Interior Refinishing

[Evergreen]

Question: When refinishing interior wood work what type of product have you found that works best and how many coats provide the best possible and longest lasting job. Thanks so much.

[John Stone]

Well, that's an interesting question. Some folks like to paint parts of the interior white to brighten it up. Some folks like to oil it because it's easier.

But I don't care for a white interior. On sunny days I like to get some relief for my eyes when I go below decks. White is too bright. And oiled would tends to absorb light so, to me, it always seems perpetually dark inside an oiled wood boat.

We varnished all the vertical wood inside the Far Reach. Six coats of Epifanes High Gloss Varnish. It's a lot of work. You have to sand between every coat to do it right. The varnish reflects light like a mirror. Nearly everyone that has been aboard is surprised how bright the boat is below. It really takes a minimum of seven coats to fill the grain. But I had had enough at six coats. She'll get another coat or two in the coming years.

We painted the overhead white. We varnished the saloon table and the chart table. We left the cabin sole bare black walnut as is all the bulkhead trim.

I did a small sample piece of wood with the Epifanes "rubbed effect" oil but did not care for it.

It just depends on what you like and how hard you are willing to work to get it.

[Paul D.]

Since Femme came with oiled interior teak, I stuck with it. When looking at what to put on it we considered satin varnish to seal the wood and for the look. We settled on Lemon oil. Lemon oil goes on easily, smells nice, protects the wood from mold and mildew and really looks lovely after a good coating. It gives a deep, rich tone that says "preserved" like putting lotion on very dry skin. Lemon oil also goes a very long way which makes it good for stingy sailors like me. I am only now finishing up a bottle I've had for years.

I wait for a warm, dry day, open all hatches and port lights and rub away to music from forepeak to quarter berth. Then I go for a brisk swim in Lake Superior. Be sure to select a lemon oil with no silicones or waxes. Here is about what it looks like, though the photo could be a little better lit.

[Bob Ohler]

John, that is fascinating with the oak cabin sole and the beveled edge vertical pieces with plugged holes. Did you do all that yourself?

[John Stone]

Hi Bob
Yes. We gutted, designed, and rebuilt the interior (and exterior) ourselves. Every piece of wood was milled in our little shop off the garage.

Here is the link
http://www.farreachvoyages.com

[Bob Ohler]

John, are the vertical pieces tongue and groove?

[John Stone]

Hi Bob
Well, kind of. They are "half lapped" V groove African mahogany planks. We milled the rough dimension A mahogany planks down to 3/8" thick. I cut the half laps on the table saw and cut the V grooves on a bench top router. The half laps ensure that there is no way to get gaps between the wood V groove and see the bulkhead behind it. Each plank is epoxied to the ply bulkhead with T88 epoxy and held in place with custom made screw clamps. After the epoxy cured we removed the screw clamps and then counter sunk SS fasteners and covered with wood plugs.

Here is a link to milling and installing the staving and a couple of pictures showing how it looked being installed.

http://www.farreachvoyages.com/millinstallstaving.html