Restoring wood cabinets.. Shiny please

[zemurray]

We’ve been doing the inside of our boat that was originally a teak “cherry” finish. over the years it got really dry and splotchy looking, especially in the galley and head where exposed to water over time.

I have the original manual for the boat where they described how they achieved a satin hand rubbed wood finish. The original process was using Watco Danish Oil (which is a bend of oil, mineral spirits, and varnish), which they would brush on then wet sand with 320, wait 15 minutes and buff off with a rag. They suggested that touch ups could be done in the same way, without the wet sanding step unless there was a need.

I had to make some new legs for the fold down table, so I finished those the same way and it looked great.

we decided to go over the whole interior of the boat using the same process, without the wet sand except in a couple bad spots. I just use a foam brush, paint it on lightly, wait a few minutes, and buff off with a rag. It’s turned out fabulous and made the wood look new again. Satin finish still, and doesnt fade away like a lot of “polish” or oil products. Super easy to do, just take that rag (i use old tshirts), and wipe off as much as possible, buffing it out to a nice satin sheen.

You’d have to test on yours though. I’m sure there are a lot of ways to finish interior wood and what they’ve done it with previously might not be compatible with danish oil.

[evm1024]

Just start here:

The Brightwork Companion by Rebecca Wittman

ISBN 978-007142277-2

[snippet]

As a professional woodworker my advice echoes others- don't mess with an existing finish that isn't damaged beyond a few scratches. If you do be very careful. Anything short of stripping and sanding is risky, and that process is too.

Take a door or drawer to a boatyard for some friendly advice. It's likely that you'll find some trustworthy opinions if you can show someone the real thing. An experienced boatyard finisher will know what he/she is looking at, and you really need to know what the existing finish is before deciding how to proceed.

A hard finish might be a cross-linked automotive finish, or an industrial urethane, or it could be an oil-based varnish like Epithanes. Something less that a surface finish will take you down a much different path. If you have a surface coating, appyling something like Watco will either get into worn spots or hairline cracks and darken the affected wood or peel off the surface when dry, or both. If an existing surface coating is peeling, cracked, worn through, etc., then sanding down to bare wood is your only route to a consistent finish.

To get a durable glossy finish will be a ton of work. Starting with a surface stripped of contaminants is a must. As has been mentioned, knowing the composition of the polishing/ cleaning product that you have used is very important. Polishes with silicones will not accept a topcoat finish. Clean everything with something like Murphy's Oil Soap (it's water-based), or a citrus based cleaner (but some are strong enough to damage finishes) and then mineral spirits or something stronger like naptha if it's not destructive to the existing finish. If you are not sure how clean the surfaces are when you are done, do it again.

Once the surfaces are clean of contaminants, it's likely the next step will be to sand everything-lightly but thoroughly- with 320 grit paper as a basic surface prep. At this point you should have a pretty good idea what you are working on and can make a final decision what to apply to achieve a satin, semi-gloss or gloss sheen. My preference would be a wipe on tung oil that can be repaired, not to build a surface finish; but that's not a good route to a semi gloss or gloss sheen.

I consider myself lucky. My boat interior was an oil finish on teak that dried out. I opted for cleaning with Murphy's then sanding with 400 grit paper and using a combination citrus-based cleaner and soft wax called Feed-N-Wax. To me it looks like a million bucks.

Get good advice as you go and good luck.

[Eder]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Our 87 IP is similar, the finish is beginning to come off in places and anything you do darkens the wood there, and kind of oil soap etc.
I believe all that can be done is sand the old finish and re-apply, but I’m also pretty sure the veneer is very thin and easily damaged.
I believe a furniture restorer if such a thing still exists anymore could do it, but not cheap.
They likely have gone the way of cobblers though.
I’ve been afraid to do much of anything myself.

I wouldn't remove a finish by sanding...better to use a stripper then clean with mineral spirits. A couple applications of wood bleach & the wood is ready for satin varnish. I did this to a few black stained areas inside my boat matches the old finish extremely well.

[sailah]

I redid sections of my interior using Interlux Goldspar satin finish. It's a lot of work. I spent years building high end furniture and cabinet making. All came in handy.

I removed everything that could be removed and did those out of boat. Lots of sanding. But finish lays down great and looks great too. No shortcuts. Half the time is spent masking things off.

[sailnautilus]

We have a complete cherry interior, circa 1997. Like the OP, it had just gotten dull and tired, but in excellent condition.
Local woodworker advised: clean with dilute Murphy’s oil soap, then polish with teak oil. Not a dramatic change, but shines it up beautifully!!!

[puncta2000]

Thank you all so much for the insightful and great guidance. I am overwhelmed with the knowledge, generosity of time and the detailed suggestions of this forum. Wow!

I have attached 3 pics of the interior, one is of a round table that came with the boat in the aft cabin. This is a 31-year old boat..

It sounds like I bought to start with some basic steps in one hidden area and see how it goes. Then ramp it up from there.

Thanks again

[Bill Seal]

Our 40 year old Formosa is only 30 feet long, but has about half an acre of V-groove teak which appears to have been finished with lacquer, which is starting to get a bit shabby. Would like some recommendations, but since it's V-groove, sanding is out. Teak oil or thinned acrylic varnish or what?

[Eder]

Varnish is safe to apply over lacquer. You can sand a bit in the v groove...vacuum then a tack rag will clean it out.

[dakno]

Nutts, who wants to spend a year redoing your interior finish???? Clean and wipe with teak oil once a year and your woodwork will look new. I have do so many times in older boats and it makes a surprising difference.