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Inside a boat what would you do to protect woodwork, would you paint it, varnish it, use some kind of an oil based stain ? This question isn't about brightwork, it is about everyday wood from a home improvement store. On the boat it is humid, do you have to do anything special to keep mold off the wood, for example, and to keep the wood from expanding, rotting, and ?
It depends on what you want to achieve, but some of the options include teak oil, varnish and cetol. See www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-maintenance/73717-teak-oil-vs-varnish-vs-cetol.html for a good discussion of the pros/cons. Since you are looking for treating wood inside your cabin, the "protection" elements of the pros/cons probably doesn't apply.
I can personally talk about my experience with Cetol. I used it this summer to refinish most of the inside wood in my Catalina 22 (e.g., mast, trim, etc. it was a pretty small project). Cetol is very easy to use even with little experience (I didn't have any experience) and I like the end results.
What's everyday wood? Plywood, pine board, oak? Is it permanently installed and will it have an inaccessible side?
I ask because some woods are naturally resistant to mold and, while they may discolor and look dinghy, you don't have to worry as much about the inaccessible side. You just keep the exposed side looking nice.
I keep reading posts from folks that have used the satin poly minwax products. I'm surprised they get such good reviews, but seem to nevertheless. Forget paint. I couldn't imagine the inevitable scrapping and sanding maintenance. Stain and varnish would be traditional.
Again, if you use wood that isn't able to hold up to a moldy marine environment, you may regret it.
Varnish or Cetol. I personally like varnish better, but they both work. For my interior teak loops I used circa 1850 tung and teak oil once two seasons ago and they look exactly like the day I put them back up. I plan on rubbing another coat on in the spring just because, but I probably don't need to.
I didn't understand the can of worms I was opening up on this thread until I read your posts and continued reading more about it, there are so many options! I also now understand that I did not give nearly enough information to get an answer to my question, so here it is.
The wood is oak, pine, and a little bit of cedar, but I have some leeway with that, meaning I could use all oak, all pine, but I would not be able to use all cedar. The wood I'm trying to protect is a piece of furniture that I have made out of those woods and not something that is built into the boat like drawers or a cabin sole. Edit, by saying that I have made it, what I mean is I've made it before and I am going to make another for the boat.
Wind- white oak tolerates marine conditions well, but would probably still do varnish. Some people recommend west epoxy with special clear hardner, which will theoretically stop seasonal movement if you seal it well. Cheaper still, but probably adequate is bar grade (think pub) varnish. Has that distinct look , though.
Pine? Definitely a good varnish done right.
Cedar? Same.
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