I am thinking about refinishing the interior of our 1984 CD33 this winter. The wood has lost the warm glow it had when we bought it.
I would like to make it look as close to factory new as possible. I'm not interested in varnishing the interior. I assume all the interior teak needs to be oiled.
1) what kind of oil should I use? Should I brush it on, roll it, or wipe it with a rag? Does it matter?
2) Should I sand the surfaces first? The cabinet doors are a little grimy from fingerprints and the wood is sort of dried out and grainy.
3) The trim on the edge of the bulkhead by the nav station and the galley sink is a light colored wood. What is that? It looks like it has clear varnish on it. What should I use on that?
4) The teak-and-holly floor is filthy. Should I sand that and use polyurethane varnish to make a waterproof floor?
I used CETOL on the exterior teak last spring after seeing so many recommendations on this site. It turned out beautifully. I hope someone can help me with the interior as well. Thanks
Chris Scheck
"Ragtime"
CD33 #117
cscheck@aol.com
Refinishing interior
Moderator: Jim Walsh
-
Larry DeMers
Re: Refinishing interior
Chris,
Your wood has dried out. It needs to have teak oil (tung oil really) applied with a a soft cloth if that appeals to you, or more properly, take 180 grit wet or dry paper, place it in a wood block (not a palm sander!), put some oil on the wood, then use the sanding block to lightly work it into the grain. Go ONLY with the grain here, or you will be really sorry. The sandpaper smooths out any lifted grain, works the oil into the wood surface and makes a fairly smooth surface for the next 6-12 mn. or so. This process needs to be repeated as needed. Unfortunately, people usually go years between coatings,then wonder why the grain looks dry or raised. Solution? heh..well...
We switched from an oiled interior teak coating to a satin varnish interior and love it! What happens is that in the process of putting on the satin int. varnish, you fill up the grain valleys. The first coat merely seals the surface. Additional coats give the lustrous rubbed effect you can get with oil after a year or two of quarterly application of the teak oil. This you accompish in 2-4 coats, and it lasts for many years. Fingerprints on the bulkhead from little hands? No problem-o, just use a little 409 on it, then maybe some lemon oil, and buff.
I know you said that you did not want to varnish the interior..and I was exactly the same way for 9 years. Especially after we saw a neighbors CD30 that had gloss varnish applied to the interior from the settee cushions down. It looks rediculous in my opinion. So we suffered through 2 or 3 teak oil applications yearly. Well, after doing the satin varnish last spring, we have done no maintenance ont he interior wood at all, and it looks like it was just oiled! Additional benefits are that mildew spores do not seem to stick in the wood grain now, spreading into mildew heaven over the winter. The only mildew we ever get..and it is small, is areas down low inthe V-Berth where air flow is poorest. Even though it is also varnished, there is some mildew in the inside corners of the door trim, and a drawer fronts down under the V-Berth filler piece.
The varnish we used is the latex water soluable type made by Valspar. It is a milky white color going on, and dries (without smell too!) clear and beautiful. Watrer cleanup is an additional benefit. We originally started out using the varnish only in the vberth, in case it did not pan out. But now the whole boat is done, and looks great.
The teak and holly sole; be careful how you treat this wood. The teak and holly are actually a very-very thin lamination over plywood, and any more than a lite sanding will go right through it to the plywood. I used 4/0 bronze wool applied with the grain, to clean and smooth out the teak and holly. Then washed, rinsed and dried it very well. Use a scant amount of water in the washing and rinsing application. Use paper towels to dry, then low heat from a hair dryer applied from 12 in. away. Don't overdo this step.
Then we put on 3 coats of satin varnish with a foam brush. First coat was warmed to 100 deg. F, and thinned 5% with turpentine. This provides penetration. Final coats were full strength applied 1 week later. The grain shows beautifully, the holly is a nice bone white color, and the floor looks new.
