Interior wood finish/oil question

Maine_Buzzard · Post by **Maine_Buzzard** » Mar 27th, '11, 16:48

So what works well for the woodwork on the interior? Guppy's trim has been untouched for about ten years.

I'd like something with a satin finish, like Tung or Danish oil, but without a film or residue. Certainly not varnish or another hard covering.

Thanks,

James

Watermark II · Post by **Watermark II** » Mar 27th, '11, 17:34

Our ketch, hull #2, has an oiled teak interior finish.

We have found the Old English Lemon Oil gives a very nice satin finish, almost a cherry tone.

When we got Watermark II six years ago the interior teak was dry and faded. There were a few bottles of Old English Lemon Oil aboard and it really made a job of it.

We know you will enjoy the cutter, but we are partial to the ketch rig. We can always find the right amount of sail for any condition.

Andy
Watermark II
CD30K #2

Cathy Monaghan · Post by **Cathy Monaghan** » Mar 27th, '11, 17:53

For many years I used Liquid Gold, then I switched to Orange Glo and finally I urethaned all of the interior wood with Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane "Satin". All of the oils take alot of elbow grease to get the wood looking nice, but they all do a good job. Those that contain tung oil are probably best for teak, but those containing linseed oil, orange or lemon oils work well too. So just pick one that works with your budget.

Paul D. · Post by **Paul D.** » Mar 27th, '11, 18:34

If you are not going with a varnish or teak oil, try a pure lemon oil. I use lemon oil on my interior and it really does make the wood glow. Plus it smells pretty good (Make sure to have good airflow while doing it!) and has the added benefit of inhibiting mold growth.

I try to do it on warm days. Make sure you get a pure oil with no silicone if you ever want to varnish it in the future. I am sorry I cannot recommend an oil as mine is up at the boat. Mine is a household brand however.

Wingaersheek II · Post by **Wingaersheek II** » Mar 27th, '11, 18:34

I use Weiman Lemon Oil. It contains no silicone or wax and has a sun screen component. It's easy to apply, which is good since it needs to be done several times a season to keep up the look.

Duncan · Post by **Duncan** » Mar 27th, '11, 19:44

Cathy Monaghan wrote:...finally I urethaned all of the interior wood with Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane "Satin"...

How did you like the result? Any photos (I think I can remember seeing some of your cabin interior)?

I have (casually) oiled, but to build up a proper traditional oil finish sounds pretty laborious to me. I've read that you have to wet-sand a number of coats before the finish is truly established. I am definitely varnishing the table this year, and maybe the trim.

Maine_Buzzard · Post by **Maine_Buzzard** » Mar 27th, '11, 19:55

Thanks all,

I'll probably try the lemon oil.

I'm not too worried about limitations on sail plan. I think I lost count at six or seven. A 1/2 oz. drifter, crusing spinnaker, storm jib and a storm trysail were all unexpectedly present. Oh, and the staysail and yankee too. I will fly the yankee exactly once, to ensure that my desire to cut it up for bags is well warranted. Can't exactly run it up the roller furler with hanks.

The storm jib will likely get a sleeve like an ATN, so it can sit as unused as it is right now.

Cheers!

Ron M. · Post by **Ron M.** » Mar 28th, '11, 07:41

A friend has an Erickson with a lot of teak below. He has oiled the woodwork for years and it would look good for a month or so, he went thru this routine 2 or 3 times a season. last year we sailed his boat to Fl.
and had a layover in Jax. for a week. I finally talked him into solvent washing the woodwork and using Helmsman Poly. It took the 2 of us 3 days to get 4 coats on and he hasn't looked back, what a difference. I did mine 8-9 years ago and it still looks great.
________
Sexy_Island_Girl cam

Steve Laume · Post by **Steve Laume** » Mar 28th, '11, 09:34

I did the lemon oil for a few years. It looked pretty good right after application and smelled real nice. It didn't last forever and the wood still felt bad.

I went for kind of a middle of the road and very easy solution. I sanded all the teak with 220 grit and washed it down with solvent. I did need to mask a few areas and take off some trim bits to get to everything. Instead of a true hard finish, I used Minwax rubbing poly. It comes in gloss and satin. A couple of coats of gloss and a top coat of satin make a very nice finish. It looks most like a built up French polish without all the work.

