Wood refinish

[creekrisen]

I've have to refinish the wood on my Catalina 22 and have to decide which way to go on the finish. It was previously done with varnish which has to be stripped off. The inside is varnished and still looks pretty good but I will probably strip all off. Re-stain and then poly or teak wood oil?

[Copacabana]

Creekrisen, as someone who has just gone through this process on my boat, I have a few words of advice.

I think for the interior varnish is fine and will hold up very well. It's also easy to keep clean, unlike oiled wood that can develop mold and hold dirt.

However, for the exterior wood, I think varnish is too much work to maintain and, today, isn't the best option. When I set out to refinish my exterior wood, I looked into finishes made for wood decking. I don't think anyone today varnishes external wood on houses or decks, and for a good reason. I went to a local paint store to see the options and tested a few. I found a product that promises 3 years between recoats, looks like varnish and has excellent UV protection. The best part is, when it's time to recoat, you just have to clean the wood with a 3M pad and soap before recoating. Unlike varnish, you don't have to fully remove the old failing coating to recoat. I have wooden doors that I used this product on that have been in the tropical sun and rain for 5 years and still look great.

Teak oil is nice, but it tends to blacken with time and hold dirt. Have a look at the products for wood decks and see which offers the longest guarantee between recoats. Then buy a quart and test it on a scrap of wood to see the final finish before you use it on the boat. Some tend to "yellow" the wood. I've found that applying many coats with a rag gives the best finish.

[creekrisen]

Thanks for the reply. You don't say what you finally settled on using. TopCoat from Jamestown Distributors has a few different options.

[Copacabana]

Originally Posted by creekrisen

Thanks for the reply. You don't say what you finally settled on using. TopCoat from Jamestown Distributors has a few different options.

I'm in Brazil, so the products here are different. If it helps, I'm using Montana Gold UV. I think there will be more and better options in the US. The market for coatings for decks and external wood on houses is much bigger than the marine market and you can be certain there is more effort made to provide good products for this large market. I know Sikkens has good products. Ask for the best coating for finishing decks (the one with the longest coating life) and you can't really go wrong. Also, make sure the product can be recoated without the need to remove the old finish. This was the main issue for me. I don't mind removing the little external wood I have once every year or two to wipe on another coat with a rag (a few hours of work), but I didn't want to use anything that involved cracking and peeling in the future, requiring scraping and sanding (like varnish).

[Cheechako]

No stain needed on teak.
If the inside is decent I wouldn't strip it. Do the outside first and you will discover how much work it is. Varnish is fine inside. ( I like Varathane Polyurethane to most varnishes)
Outside is a problem for everyone.
-Oil doesnt last at all.
-If any of that is plywood you need to keep it sealed well.
-3 coats of varnish may break through some to bare/grey in spots just sitting one winter in the PNW rain where we are. Rain is abrasive.
-I never settled on a product I liked that well other than just keep varnishing.
-People sometimes coat in Epoxy then Varnish etc. It can be a huge problem if you let the varnish go ...as the epoxy buckles up and is near impossible to strip and start over.
-In sunny climes strip to bare and douse with salt water often will keep it tannish grey and kinda nice.
-There are some Star Brite products people like if you are going bare. Someone will likely chime in on that.