Interior Wood

[bushrat]

I Know that there is a ton of posts on wood maintenance but I'm torn on where to go with my new-to-me boats interior wood. The PO says he used teak oil a couple of times and wasn't happy with results. To me it almost has the color of Cetol with no gloss and little grain showing. I would prefer a highgloss look. Should I try and improve what I have or strip and start over. The finish now doesn't appear dirty or oxidized, just unappealling. Would more oil and buffing or rubbing improve the existing finish? Any thoughts?

[camaraderie]

Interiors are generally very thin veneer that will not stand up to sanding.
Suggest you find a small piece hidden from view and try a furniture stripper..and if that works you can stain and/or varnish (suggest polyurethane varnish for interior.)Have fun!

[saillavie38]

good topic, and timely for me, too....

On Sail-La-Vie, the previous owner applied multiple coats of linseed oil as a finish. Looks ok, but never seems to dry, and always feels tacky to the touch. To make matters worse, in the hot humid summer weather, the finish supports mildew growth. I've been wiping down the surfaces with acetone, and it seems to remove the tacky gloss, so it's OK for now.

Longer term, I'd like to finish over with the new clear cetol gloss. I think it would look good, plus it wouldn't feel tacky or promote mildew. I'm not sure how to prep the surface though... I'm thinking that I'll keep up the acetone wiping for a while, cause I'm not looking forward to using any two part cleaners or lots of rinsing chemicals inside the boat. The wood is a bit dark, but without more chemicals to bleach the surface, I may just need to live with it...
Larry

[Sabreman]

If the PO only put oil on it a "couple of times", you're probably in luck. IMHO oil is a waste of time & money, but there are probably those who swear by it. On both our Sabres, the interiors were unfinished, so we finished the interior with Minwax Satin wipe on poly. We only used high gloss on trim because high gloss tends to show every imperfection. Our interiors now glow and are so much easier to keep clean.

On our current boat, there was 24 years of accumulated dirt in high traffic areas so we needed to clean the wood and get the dirt and oil off first. I used a green 3M abrasive pad soaked in acetone. I rubbed the teak with the grain and the acetone acted as a cleaner and the pad was mildly abrasive. Be very careful with the acetone because it will tend to drip all over the place (put a plastic tablecloth or tarp on the floor). If you don't use the acetone, the oil in the teak or the old finish will probably cause the new poly to fail to adhere or dry.

After the acetone cleaning, there will probably be swirls on the wood. Don't worry. Use 220 grit sandpaper to clean it up. This can be done with a random orbit sander or by hand. You don't need to sand heavily.

Apply the finish with a rag. The first couple of coats won't look great, but by the third you should see good results. Apply at least 4 coats (6 is better). Try all this on a small obscure area first to test for adhesion and suitability. Due to the amount of interior teak, I refinished in sections (head, V Berth, Galley, etc.). This approach was more manageable and didn't take the boat out of commission for a long period of time.

Good luck - it's worth it.

[bushrat]

Hey Cam, Sail 38,
I think I will start by wiping with TSP which should tell me if it is in fact teak oil. I can see in places where it landed on fiberglass surfaces and it looks more like varnish or the Cetol I've seen on wood siding. I would be ok with oil if I can get a shine out of what is there but if I have to remove it, I will go with the polyurethane or similar. Sail 38, most posts don't recomend Cetol on interior wood.

[bushrat]

Sabreman, was the high gloss wipe on as well. I'm considering Minwax Helmsman high gloss. Have you tried it.

[camaraderie]

The table in this picture was done with helmsman hi gloss...several brush coats with 220 grit between coats and 400 wet sand before the last coat.
http://www.sailnet.com/photogallery/...user/4696/sl/c

That is 2 years after doing it with nearly daily use. Good stuff.

[USCGRET1990]

Cam will come and do yours for you...he only works for Capn Morgan Rum though...

[bushrat]

Cam, that's the finish I'm after, your interior looks great. Just trying to figure out the best way to get there. Is that helmsman on the trim as well? I noticed today in the store that the helmsman can has a sticker on the top "improved formula" and 25% faster drying. Is that the formula you had?

[bushrat]

US, you should have told me sooner. I could have detoured the delivery truck out of Annapolis before it got to Killarney with the boat. Would the same go for rigging, compounding, sanding, fixing, cleaning etc., etc., etc., my elbows have run out of grease. Where did I leave that bottle of rum anyway.