# Interior Varnishing



## bushrat (Aug 24, 2007)

In a previous post I enquired about improving my dull and tired oil finnish. I've finally found the time to tackle it. The PO only put a couple of coats on many years ago and it has no gloss and looks very dry and I think offering little protection. I thought I would start with the unfinished hatch covers. They seem to me the same teak plywood as the rest of the interior panals. I tried Helmsman clear gloss on them. It went on very easily with no sags or runs. After two coats they look just ok. At least they have some protection on them and aren't in view. I also tried one coat on a piece from the cabin that was previously oiled. It came up really nice and really brought out the grain. I guess the difference with the raw wood not being sealed made a big difference. I really liked the ease of application and I think it would go on very easily on the vertical panals. Would you go for this on all your interior panals. Would the gloss be to much. To me it is a huge improvement over the lifeless appearance I have now. I am also concerned about future maintenance and durability. I am also considering useing epifanes clear gloss wood finish or wests wood pro or maybe even a traditional varnish. The thought of getting away without sanding has some appeal. I am a little afraid of all the verticle surfaces so I want something that goes on easily. And for an entirely different thought, I got a suggestion at the marina from a wood worker who really liked polermized tung oil from lee valley. After 4 or 5 coats wiped on with no buffing it looks like varnish. Anyone try that. I would appreciate any imput.


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## Freesail99 (Feb 13, 2006)

Helmsman clear gloss is a Spar Urethane, your going to find that very hard to repair or touch up. I wouldn't use it.


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## sailingfool (Apr 17, 2000)

bushrat said:


> .... I thought I would start with the unfinished hatch covers. They seem to me the same teak plywood as the rest of the interior panals. I tried Helmsman clear gloss on them. It went on very easily with no sags or runs. After two coats they look just ok. ...... I am also concerned about future maintenance and durability. .


Newly varnished teak should look breathe-taking, how did you clean and prep the teak before varnishing, tha tis half the job.

As to varnishing the interior, how long do you expect to keep your boat...if you expect to keep it for more than the life of the varnish application, say 6-10 years, then don't put the varnish on, because you never want to be around when it needs to all be removed. In other words, don't use varnish, unless you have a yacht where money and time are no objects, and only the best will do. I've recently put one coat of Cetal natural teak on my interior after cleaning and I find the result very pleasing, if a slight bit of a compromise.


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## bushrat (Aug 24, 2007)

Free, Thats my biggest reservation. Living with it long term. It does go on easily though. I read you used Toikenans. Is that a satin finnish. Is it on your interior or exterior


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## bushrat (Aug 24, 2007)

Sailingfool, I gave the unfinished wood a light 220 sanding to take off some dirt then a 320 light sand then wiped it down with acetone. No stain or sealer. On the oiled piece I only wiped down with acetone and it looks the best. Aren't you worried about trying to remove cetol someday? I would really like to have the cabin looking nice. To me that's part of the enjoyment of the boat. I do want a fairly easy solution that I can live with long term and I am willing to factor in maintenance of any finish.


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## Freesail99 (Feb 13, 2006)

I used Toikenans on my exterior. I use cabots high gloss on my interior.


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## sailingfool (Apr 17, 2000)

bushrat said:


> Sailingfool, I gave the unfinished wood a light 220 sanding to take off some dirt then a 320 light sand then wiped it down with acetone. No stain or sealer. ... Aren't you worried about trying to remove cetol someday? I would really like to have the cabin looking nice. To me that's part of the enjoyment of the boat. I do want a fairly easy solution that I can live with long term and I am willing to factor in maintenance of any finish.


You should use a two part cleaner and brightener product on the teak prior to finishing it, then you'll get the color and look that you want.
Cetol is very easy to remove, if should you ever want to. The magic of Cetol products is that you don't need to remove them...if maintenance is needed, just sand and apply some more. the resulting finish is not a Bristol, but it looks quite nice and the whole interior only took about 6-7 hours.


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## bushrat (Aug 24, 2007)

Over on the wooden boat site they are raving about behr super spar you can get at home depot. Anyone try that? It certainly is inexpensive. They are all in a panic because home depot is suppose to be discontinuing it.


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## sander06 (Sep 18, 2003)

I'm doing our interior with Helmsman poly clear gloss. Looks great and has to be as good as the stuff that's been on the wood for 25 years! The interior doesn't get the abuse that the exterior wood gets, so I'm not concerned about that. I'm using regular varnish on the exterior (not polyurethane which peels). If you mess around enough doing the "correct" thing with boats, you'll never get out of the slip! Good luck to ya.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I second Sailingfools recomendation of Cetol. That is what I used on interior and exterior of my old boat and I like the ease of touch-ups. It holds up well. On the interior when dusting I use Armor All and it not only collects the dust but looks great too. Its nice having the same finish on the interior and exterior so I don't have to deal with more than one product. Touchups are easier that way also. Just my opinion, as your mileage may differ.


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## bushrat (Aug 24, 2007)

I guess I'm a "do it right the first time" kind of guy. If I slopped any old thing on and it looked bad I would be spending my good sailing days fixing it up. I want to do it and forgeddaboutit and go sailing. It certainly is worth the effort to me.


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## KeelHaulin (Mar 7, 2006)

bushrat said:


> I got a suggestion at the marina from a wood worker who really liked polermized tung oil from lee valley. After 4 or 5 coats wiped on with no buffing it looks like varnish. Anyone try that?