If there is a traffic pattern worn into the sole, then nothing you can do now will bring that missing material back. Best to protect against the teak and holly sole being rubbed off before it happens, by putting a hard finish down. ie; varnish.
Cheers!
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30 ~~~Sailing Lake Superior~~~
demers@sgi.com
Your wood has dried out. It needs to have teak oil (tung oil really) applied with a a soft cloth if that appeals to you, or more properly, take 180 grit wet or dry paper, place it in a wood block (not a palm sander!), put some oil on the wood, then use the sanding block to lightly work it into the grain. Go ONLY with the grain here, or you will be really sorry. The sandpaper smooths out any lifted grain, works the oil into the wood surface and makes a fairly smooth surface for the next 6-12 mn. or so. This process needs to be repeated as needed. Unfortunately, people usually go years between coatings,then wonder why the grain looks dry or raised. Solution? heh..well...
We switched from an oiled interior teak coating to a satin varnish interior and love it! What happens is that in the process of putting on the satin int. varnish, you fill up the grain valleys. The first coat merely seals the surface. Additional coats give the lustrous rubbed effect you can get with oil after a year or two of quarterly application of the teak oil. This you accompish in 2-4 coats, and it lasts for many years. Fingerprints on the bulkhead from little hands? No problem-o, just use a little 409 on it, then maybe some lemon oil, and buff.
I know you said that you did not want to varnish the interior..and I was exactly the same way for 9 years. Especially after we saw a neighbors CD30 that had gloss varnish applied to the interior from the settee cushions down. It looks rediculous in my opinion. So we suffered through 2 or 3 teak oil applications yearly. Well, after doing the satin varnish last spring, we have done no maintenance ont he interior wood at all, and it looks like it was just oiled! Additional benefits are that mildew spores do not seem to stick in the wood grain now, spreading into mildew heaven over the winter. The only mildew we ever get..and it is small, is areas down low inthe V-Berth where air flow is poorest. Even though it is also varnished, there is some mildew in the inside corners of the door trim, and a drawer fronts down under the V-Berth filler piece.
The varnish we used is the latex water soluable type made by Valspar. It is a milky white color going on, and dries (without smell too!) clear and beautiful. Watrer cleanup is an additional benefit. We originally started out using the varnish only in the vberth, in case it did not pan out. But now the whole boat is done, and looks great.
The teak and holly sole; be careful how you treat this wood. The teak and holly are actually a very-very thin lamination over plywood, and any more than a lite sanding will go right through it to the plywood. I used 4/0 bronze wool applied with the grain, to clean and smooth out the teak and holly. Then washed, rinsed and dried it very well. Use a scant amount of water in the washing and rinsing application. Use paper towels to dry, then low heat from a hair dryer applied from 12 in. away. Don't overdo this step.
Then we put on 3 coats of satin varnish with a foam brush. First coat was warmed to 100 deg. F, and thinned 5% with turpentine. This provides penetration. Final coats were full strength applied 1 week later. The grain shows beautifully, the holly is a nice bone white color, and the floor looks new.
If there is a traffic pattern worn into the sole, then nothing you can do now will bring that missing material back. Best to protect against the teak and holly sole being rubbed off before it happens, by putting a hard finish down. ie; varnish.
Cheers!
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30 ~~~Sailing Lake Superior~~~
Chris Scheck wrote: I am thinking about refinishing the interior of our 1984 CD33 this winter. The wood has lost the warm glow it had when we bought it.
I would like to make it look as close to factory new as possible. I'm not interested in varnishing the interior. I assume all the interior teak needs to be oiled.
1) what kind of oil should I use? Should I brush it on, roll it, or wipe it with a rag? Does it matter?
2) Should I sand the surfaces first? The cabinet doors are a little grimy from fingerprints and the wood is sort of dried out and grainy.
3) The trim on the edge of the bulkhead by the nav station and the galley sink is a light colored wood. What is that? It looks like it has clear varnish on it. What should I use on that?
