially for the cabin sole boards?

Cheers

Ian

 

[johnalison]

I like Epiphanes Rubbed Effect Varnish. Just like any varnish, but it looks awful when only half dry, and then dries to a nice satin finish.

 

[Rafiki]

+1 for the Epiphanes Rubbed Effect Varnish for interior use. It is expensive though, so one tip is to use a cheaper gloss varnish for the first 4 coats and then the last 2 coats use the Epiphanes - that's what I did anyway and it still looked great after 10 years.
However not suitable for the floor. I used something designed for gymnasium floors bought online from a specialist firm, sorry cant recall the name, but it was very hard wearing and resistant to tools being dropped on it, so worth researching I think.

 

[ex-Gladys]

I use Compass on the floor boards. I had brand new made a few years back and did the fright thing from the start, so UCP (no longer available) and then Compass, which developed horrible runs when on vertical surfaces. Now that the boards are down, I varnish in the middle of the season just before leaving the boat on a Sunday. I use a 2" brush and having hoovered carefully and wiped down, just sling a coat of varnish on, which takes about 20 minutes. (Make sure you plan your work to avoid not being able to leave the boat!). Left until the next weekend in summer means it's really dried well. We've never had a "slippery floor" issue and it looks lovely. It gets sanded by wear and really only needs doing every other season.

 

[Minchsailor]

I have tried using conventional varnish on floor boards, but it is just not tough enough for the wear.

I now use Blackfriars 1 pack polyurethane floor varnish. Semi matt finish. After 3 years looks as good as new. BUT you have to get all the old varnish off first, and well sanded.

 

[robmcg]

Ronseal satin varnish worked best for us - and we have lots of wood in the cabin. Worked out much cheaper than International or Epiphanes. Easy to work with, isn't prone to running and doesn't add a fake colour to the wood. Should say its the standard ultra hard version, not the quick drying one which was carp ��

 

[martinriches]

+1 for the Epiphanes Rubbed Effect Varnish for interior use. It is expensive though, so one tip is to use a cheaper gloss varnish for the first 4 coats and then the last 2 coats use the Epiphanes - that's what I did anyway and it still looked great after 10 years.
However not suitable for the floor. I used something designed for gymnasium floors bought online from a specialist firm, sorry cant recall the name, but it was very hard wearing and resistant to tools being dropped on it, so worth researching I think.

When I worked in concert halls and theatres we used 'Bona mega' [1 part] or 'Bona traffic' [2 part] for the floors. Expensive but coped very well with the daily heavy use.

Martin

 

[Tranona]

Ronseal satin for woodwork - much easier than epifanes and gives a good finish. Ronseal floor varnish for sole boards. Hard, durable, relatively non slip finish.

 

[itchenseadog]

Ronseal satin varnish worked best for us - and we have lots of wood in the cabin. Worked out much cheaper than International or Epiphanes. Easy to work with, isn't prone to running and doesn't add a fake colour to the wood. Should say its the standard ultra hard version, not the quick drying one which was carp ��

+1 for Ronseal Satincoat. We used Ronseal Satincoat (not thecquick drying one) for many years on both new boat production and on repair/refits. Easy to apply and lasts well. "It does what it says on the tin".

 

[bitbaltic]

So I'm pretty much back to bare wood now and hope to start re varnishing soon, if I can find a suitable weather window and enough heaters.

Any advise on technique, varnishes to use, re coating times etc greatly appreciated. Plus I was planning on using International Gold Spar just because we have used it before and like the satin look but is there some thing better we should be using... especially for the cabin sole boards?

Cheers

Ian

No particular advice on the varnishing but as the owner of a 301 with similar interior joinery I'd love to see some pics of the work as you do it, what it looks like stripped back and the completed job

 

[NickRobinson]

I'd bought International Woodskin for the small amount of exterior wood on my Mirage 2700 and tried it inside to freshen up dull veneered ply.
It shouldn't have worked. One coat, no prep, no tipping off except gross runs/curtains but rather successful.

