Brightening up the cabin of a CD 25

[Boyd]

Hi Eric.

You failed to mention what the interior material is and how its finished. I am not that familiar with the 25 interiors. I have seen several other CD interiors and most of them are oiled teak.

If you have oiled teak then the following may apply. I did this to another boat with an oiled interior and it looked really good.

Teak when oiled darkens with each oiling because most of the oils on the market are linseed based. As they dry the linseed oxidizes and darkens the wood. The oils make an ideal environment for black mold growth and the whole thing can get real dark over time ...darker with each oiling.

Mix up TSP (trisoduim phosphate) available at the paint dept. and bleach. Use a faily dilute mix to start with. The TSP is a great grease remover and wont damage the wood. Test and make it stronger if you need to. Remove anything from the area that will be damaged by the bleach. Wash the wood repeatedly with the mix using a sponge. Donot scrub with a brush. This mix softens the wood and anything abrasive will dig out the soft parts of the wood. After a time and when you have gotten the wood good and clean then you can rinse with another sponge and plain water. Let it dry and see how you like it. Varnish if you like or oil once with a nondarkening oil. You may have to hunt to find a comercial teak oil that doesnt darken the wood. They are hard to find. Pure lemon oil is great for routine maintainence of any wood. Its a good mold deterent.

If you still are not happy with the color of the teak after the bleach and TSP treatment. Then you can use oxyllic acid. Use a dilute mix and test first. This is much more agressive stuff. Make sure you test first. Rinse after. It will remove some stains. I emphasise ....
Test in a non conspicuous area first.

My interior is semigloss varnish and the head liner is white. Its very light and non cave like.

Boyd

Hi all,

One of the things that has bothered me about Allia over the years is the cave-like darkness of the cabin.

To help solve this problem, I've considered painting the wood veneer stuff on the bulkhead. I'd probably paint it white. I would leave the wood trim, likely sanding it down and varnishing.

Has anyone done this? Have photos? Thoughts? Warnings?

Cheers

Eric

boyd@wbta.cc

[Vern Campbell]

Eric, I have a 1975 CD25, hull #324, and sacrilegious it may be, but I contemplated painting my veneered bulkheads, too, leaving the teak trim varnished. Not so much because it is dark, but because it does look cheesy. But I haven't had the courage yet. When I bought my CD the interior was just oiled. I cleaned it thoroughly, then varnished it all with a satin finish. Also, as suggested in other posts, I have added brass light fixtures, barometer and tide clock, a mirror, and book shelves. This has made the interior brighter and more homey. My winter projects this year include new cushions (I have purchased a brighter patterned fabric to replace the old blue vinyl) and a replacement hatch using tinted lexan which should let in more light. So I have made strides in eliminating the "dark" feeling. But even with the varnish finish, the bulkhead veneer still is closer to "cheesy" than it is to "classic". Please post some pictures of your painting project if you should choose to go ahead with it.

Hi all,

One of the things that has bothered me about Allia over the years is the cave-like darkness of the cabin.

To help solve this problem, I've considered painting the wood veneer stuff on the bulkhead. I'd probably paint it white. I would leave the wood trim, likely sanding it down and varnishing.

Has anyone done this? Have photos? Thoughts? Warnings?

Cheers

Eric

sailingteacherspet@hotmail.com

[Jon]

Yes,

I've been aboard Allia many times and she is every bit the equal of Sovereign, perhaps better on a few points. The two boats are about 20 hull numbers apart. As these are middle boats, the overhead came from the factory with a glossy white finish, unlike the blue overhead of the early boats mentioned in other posts. There are few items to "brighten up" so it seems, the cusion color and bulkheads being the first choices.

Jon
CD25 Sovereign

[JimL]

My father was in commercial construction, and taught me a trick, years ago. If you need to brighten a room, paint it flat or semi-gloss white. Glossy paint actually absorbs more light than flat! I've used that tip in my shops, etc. down through the years.



leinfam@earthlink.net