Varnishing

[rumtoddy1]

Good evening
I am considering a spray varnish to the saloon table thinking this might, with less fuss than brush application, give me a nice mirror finish.
In the absence of a compressor and spray gun I have toyed with the idea of an electric spray gun like those supplied by wagner. Has anyone had any experience of this type of application and if so how did it work?

 

[Daverw]

I did try this a few years ago and could not get a light enough coat with electric spray gun, seen guys do epoxy finish and polish to high gloss

 

[Concerto]

Before you can get accurate advice can you advise the make of boat and age. The reason I ask is many boat builders do not use a varnish but a lacquer. I have just about finished stripping my 41 year old Westerly Fulmar back to bare wood and refinished it with the lacquer the Westerly used as it had lasted so long. Lacquer can come in all finished from matt to gloss, my interior was with only a 20% sheen not 100%. It should be sprayed (I brushed it) and is low odor plus very quick drying allowing up to 4 coats in a day.
Morrells | 450 Low Odour High Build Acid-Catalyst Lacquer
They are trade suppliers but will supply you at a trade counter, but you will have to order it and you should get it the following day. The only downside is it only comes in a 5 litre pack with 5 litre of thinners for just under £60.

 

[Stemar]

I'm a big fan of le Tonkinois. You need to get back to bare wood to apply it, but it gives a smooth high gloss finish with a brush.

Years ago I had an electric sprayer and it was OK, but had the awful habit of running out of paint just as you were getting to the perfect finish, when it would sputter gobs of paint all over the job. Let it dry, flatten and try again I thought about getting one again for a job, but decided against it because of that.

 

[Concerto]

I agree Le Tonkinoise varnish is good. I use it outside, but it is not a very hard finish and it does require regular revarnishing to look good. A table gets a lot of wear and a harder surface is what is required. Lacquer is used in the furniture industry for tables and chairs, hence my recommendation in my earleir post to use lacquer.

This photo of my chart table with 20% sheen lacquer gives an idea of the finish. Personally I am not a lover of high gloss as it shows every mark.

 

[[70521]]

I'm a big fan of le Tonkinois. You need to get back to bare wood to apply it, but it gives a smooth high gloss finish with a brush.

Another big fan of Le Tonkinois. I use it everywhere on the boat and am about to do the cabin sole with it. Not sure what @Concerto is doing on his table! The plates, bottles, glasses, books and charts are particularly heavy on mine.

 

[scozzy]

Step 1.good sand and clean of table top.
Step 2. create a temp spray booth around the work area(garage /shed?) with a big plastic sheet or a few old shower curtains
Step 3.Use any old domestic spray bottle filled with water around the area to clear the air of dust floating about.
Step 4. Use foam brush and roller to apply varnish
Step 5. Invert or suspend table top upside down to dry so no dust or airborne tatt can settle on table top while drying.
You can get surprisingly good results using this method if you have any room to set up the "booth" and like me, hate the faff of setting up and cleaning up spray guns and all associated bits of kit.

 

[Concerto]

Another big fan of Le Tonkinois. I use it everywhere on the boat and am about to do the cabin sole with it. Not sure what @Concerto is doing on his table! The plates, bottles, glasses, books and charts are particularly heavy on mine.

Any high gloss surface will show any scratch or dent and tables do get a lot of surace wear from plates, cutlery, glasses, bottles, cans and not forgetting things like tool boxes and tools, etc.

 

[Stemar]

Another big fan of Le Tonkinois. I use it everywhere on the boat and am about to do the cabin sole with it. Not sure what @Concerto is doing on his table! The plates, bottles, glasses, books and charts are particularly heavy on mine.

I used it on the stairs of my last house. It needed doing again after about 10 years of two adults and 6 teenagers worth of use, but we moved, so it became someone else's problem. The nice thing about it is that, when it needs doing again, a quick rub down and it's ready to go

 

[Tranona]

I use Ronseal finishes exclusively in both the interior of the boat and in the house. Satin for woodwork, and floor varnish for - well - floors. The teak and holly floor in my bathroom has not been touched since I laid it over 30 years ago - had similar in lobby inside the back door which was still fine when I took it up 5 years ago.

Not a lover of gloss inside a boat for the reasons already mentioned. combination of Satin and Dulux sheen does it for me. This was done in the mid 90s and the pictures were taken when I sold the boat in 2019. I am doing the same on my Golden Hind and my only reservation is whether the latest water based Ronseal will be as durable as the original.

 

[colhel]

Good evening
I am considering a spray varnish to the saloon table thinking this might, with less fuss than brush application, give me a nice mirror finish.
In the absence of a compressor and spray gun I have toyed with the idea of an electric spray gun like those supplied by wagner. Has anyone had any experience of this type of application and if so how did it work?

I'm on with my first attempt at varnishing and like you, before I started, I thought spraying would be easier and produce a better result. But I'm finding out its all about the prep and not putting too much on in one coat.
I've got a thread going on my progress here. Any tips welcome!
Nimbus spruce up

 

[owen]

I have recently used 151 yacht varnish. It has a terrible smell and takes 24 hrs to go off but the finish is one of the best I have seen . Outside and inside usage

 

[robmcg]

I am very much in the Tranona camp when it comes to varnish. Ronseal has proved its worth time and again. I compared it to Epiphanes rubbed effect varnish and really couldn't see a difference in either result or longevity. Lacquer I find not so user friendly plus if any damp gets under it, it goes quite rapidly.

 

[rumtoddy1]

Before you can get accurate advice can you advise the make of boat and age. The reason I ask is many boat builders do not use a varnish but a lacquer. I have just about finished stripping my 41 year old Westerly Fulmar back to bare wood and refinished it with the lacquer the Westerly used as it had lasted so long. Lacquer can come in all finished from matt to gloss, my interior was with only a 20% sheen not 100%. It should be sprayed (I brushed it) and is low odor plus very quick drying allowing up to 4 coats in a day.
Morrells | 450 Low Odour High Build Acid-Catalyst Lacquer
They are trade suppliers but will supply you at a trade counter, but you will have to order it and you should get it the following day. The only downside is it only comes in a 5 litre pack with 5 litre of thinners for just under £60.

Many thanks for the reply. I also have an aged westerly (1981) so it seems as if lacquer would be the original finish

 

[Concerto]

Many thanks for the reply. I also have an aged westerly (1981) so it seems as if lacquer would be the original finish

You may have seen this short video (most forumites have!) of Concerto at the Southampton Boat show in September. The interior has been stripped back to bare wood and relacquered, so you will get a good idea of what can be done with some work.

It is probably the greatest improvement in value you can add to an old boat for the least amount of outlay.