 

[Humblebee]

I've used quite a variety of varnishes over the years, indoors, outdoors, on the boat and in the house. At present my favourite is Flag quick drying satin floor varnish, available from Toolstation at a bargain price.
It's unusual in being solvent based, unlike most QD varnishes which are water based. I find it hard to get a good finish with water based varnishes (and paints) as they dry so fast. I find I can't keep a wet edge going with WB varnish and also find they leave brush marks.
Flag's QD varnish dries in a few hours, leaves a lovely satin finish, is easy to apply on vertical and horizontal surfaces.
No connection, just a fan of quality varnish and, usually, smaller independent paint makers.

 

[Daydream believer]

16 years ago I coated the oak spiral staircase that i made in my house with Sadolins PV67. It is still Ok & has not needed re covering even on the treads. Still has its original sheen. I used to coat laboratory benches with it in some schools ( I had a joiner business) & it worked well
I do not think PV67 is still supplied as PV67 but it is made under a different name. Whatever it is will give an excellent finish. hard wearing . It is a 2 pack material & quite expensive but worth it & easy to apply

 

[Deleted member 36384]

Ronseal satin varnish worked best for us - ... not the quick drying one which was carp ..

Ronseal satin for woodwork - ....

+1 for Ronseal Satincoat. We used Ronseal Satincoat (not thecquick drying one) ....

+4

On advise of this forum I have been using Ronseal Satin, exterior varnish on my internal woodwork. The lighter woods darkened but not significantly and the teak veneer darkening was not really noticeable I have also been advised on using rollers, then tipping off with a good quality brush. So far I have used brush only and also a rubbing pad and tipping off with the rubbing pad, the brush was faster, but the rubbing pad was easier to apply a thinner coat, hence less runs over edges. The rubbing pad was smooth cotton wrapped around a sponge.

I have purchased the Harris TaskMasters Varnish Mini Roller Sleeves but not used them yet. Note that there are pile rollers for gloss paint and varnish made by Harris, the ones above are for varnish only. Plenty of YouTube videos demonstrating varnishing with rollers and tipping off.

Hosted on Flickr

 

[robmcg]

Very nice job Mr Boots ��

 

[Deleted member 36384]

Very nice job Mr Boots ��

Thanks for that. They were stripped with Nitromors, washed, dried, sanded dry, vacuumed, washed with white spirit, then tack cloth wiped. I used a decent quality synthetic Harris brush, 3 coats as per instructions on Ronseal tin, wet sanded with 1200 Grit wet and dry between coats. It's not perfect but the doors are 42 years old and looked it.

 

[eddystone]

16 years ago I coated the oak spiral staircase that i made in my house with Sadolins PV67. It is still Ok & has not needed re covering even on the treads. Still has its original sheen. I used to coat laboratory benches with it in some schools ( I had a joiner business) & it worked well
I do not think PV67 is still supplied as PV67 but it is made under a different name. Whatever it is will give an excellent finish. hard wearing . It is a 2 pack material & quite expensive but worth it & easy to apply

You can find it online - Decorating Warehouse

 

[Binman]

I rely on a decent yacht vanish, used on a bulkhead I replaced also cabin table. For my block flooring indoors I used a two pack resin floor varnish, that was years ago and floor shows no sign of wear,you can mope it over when dirty, no need to keep polishing it as polish is not required.

 

[ifoxwell]

No particular advice on the varnishing but as the owner of a 301 with similar interior joinery I'd love to see some pics of the work as you do it, what it looks like stripped back and the completed job

We have a YouTube channel that documents our family's sailing activities and although we arnt big on step by step 'this is how we did it' films I'm sure we'll keep everyone posted on how things go.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI26Xi3MzizJBjQK-5DjkVQ/featured[/video]

 

[ifoxwell]

Thanks everyone

Some great replies, I'll reread them tonight and make a decision.

One quick question. If I was to roll it on do I just use the normal foam rollers and then tip off or are there special rollers for varnish?