wood protection - experience of Sadolin ?

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Both in this thread and on the Sadolin website, reference is made to this product as a "woodstain". But I do not want a "stain", I want the wood to retain its natural colour and grain with its shading and highlights to be enhanced by a permanent protection.

Certainly with the application that I have seen the finished wood had certainly been stained - the teak ended up as an unnatural brown that was obscene, compared to the original teak. The strange thing was that the owner couldn't see that he had ruined it, he proudly exclaimed to me what a great job had been done and how long-term the effect would be.

This staining is one of my complaints with Coelan, the primer that contains a pigment and with its blanket colouring that detracts from the original subtle shading of natural wood.

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I totally agree with you - trouble is paint manufacturers seem to have a strange idea of shades when you check the tins colour patch. If you use Teak stain on Teak - it does look horrid. Worst I think is Mahogany, where you get the red stain.
But being a little bit cleverer I go for the lightest possible, unless like my hatch top it had been waterstained. Bleaching and sanding was to a point that no more could be done. Then a mid shade stain was used.

Sorry to say it again - but it does come down to how it's used.

Oh - I'm ignoring Stevebirch's comments - we never agree ! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Even though my boat looks 10x better than his !!
 
Some confusion here I think about which product we are talking about. Refuellers pics show what I assume from the colour to be the standard 'Mahogany' finsh Sadolin - which is bright red, as per the pics! I used the 'Antique teak' (a mistake, but I'm sort of stuck with it for the time being) which is dark brown. The 'best' is probably their antique pine which gives an appearance which approximates to a trad varnish finish.

But at best these are all 'paints' although they call themselves 'woodstain': This they definitely are not. Sadolin as supplied by B&Q/ local Ironmongers , is a semi transparent paint which allows you to see the woodgrain through a coloured film. The colour is usually far too bright and compared to the original or varnished wood looks like what it is - shed paint!

Unlike 'real' woodstains, Sadolin can (and in due course on my boat, will) be stripped off like ordinary paint. Real woodstains whch AFIK are generally water based, soak in to the timber, and without taking the surface off the wood are largely there to stay. They have to be overcoated with a suitable clear protective varnish.

But the OP asked about 'Sadolin' - which I understand to be the product widely available and sold as a 'woodstain' type paint - and that is the one that is over-coloured, reasonably easily removeable, but gives quite a durable finish in the short term. Sikkens (which I have never used), and Deks Olje (which I have) are a different type of product to Sadolin, and IMHO do a much better job on a boat. But correspondingly are more difficult to apply properly.
 
The more I read of others posts, it seems Oldharry has a point.

Sadolin over here - we can get in various forms and as I said earlier in various company names other than Sadolin as well. The best way for me to describe would be to say - like Ronseal stain.
The one used in the photo's is a local produced 'copy' of the Sadolin stain - Pinotex, and yes because it's very thin I used the Mahogany version to hide the watermarks.

So if UK doesn't have the 'stain' or thin version of Sadolin - then I can understand the argument. It would in that case be better to use a lighter thinner product such as a Ronseal type.

The hatch and washboards have varnish over top to give the sheen that people expect to see. But on hand-rails and rubbing strakes - I use the Pinotex without any overcoating. Basically because it leaves a semi matt finish that aids grip for hands, and strake gets knocked about anyway.

Strake :

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It's a shame because there used to be a B&Q version of the micro-porous type that was very good - but I noted some time ago they stopped selling it.
 
The Sadolin Quick drying that I use is "Natural" i.e. has no colour. It gives a varnish-like finish, and enhances the wood, without changing the colour. I used to use varnish, but now I've seen the light.
 
Sadolin white oak over teak looks good and worn patches can be covered by wiping with an impregnated cloth. I keep one in a sealed sandwich bag. The white oak is the lightest I've come across still containing the uv inhibitors. No more than two coats over bare wood. then repair as required.
 
Sikkens Novatec/Novatop is the way to go. Comes out top for durability in the tests (see Classic Boat). Bsae coat plus the light pigment top coat give a good sheen and allows traditional woods such as mahogany, teak and iroko to show through. Did my mast in it 5 years ago, down this year for a light rub and one top recoat. Film still intact.

Cheap as good coverage and much less work than any "conventional" (ie loads of coats but short life) bright finishes.
 
Whilst the C Boat tests are interesting, they are not really a fair test as the marine environment is completley different to a test peice of a few square inches hanging on a shed wall. Does the chap who writes them work for Sikkens?

My experience of these other finishes is that abrasion from ropes, sails, spinnaker poles, dinghies, salt scratches from wiping down, traffic from feet etc etc soon trash the finish.

With any finish that involves a stain, local touch up results in a dark patch, so total stripping of that area or panel is required to avoid blotchy looks. I have had great succes with microporuos stains on my garden shed and seat however.

On the other hand, conventional finishes, if correctly applied are more durable, within reason, to the above. An annual prep plus two coats is, I feel, very little work to mantain a yacht finish.
Quick and easy covers can also extend maintenance periods. For example, a cockpit cover can be extended to cover cabin sides and forehatch. A few minutes extra to fit, but recoating every other year now poss.

The usual reason for poor vanish performance is poor application. Too few coats or too thinley applied.

Depending on application, varnish should last at least 10 years between total stripping, if annual maintenance coats are applied.
 
Might I suggest that you actually read the "tests" so that you can pass comment from the basis of the facts rather than your imagination. The photographs of pieces of real boat in the Mediterranean do not look like "a few square inches hanging on a shed wall" to me.

I also cannot understand why you believe people (including me) who endorse a product based on our own experience must be in the pay of the manufacturer. Are you in the pay of the manufacturers of "conventional" varnishes that you recommend?

I have used most bright finish types on my boat over the last 30 years or so, and in my view nothing gets near Sikkens for durability and ease of application. I know it does not give the super "yacht" finish, but for me the trade off is that I am no longer a slave to varnish. No more recoating every year or even every other year. As I said above 5 years on a mast with the coating film still totally intact. Show me a conventional finish that can achieve that.
 
Don't worry - it's normal when you cross the line with Marine products !

I've been taking stick for ages over various items I use instead of gracing chandlers counters ... it get's ignored that near all are successful and still working after years.
 
I just finished my 6th coat of Coelan this week on a 30 foot teak deck. Its teak on top of mahogany framing...no fiberglass deck. It leaked horribly even after new caulking. Dry rot was taking a hold on the inside of the hull. It was built in 1972. I had two choices in my opinion. Paint or Coelan. I even bought both I was so vacillating. In the end I got the Coelan and am very impressed. Ity doesnt leak. Today or Tomorrow depending on the weather I will apply the seventh and perhaps final coat. I am wondering though Do I sprinkle the glass beads or mix them in and brush them on. I believe sprinkle is the proper application. Anyways...enough of this purist talk. Im over all that. Im more intrested in saving the boat.
 
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