WATER STAIN ON INTERIOR WOOD

[CaptJB]

Catalina Morgan with some dark water staining of woodwork around the ports where they used to leak before they were replaced. What is the best way to clean and/or refinish? Do I have to add a new vineer (sp?)?

[Suijin]

It's either rot or mildew, if it's dark/black. If it's varnished veneer, it's going to be very difficult to get rid of it without destroying the veneer, depending on how deep it is.

I'm surprised that was not fixed when the port lights were replaced, as that would be the logical time to tackle it. Are you positive that they're not still leaking?

If the veneer is varnished, get that off first. A heat gun and scraper, or chemical removal is preferable to sanding to get the bulk of it off. Before you then sand, try Mary Kate Nu-Teak, which in my experience does the best job of cleaning stained teak without destroying the pulp in the soft parts of the grain. Then refinish to your liking.

If you can't get the black out, and the result does not meet your standards, then you'll likely want to re-line the cabin sides. Ideally you'd take the port lights out to do that as the flange is over the veneer. If you go that route I have some tips based on having done it recently.

[Ocean Girl]

Pics? What does it look like when you wipe the surface with a wet rag? Some water stains fade rather nicely with a coat of varnish/tung oil. Just depends on how bad the water leached the stain from the wood.

[Ocean Girl]

Oh forgot to ask if it was bare or varnished.

[CaptJB]

In the process of purchasing this boat. Survey scheduled for next week. The staining is not bad (dark or large area) but it does show against the consistent color of the rest of the interior surface, all of which is varnished. Pretty sure the boat is no longer leaking, these appear to be old stains. I am a perfectionist and want to make it look like there was never a leaking problem. I will post pictures soon. Appreciate any advice.

[Cheechako]

Tough to get rid of for sure. You could always stain them very dark and revarnish or paint the panels off white etc...

[rgravitte]

Strip the finish off and dab on a mix of bleach and water to remove stain. Then refinish.

[ggray]

Originally Posted by rgravitte

Strip the finish off and dab on a mix of bleach and water to remove stain. Then refinish.

Yeah, I was going to say straight bleach though.
I did that years ago, and it did lighten the stain.

[Lewy Lady]

There is a Scandinavian product called Desk Wood designed to help with water stains. I have used it with some success so it might be worth a try.

[MarkSF]

If it is varnished, ideally you'd take it all off. Then bleach the stained part (or use oxalic acid), then revarnish the whole thing. A light coating of wood stain, before varnishing, might help to level the stained and un-stained parts.

[CaptJB]

O.K. Here are the pictures of my problem. The vineer is very thin and I believe is stained through in the dark places. I am right on the edge of deciding to smooth fill/sand and paint only the port light bulkheads an off-white to match the overhead, leaving the mahogany trim to give a herreschoff-like appearance. I will be replacing all of the port lights when I do this job. My questions now are: 1. Is it easier to revineer? With what? 2. What should I use to fill and smooth the wood surface and prep for paint (a build-up primer?) What brand? 2. Should I paint in a satin or flat finish? What type? urethane, enamel, latex ? 3. How should I apply to ensure no brush marks? Tape and spray or thin and brush? 4. How many coats to ensure it looks good and lasts?
Any other thoughts advice?

[a64pilot]

It's easy to veneer, it's just very thin wood that is glued on, I've only used contact cement to do it before, maybe there is better adhesives, but it's a whole lot easier to do than you would think, just glue on pieces too big and trim afterwards with a razor, it's that easy.
I'd at least give it a go on something else before I went the paint route

[Cheechako]

I find it hard to see the issue, but think I can see it on a spot or two. Not near as bad as I've seen before.
You might get by with lightly sanding the small area (below the portlight right?) to remove loose varnish and trying different small cans of stains until you get one that matches well. By "trying" I mean open them up and put some on a scrap piece of wood. It's a real turkey shoot as the pictures and names on the cans of stain are often way off. You might have to buy half a dozen cans before you get it right. I have successfully done this a few times on repaired areas on vintage guitars and it can be done to the point where you cant tell. But it's an art for sure.
Painted white would look good on that boat. I'd go with satin. You will want to remove any trim strips you can. Lightly sand to level any varnish lumps.
Do a test for paint compatibility, but any traditional oil based paint ought to work over varnish. NEVER use latex.
I would probably brush it with a good brush due to all the things to mask off for spraying. But it depends on how good a painter you are. One of the best leveling paints I ever used for brushing was Parker Paints. Not sure they are even in business anymore but they were oil based old fashioned paint and just a pleasure to use. I've even used canned Rustoleum and it's great paint. I absolutely hate Brightsides marine paint.
Ureathane might work if compatible with the clear product you already have on there.
I'd probably do about 3 coats... depends on the paint....
Replacing the portlight panels is labor intensive... all the ports must be removed etc.

[senormechanico]

Paint matching the overhead would modernize the look of the boat and give it more apparent roomy feel.
Print out the pics and cut and paste white paper over those areas to get an idea of what it would be like.

[MarkSF]

It is relatively easy to re-veneer, yes. Here are a couple of pics, where I covered over some stained / water damaged veneer. I used some PSA (pressure sensitive adhesive) -backed teak veneer.

Veneer installed :



Varnished. The panel I veneered is the one to the left of the engine compartment doors :



As ever, prep is key. I sanded the surface smooth, cleaned carefully with solvent, and sealed it with a coat of polyurethane varnish. You want a nice, smooth surface for the PSA to stick to.