Once everything is sanded and washed. I apply it with a small scrap of fleece. You simply wipe it on as the name suggests. It is pretty much thinned down Poly. Probably has some extra driers in it as well. It goes on thin enough, not to run and there is never a problem with brush marks or orange peel.

While it doesn't build up a thick film, it does seal the wood so mold is not a problem and the grain does not raise back up. If it starts to look bad, a light rub with a scotch bright pad and another coat is pretty simple.

It is a lot of work to get a nice interior varnish job and a bad one is not good, Steve.

Steve Darwin · Post by **Steve Darwin** » Apr 1st, '11, 14:13

I had the same experience as Steve L. - The lemon oil looked good for a while, but it didn't last, so went with the Minwax rubbing poly. I applied two coats of the satin, which was enough to seal the wood. 200-grit sanding before and between coats. Application with a soft cloth was easy, and no curtains. The teak really does look hand-rubbed. For the ash ceiling slats, I removed then and cleaned (bleached), sanded, stained, and finished (both sides) with the Minwax rubbing poly. No more ugly water stains. Number the slats before removal. - Steve D.

Duncan · Post by **Duncan** » Apr 1st, '11, 17:00

I think the "Steves" have a winner here, with the Minwax Wipe-On Poly.

I came across a comparison test which was originally published in Fine Woodworking magazine. They rated the Minwax #1, against 16 other wipe-on finishes. Not only that, but it was the least expensive product of all those tested.

Thanks, guys, nice find!

(For masochists, I also found a 15 step guide to creating a proper traditional oil finish)

Steve Laume · Post by **Steve Laume** » Apr 1st, '11, 18:35

While I found the wipe on poly to be the best/easiest solution for most of the interior woodwork I did not use it on the Ash ceiling strips. Once I had them all prepped, I found it much simpler to line them all up on long saw horses and spray on regular poly with a gun. Lay them out back side up, give them a heavy coat and then roll em right over and spray the faces. Sand, tack, spray again and then reinstall with new philips head screws. Those tiny slotted ones will drive you crazy before you drive them all back in, Steve.

Cathy Monaghan · Post by **Cathy Monaghan** » Apr 11th, '11, 12:29

Duncan wrote:
Cathy Monaghan wrote:...finally I urethaned all of the interior wood with Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane "Satin"...
How did you like the result? Any photos (I think I can remember seeing some of your cabin interior)?

I have (casually) oiled, but to build up a proper traditional oil finish sounds pretty laborious to me. I've read that you have to wet-sand a number of coats before the finish is truly established. I am definitely varnishing the table this year, and maybe the trim.

Hi Duncan,

We really like the way the wood turned out and it gets compliments from guests we've had aboard. Before you apply the urethane, you have to prep the wood. Get it good and clean and be sure to kill any mildew before applying any type of finish.

Anyway, since you asked, here are a couple photos:

<a href="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... 302528.jpg" target="_blank"><img width="600" src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... g">Forward Cabin V-berth</a>

<a href="http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... 093146.jpg" target="_blank"><img width="600" src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... 146.jpg">I used Ultimate Sole on the cabin sole, companionway ladder and table, it's a gloss. I used Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane "Satin" on the rest of the wood."</a>

-Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay

Duncan · Post by **Duncan** » Apr 11th, '11, 14:56

Cathy Monaghan wrote:Hi Duncan,
...
Anyway, since you asked, here are a couple photos:

Thanks, Cathy, the satin finish urethane varnish looks very good. It's nice to be able to have a "preview" from looking at yours.
I think you're lucky to have scored some Ultimate Sole before they went out of business!
Cheers,
Duncan

Cathy Monaghan · Post by **Cathy Monaghan** » Apr 11th, '11, 18:10

We refinished all of the wood in 2006 when Ultimate Sole was easy to get. Now I hope that neither the table, companionway ladder nor the cabin sole will need to be redone or repaired for a long time. Anyway, all of the interior wood still looks great and hope it'll look that way for a long time.

By the way, I found that I had better results if I applying any of these finishes with a sponge brush rather than a paint brush.

Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay

The Cape Dory Board

Interior wood finish/oil question

Interior wood finish/oil question

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