Refinish "patches" Interior Teak

[MarkSF]

I've been experimenting a bit recently. I wasn't happy with the commercially available "rubbed effect" varnishes - the results were always a bit too matt for my tastes.

The process I've ended up with is (assuming the original finish is not flaking off) :

Sand with 320 grit
Clean thoroughly with some windex on a cloth
Wipe surface with tack cloth
Apply 2 thinned coats of good spar varnish
Rub with 4F pumice stone on a damp cloth
Rub with rottenstone

They sell the stuff at Amazon. Amazon.com: Pumice Stone, Fine (4F), 1 lb.: Automotive

With the pumice you have control over the gloss (I have some 2F for a more matt finish still. You can polish after the rottenstone with car buffing compound for more gloss).

This pic shows the final rubbed finish on the left, and the gloss finish after varnishing, but before rubbing, on the right :



Here's another tip : foam brushes. Just use one for each coat. A lot of the bits of stuff that make your finish look less than great, come from re-used brushes. You can get 25 of these for the price of one decent bristle brush :

http://www.amazon.com/Cornell-842-25...s=foam+brushes

[Terra Nova]

Fine bronze wool is a shortcut to satin finish.

[Cheechako]

Just buy satin varnish.

[dgkreiss]

Cheechako,

I think I followed your directions. I lightly sanded the old sealer and applied the stain. The good news is that the mix of stains is the perfect color. The bad news is that there are small "bubbles" where the stain did not take. Have you experienced that?

[dgkreiss]

Thanks all for your comments. I am trying a stain over existing finish first. If that does not work (bubbles are appearing) then I will try to strip the existing finish off. I am a bit concerned about sanding since I do not know if it is veneer on the walls of a Panda 40.

Cheers

[Terra Nova]

One does not sand old finish from veneer. Use a scraper and heat or stripper.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by dgkreiss

Cheechako,

I think I followed your directions. I lightly sanded the old sealer and applied the stain. The good news is that the mix of stains is the perfect color. The bad news is that there are small "bubbles" where the stain did not take. Have you experienced that?

Hmmm.. no I haven't. I wonder if there was some wax, furniture polish, or something on the bulkhead that got into the wood grain...? Got a pic?
aint boating fun?...

[MarkSF]

Probably silicone spray. Someone lubricated the tracks on the galley sliding cabinet drawers in the picture, presumably with silicone spray. Was a bugger getting the varnish to stick. If it's silicone you'll need hexane or a chlorinated solvent to get it off. Try carb cleaner or brake cleaner.

[dgkreiss]

Cheechako,


I am sure it is something in the grain. Oh well. It's time to take out the heat gun. I know that will work.


Thanks all for your suggestions.

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by dgkreiss

Thanks all for your comments. I am trying a stain over existing finish first. If that does not work (bubbles are appearing) then I will try to strip the existing finish off. I am a bit concerned about sanding since I do not know if it is veneer on the walls of a Panda 40.

Cheers

Can you post a picture? It's hard to know exactly what you mean by "bubbles", and how big they are. In this instance, a picture really is going to be worth a thousand words.

I think you're setting yourself up for trouble trying to stain. Residual varnish is probably what is blocking absorption of the stain in areas. There is virtually no way to get all the the old varnish out of the deeper pores of the teak without sanding. You can go at it with a chemical stripper, but you're very likely going to need to scrub it with bristles to get the varnish that is in the pores and you risk scouring the pulp out from between the hard wood. Gonna be a very tricky exercise on veneer.

If you were simply resealing the wood, the pores with residual old varnish in them would not be an issue.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by dgkreiss

Thanks all for your comments. I am trying a stain over existing finish first. If that does not work (bubbles are appearing) then I will try to strip the existing finish off. I am a bit concerned about sanding since I do not know if it is veneer on the walls of a Panda 40.

Cheers

Does the Panda have the vertical strips 2-3" wide like some of it's cousins? or is it a flat surface?