jammy
Member
Someone here must have a post on how to varnish properly? My cockpit table needs a cosmetic session - can you point me at an appropriate post?
James
James
Varnishing - the perfect method
- Thread starter jammy
- Start date
Stemar
Well-Known Member
Assuming your table is liable to be left out in the elements, rather than put away faithfully after every use, here's what I'd do:
If it's previously varnished and the current varnish is in good nick:
1. Give it a thorough clean followed by a gentle rub down to take the gloss
2. Wipe over with a tack rag or a rag dampened with white spirit to take the dust off, and allow to dry.
3. Give a coat or two of the same unthinned varnish as was used before. If what's on there has a yellowish/brown colour, it's almost certainly a spirit based varnish. If it's completely transparent, it'll probably be acrylic (water based).
If the varnish is in poor condition, especially cracked or flaking, it all needs to come off.
WIth clean, bare wood,
1. Consider whether I'm really going to touch up every ding before water gets in, and revarnish faithfully before it needs it. If not, forget varnish. Use Endeavour oil of Deks Olje (?sp)
2. Give a couple of coats of thin epoxy to seal all the wood, then sand smooth
or
2a. Give a couple (or more) coats of thinned varnish. Keep going until the wood is saturated. Sand smooth.
3. Two or three coats of unthinned to finish.
Everyone has their favourite varnish. Personally, I've found Le Tonkinois to be very good. It doesn't seem to flake like a lot of other varnishes, but you're supposed to start from scratch with it, not overcoat other varnishes.
If it's previously varnished and the current varnish is in good nick:
1. Give it a thorough clean followed by a gentle rub down to take the gloss
2. Wipe over with a tack rag or a rag dampened with white spirit to take the dust off, and allow to dry.
3. Give a coat or two of the same unthinned varnish as was used before. If what's on there has a yellowish/brown colour, it's almost certainly a spirit based varnish. If it's completely transparent, it'll probably be acrylic (water based).
If the varnish is in poor condition, especially cracked or flaking, it all needs to come off.
WIth clean, bare wood,
1. Consider whether I'm really going to touch up every ding before water gets in, and revarnish faithfully before it needs it. If not, forget varnish. Use Endeavour oil of Deks Olje (?sp)
2. Give a couple of coats of thin epoxy to seal all the wood, then sand smooth
or
2a. Give a couple (or more) coats of thinned varnish. Keep going until the wood is saturated. Sand smooth.
3. Two or three coats of unthinned to finish.
Everyone has their favourite varnish. Personally, I've found Le Tonkinois to be very good. It doesn't seem to flake like a lot of other varnishes, but you're supposed to start from scratch with it, not overcoat other varnishes.
Heckler
Well-Known Member
hey
forget about varnish, you need to do a superb sand down tp get a perfect finish, get some stain from your local hardware shop, (note no swindleries involved) stain it and then go to halfords, get some clear laquer spray as used in the latest car finish jobs and go for it, have just done this on my bene, superb job, no brush marks, dries almost straight away so you can put 5 coats on in 2 hours and is WEATHERPROOF!!
stu
forget about varnish, you need to do a superb sand down tp get a perfect finish, get some stain from your local hardware shop, (note no swindleries involved) stain it and then go to halfords, get some clear laquer spray as used in the latest car finish jobs and go for it, have just done this on my bene, superb job, no brush marks, dries almost straight away so you can put 5 coats on in 2 hours and is WEATHERPROOF!!
stu
TFJ
Well-Known Member
If you want a great finish, try some french chalk powder, dust the surface with the chalk then apply varnish, it thickens the varnish as you apply it giving you a great finish
Terry
Terry
LORDNELSON
Well-Known Member
Cheapest price I can find for reasonably good varnish is about £11 per litre. How much does the lacquer cost and how much does it cover/unit volume? It sounds good but is it cost effective? Taking into account that the more elderly of us have an labour opportunity cost of zero!
Stemar
Well-Known Member
In general, metal doesn't move much, so paints and lacquer don't need to be particularly flexible. Wood expands and contacts significantly with changes in humidity, so wood varnish has to be a lot more flexible. I know you're trying to keep the weather out, but in practice it's impossible to completely seal wood permanently.
I wonder how long the car lacquer will last. Might be OK for a table that's put away when not in use, though.
I wonder how long the car lacquer will last. Might be OK for a table that's put away when not in use, though.
jammy
Member
All
Thanks for the recommendations. My table is bolted and secured in the cockpit but does live under a padded cover normally. Having just removed it yesterday will now see how much work needs doing...!
Regards,
James
Thanks for the recommendations. My table is bolted and secured in the cockpit but does live under a padded cover normally. Having just removed it yesterday will now see how much work needs doing...!
Regards,
James
Heckler
Well-Known Member
yes but you miss thepoint, it looks perfect!!!!!!!, you know the finish that you see on the interioer of boats at the boat show, so that it doesnt look like mr thumblethumbs has done it, so that it looks like its come from a french boat factory well thats what it looks like, plus i varnished some ply as a backing for my solar panel last summer before i discovered this method, it looks like [--word removed--], weathered, bare wood etc and that was a thinnd coat plus 3 top coats, traditional varnish yaboo!!
the laquer is designed for top coating cars so i expect it to last as long as cars do nowadays and it is a £5 for just under 500 mills
stu
the laquer is designed for top coating cars so i expect it to last as long as cars do nowadays and it is a £5 for just under 500 mills
stu
theodora
New Member
As a general note re: exterior wood finishing, there is a finish made by the Australian company Wattyl that will outlast all varnishes and polyurethane finishes in the tropics, so a local boat builder tells me. I saw a comparison on his 60footer in Brisbane last year and I believe him. Wattyl's Anti-Graffiti finish looks like polyurethane but lasts much longer. There may be an equivalent in the UK.