A neighbor with a Cat 38 is re-finishing with Formby's wood restorer. Same type of stuff; wipe on tung-oil with a suspended polymer. He said that he tested it on some teak at home and reallly liked the result; very waterproof and easy to apply. He applied it over teak oil after using the teak cleaner to remove/blend the old finish and dark/light areas from previous wall attachments. I'll report back when he is done. I'm considering this or maybe Cetol Natural Teak. As far as surface prep goes; I'm not looking forward to stripping the teak oil with cleaner and then sanding everything.

Murphy's oil soap seemed to do a good job removing old teak oil; a bit of a scrub to get the wood clean but seemed like less labor if you can remove the oil without causing excessive grain raise. The teak cleaners also tend to bleach the wood so if you apply a finish over bare/bleached wood you won't get the nice natural/warm color of oiled teak (that's why I like the idea of putting a finish over oiled teak).



sailingfool said:


> Cetol is very easy to remove, if should you ever want to.


What's the easy way to remove it? Seems like you would just need to sand it down or strip it with remover the same as a varnish, no? I am considering switching to the Natural Teak on my coaming and other parts; but I am dreading removing the ~2 year old Light/Clear finish.


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## bushrat (Aug 24, 2007)

Keelhaulin, I'm not going to get to agressive with the teak cleaning as well. The teak oil was only applied a couple of times probably 20 years ago. It is in very good shape and just has a few dirty spots. I can see some dark strips on the paneling running parallel down the sides. It looks like the wood strapping marks from the lumber yard or factory that was originally oiled over. Like I said earlier, the oiled piece I just did a test on looks really good, with very little prep. I think that the little bit of oil on my teak will help the look of the finish. I will have to experiment with those black lines and dirtier spots but I may just use some murphy's as well. I also did a test with a varnish fortified tung oil from circa I think, and didn't llike it. I want to get some of this behr from home depot and try it out. At $14.95 a quart (even cheeper by the gallon) and available at the local Home Depot where I don't have to pay shipping to bring in epifanes or schooner etc., it's worth looking at. That's why I'm playing with this Helmsman, it's at the hardware store around the corner. I'm also thinking that using the same spar varnish for the interior and exterior would be convienient as well and you would get used to working with that one product. I'm just leary on using the Helmsman urethane on such a large area in case it decides to fail all at once and start to peel everywhere or something like that. Anyone know if that is possible with a urathane in a boat. I know a traditional varnish if maintained won't, at least on an interior anyway. I guess Ideally I'm looking for a gloss varnish that is easy to work with on verticle surfaces, suitable for interior/exterior, is durable and one that I can easily maintain. I am happy with the urethane so far, just not sure about the durability and maintenance. Can you patch small areas of this stuff down the road if need be? Thanks again for any imput.


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## bushrat (Aug 24, 2007)

Here is a picture of some of the dull interior teak.


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## TheBlackPearl (Sep 18, 2006)

Just a thought to add in here, i've had tremendous luck stripping teak with a product called Citristrip. It's orange in color, and i get it from the local friendly folks at Lowe's. Goop it all over, leave sit for awhile (can't remember the time frame, but i remember leaving it on for about 2 hours more than the recommended time) and then bring it outside. Spray the whole goopy mess off with a hose and while you're spraying it, brush it off with a very soft brush; a cheap one that you can dedicate to the task. Then let the teak dry outside, bring it back inside and continue with your favorite teak-finishing steps. 
Had great luck with this method with no adverse side effects, hadn't seen that mentioned around here and i hope someone can get some use out of it. My dad used to use it for refinishing antique cabinets and woodwork and the like.

-Tim


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## Whampoa (Jun 29, 2008)

Sounds like you are ramping up for a fun project Bushrat. I'm not sure where you are located but you might note in the WBF thread on the Behr product that many folks have found it diffcult to locate that product in the US and some have reported it is now sold under the True Tone Brand. Might be a good idea to go back and read the latest on that thread. Despite the concerns raised by one of the "professional finishers" on that forum it would likely work fine for you.

Having said that, I don't think you will have any major problems with the Helmsman for the application you are talking about. I have used it over the years on any number of interior furniture and shelving projects where durability was more important than a having a fine piece of furniture and corresponding finish. It will let you put on a nice working finish and I wouldn't worry about it falling off in sheets. Most folks get into trouble with finish work because they tend to stop several coats short of whats necessary and recommended. Proper initial prep and between coats prep is important with any of the finishes.

If the areas you plan to finish are exposed to the sunlight a lot then you will want to be sure to use a finish with adequate UV protection.

I know folks that use the Helmsman in their exterior woodwork but I can't speak to their success with that.

I like the Interlux Schooner product and use that on my exterior and interior surfaces on Whampoa. Interlux also has a Goldspar varnish that has good UV protection and is available in either a high gloss or satin finish. I've used that product as well in another life for interior work on folks boats and it held up well also.

As you know by now varnishes tend to evoke almost religous wars when folks begn to debate which one is best. I tend to stay out of those debates.

Good luck with whatever product you choose.










Regards, John


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## bushrat (Aug 24, 2007)

VERY NICE Wampoa!! That look is what I'm after. I have started doing small pieces with the behr. They are turning out great and it is going on easily. I am getting close to 10 coats on some pieces but the result is worth it. The change is dramatic. My concern now is the large verticle surfaces I have to tackle next. I have done all the pieces I can remove at home. I also need to do some cleaning and prep on some dark spots. It will be a big job for sure. If I keep getting the same results I won't mind to much.


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