General Info: Interior wood & varnish 2006

[rom]

Hi there,

Here is my first attempt at varnishing the interior wood of my 2006 L440, I started with the saloon table.



After sanding with 320 grit with an orbital sander and manually with 280 grit on the sides here is the result after first layer of "Le tonkinois" varnish. Problem is obviously that I removed too much (or not enough) of the previous coating on the sides and end up with different colors. The original wood color is rather clear.

Should I stop there, sand the sides to bare wood and apply some product before doing the varnish again ? What product/color should I use ?
Or could it be that after 2 or 3 coats of le tonkinois there won't be so much color differences ?

After some research I found out that the interior wood is called "golden pear" (?!). I initially thought it was cherry, and from google pictures it may be quite close to golden oak actually.

Any help/tips appreciated !

[Diesel Bill]

Hi rom, I hate to break it to you, but I think it looks great.

[rom]

Originally Posted by Diesel Bill

Hi rom, I hate to break it to you, but I think it looks great.

thank you Bill but the photos I take hardly show how bad it looks overall ... maybe this close up !


There I think we can see the stripes of whitish and orange colors. The table top is fine, I am talking about the rounded edges.

[IanE31]

Refinishing a varnished surface, you pretty much need to not go through anywhere, or remove all of the old varnish, down to bare wood, otherwise, it’ll never match.

[Library70]

I believe the edging is several pieces of wood laminated together, it is on my L41. The glue joints and the different angles relative to the grain make it impossible to have it looking like one seamless color.

[Ken Z]

nice, id leave it

[rom]

Originally Posted by Library70

I believe the edging is several pieces of wood laminated together, it is on my L41. The glue joints and the different angles relative to the grain make it impossible to have it looking like one seamless color.

Thanks Library but it certainly looks like solid wood on my boat ... Maybe some pine tree as it gets rather clear after sanding. Oh well I don't know much about wood...

Anyway, I'd be happy if someone can put a name on that color. I will go shopping for tint tomorrow and will try to find a close match.

[a64pilot]

First I am no finish guy, but I think I’d leave it alone, in order to stain it, and have a hope of it matching, you have to take all the finish off and get completely to wood, everywhere?

[KeithB]

We have taken the edging on our L420 back to bare wood and then clear varnish.
It is paler in colour but is uniform and looks good. We have also revarnished veneered surfaces after a very light sanding.

[coastalexplorer]

Rom...The first strange point about your narrative is concerned with abrasive paper grit numbers. From rough/course to fine that progression generally goes from 36 to 2,000.

So using #320 grit on an orbital sander and then to to use 280 grit does not make any sense to me. When working at refinishing wood the first thing to determine what is veneer and where there is solid wood. Because any one who takes abrasive materials to it has to be very cautious not to sand through the veneer which especially in newer work tends to be incredibly thin. If the glue line becomes exposed, application subsequently of any stain is liable in such spots to appear bright orange.

To begin with there are two basic options, only lightly sand the top coat of lacquer or varnish without going through to the stain, Or alternatively strip everything off to bare wood. Anything in between will never give a good result.

If electing to sand? It is customary to start with #220 grit abrasive paper. and avoid continuing if the grit becomes clogged or dull because this can polish the surface. Thus causing any application of new finish to Alligate or fisheye Depending on what term is commonly used in your locality. Some finishers for this reason stop at #220 to prevent this from happening.. While others conduct a light hand sanding on a block with a new piece of #320,

alligation or Fisheyes are caused by a contaminant on the surface of the wood or finish. The surface tension in the liquid finish is greater than the force required to adhere to the contaminant so the liquid pulls away from the contaminated area thus causing the crater to form.

Trying to "Touch up" stain is seldom successful because it will soak into the bare wood and not where old finish remains. So taking it all back to bare wood is the best course of action. In the trade some shops believe in treating the bare wood with a steam iron on a damp cloth before final sanding.

My Father when he was alive demonstrated that dipping a cloth in Varnish and wiping it over a used furniture surface would often fill and hide all the scratches. Usually it would dry in ten minutes.allowing repeat coats if needed. We used to do this to wooden gun stocks after getting them scratched in the woods. It comes up like new with an ever deeper patina. The color of wood that is light stained or just clear finished oxidizes and changes over time with UV light. It is tough to match that. best to just wipe it with a dab of varnish on a cloth and not mess with it. You will spend less time, get a better result, and save your self the trouble.

[rom]

Thanks everyone for your good advices !

@KeithB: you did not say if your L420 has the same wood color as mine but I suppose it does. Here it makes quite a big difference in color between the edges & the surface veneer. I don't feel like taking that path. Would you be so kind to share a picture ?

[friz]

Possibly it is my inexperienced eye or I may have missed something in one of the replies but your two photos do not appear to be the same table top.
The first photo shows a rounded rail around the edge. The second photo shows a flat edge? As I am the only one to ask this question I going to guess I am missing something. Quiet, cold morning here in north central Florida.

[Suijin]

That’s the problem with varnish...it’s very difficult to do spot repairs and have it match. That’s why staying on top of it with maintenance coats is so important.

For the best result I’d recommend taking all the finish off with a heat gun and carbide and shaped scrapers. You get all the finish off with out removing any of the material (wood). It’s also a lot faster than sanding once you get the hang of it which is not difficult. At the right temperature varnish will literally come off in sheets.

Then you finish sand with 320 for smoothness. If there are areas where the wood has discolored from moisture you need to treat with oxalyic acid to bring it back to a bare wood color.

Whether it’s worth doing it on your table, that’s up to you. The photos look pretty good to me.

[rom]

Originally Posted by Suijin

That’s the problem with varnish...it’s very difficult to do spot repairs and have it match. That’s why staying on top of it with maintenance coats is so important.

For the best result I’d recommend taking all the finish off with a heat gun and carbide and shaped scrapers. You get all the finish off with out removing any of the material (wood). It’s also a lot faster than sanding once you get the hang of it which is not difficult. At the right temperature varnish will literally come off in sheets.

Then you finish sand with 320 for smoothness. If there are areas where the wood has discolored from moisture you need to treat with oxalyic acid to bring it back to a bare wood color.

Whether it’s worth doing it on your table, that’s up to you. The photos look pretty good to me.

Excellent point and best advice you can give ! Procrastinating with varnish leads to a lot more work indeed ! but you know, todo lists, lists of lists, priorities ...

And you are right, the reason why I sanded the edges to bare wood is because the varnish totally went away in some areas and the wood started to suffer from moisture.

I suspect using a heat gun on the rounded edges would not be easy... anyway no worries here as hand sanding it is very easy and fast !

Now for those interested I did buy some "Barniz tinte" (I am in Gran Canaria these days). "Cherry" was way too red ! I quickly sanded it and went back to the shop and bought "oak", seems good ! I will post some pictures when I am done.

[KeithB]