varnish vs oil

[larglo]

On all the teak wood, I am covering with Cetol Light, and Cetol Gloss , and so far, I love it. I tried a sample area using just the Cetol Gloss on a non-teak area (wood grain laminate ? ) and it looked so good, I'm going to cover all of it with the Cetol Gloss.

So, I guess you can say, I'm a varnish guy.

Larry

[297Elegante]

larglo,

I am debating doing this to my cabin interior wood. How did you prep it, how many coats, and do you have any photos?

The wood below decks is in fair shape, but I would love to get a nice deep gloss out of it.

Brian

[larglo]

Brian,

I hope I have placed a pic of the cabin door (outside) I just finished on the boat.

I have just started bring home individual pieces of the teak wood to finish the work at home. When I get that done, I will start inside tha cabin with Cetol Gloss, taking the doors off, in the cabin, taking them home and doing work there also.

I took the door off where the stove was stored, to install a microwave and used it to test the Cetol Gloss with. I didn't take any care to prep it as it was not going to be replaced. But much to my surprise, it looked great.




Larry

[larglo]

I just wanted to add that the simulated wood inside the cabin is a "Formica" surface, which was what was covering the door that was over the area where the stove was.
As I said before the Gloss seem to cover with an almost smooth surface, without any prep. When I start to do the walls and doors, I will clean with clear water, with no detergent, as I would figure would leave a residue not allowing the Cetol to adhere.
If anyone has a suggestion to a good prep, please let me know.

Thanks,

Larry

[aaronbocknek]

i redid all the exterior wood on my f-32 last year. the previous owner used NON MARINE INTERIOR varnish on all the exterior teak areas.... ladders rungs to fly bridge, railings, and swim platform. (god what a mess that was!) during early spring 2009, i removed and numbered all the ladder pads, the railings and lift gates and took them home. i use ready strip to remove the varnish-- one of the easiest products to use by the way, then once the varnish was removed, i used fine steel wool and a garden hose to remove any residue. for the swim platform, i used a heat gun and scraper and the stuff just fell off. between the slats i fashioned a scraper using a small square of wood and sandpaper to remove the varnish. followed up with a pressure washer then a sanding pad on the top of the platform. once all the crud was removed, i sanded using 120 grit paper then hosed every thing off. i did not oil the platform and prefer the natural look of the teak. every week i just use a stiff brush to clean using melaleuca brand 'mela magic' undiluted to clean the teak. the golden color comes back and looks good. for the railings, i use oil. the interior was a snap to keep clean with some regular non VOC teak oil. the nice things about older trojans is the interior trim wood work is not bunged and can be removed, taken home and refurbished, which i did during the winter of 2009. i then used bronze screws (from greenboatstuff.com) to reattach everything, and the look is amazing. many compliments from fellow slip holders of 'clorox bottle boats'. so, in short, i guess i'm an oil kind of guy. but to each their own. depends on what you want to do and how you want to do it. if anyone is in the parkville/middle river area, i'd love to show it off. i also have a few before and after pics if anyone is interested.
aaron in baltimore.

[larglo]

aaronbocknek,

I think I can speak for most of us here,,,,we love pictures!

Larry

[turtlem1969]

What it boils down to is how much work you want to do, for the look that you want, I like all three looks, natural, oil and varnish. Best thing to do is to get some scrap wood and try a little of all three and then decide what you want.

[297Elegante]

Larry, thanks for the response. I believe the majority of the wood below decks on my boat is a formica or veneer. I have seen people sand and refinish this, but I am happy with the "color" and appearance, and really only want the gloss, and protection that comes with it. It sounds like your results were good with the test piece. That gives me confidence on getting good results, after taking some preparation steps. As far as what prep I will do, I'm with you and will be looking for suggestions. I might scuff with a very, very fine sandpaper, along with a good scrubbing to remove any and all dirt/debris from the surface.

BTW that cabin door looks top notch. If anyone has any photos to share, please do so. I find nothing more inspiring than seeing finished (or before and afters) wood refinishing work.

Brian