4) The teak-and-holly floor is filthy. Should I sand that and use polyurethane varnish to make a waterproof floor?
I used CETOL on the exterior teak last spring after seeing so many recommendations on this site. It turned out beautifully. I hope someone can help me with the interior as well. Thanks
Chris Scheck
"Ragtime"
CD33 #117
demers@sgi.com
-
Ken Cave
Re: Refinishing interior the easy way or hard way!
If you want to try a product before thinking of spending days on refinishing your boat-look at Howard Restor A Finish!!
On the Catalina site, I walk on water with those that have tried this product-as you can do the entire interior (floors excluded) in about two hours!
Maple Pine is one color that will just about match anything. On my l979 Cape Dory 28 I used maple pine on the lighter wood, and walnut on most of the rest-and dark walnut on the trim.
Easy to use: Just wipe it on-it takes care of water stains, dirt, finger prints, etc. The next day apply Howard Feed and Wax, let it sit for awhile, then wipe it off.
Your boat will look like a million dollars-in a few hours time!!
Most of the Home Depot's carry this product, as well as some Ace Hardware Stores. If you can't find it, look at the internet for Howard Products-they will tell where to find it!
Not expensive-and it works!!
Ken Cave
bcave@whidbey.net
On the Catalina site, I walk on water with those that have tried this product-as you can do the entire interior (floors excluded) in about two hours!
Maple Pine is one color that will just about match anything. On my l979 Cape Dory 28 I used maple pine on the lighter wood, and walnut on most of the rest-and dark walnut on the trim.
Easy to use: Just wipe it on-it takes care of water stains, dirt, finger prints, etc. The next day apply Howard Feed and Wax, let it sit for awhile, then wipe it off.
Your boat will look like a million dollars-in a few hours time!!
Most of the Home Depot's carry this product, as well as some Ace Hardware Stores. If you can't find it, look at the internet for Howard Products-they will tell where to find it!
Not expensive-and it works!!
Ken Cave
bcave@whidbey.net
-
Russell Rau
Re: Refinishing interior
Chris -
Larry is one of the more knowlegable CD owners on the network. However, I have the opposite opinion on interior finish. I prefer the beauty of naturally oiled teak in the interior. Also, I feel the oiled surface will always allow me to readily access the surface should I need to sand out a scratch or ding in the future. Presently I am reworking every square inch of a CD 30 interior. Larry is correct that the teak dries and this causes the grain to appear raised. I will take you through the process I am using that was developed with the input of a number of teak finishing expert here in the Galveston Bay area. I tried to put together the best of what the experts recommended and now have a system that is working well and turning the teak interior into an absolute beauty to behold. My steps are as follows.
1. Divide the interior up into sections that you feel like you can complete in the alloted time for a work session. Don't wear yourself out, the beauty you are about to create will keep you going for several sessions.
2. All the sandpaper you use will be of the wet/dry variety. You will need 220, 320, 400, and 600.
3. Additionally, I am using Old English Lemon Oil (available at your grocery store), Watco Cherry Danish Oil Finish (available at hardware store), Minwax Tung Oil Fininish (available at hardware store), numerous widths of the cheap foam brushes, and a box of the disposable lint free shop rags.
4. The first step is to address any stains or scratches with the 220 and 320 grit sandpaper. The lemon oil can be used with the process, but if the scratch or stain is significant you can use the paper dry for more effect. Be careful and patient. All stains and scratches can be worked out of the finish. It is important to address this process completely before doing any major oiling because the oil will begin the process of closing the teak finish and this makes the scratch or stain more difficult to sand out. My stains were primarly under the port lights from water and at the edges of door trim. Ther were also a few in the galley area from grease or cooking splatters.
5. Next step is quite simply to slop on a bunch of lemon oil. Other varieties of oil could be substitutes. I personally prefer the lighter lemon oil to a teak oil intended for the exterior. Also, I prefer an oil with no tinting for this phase. If your teak is like mine it has developed a darker patena over the years and the dark tone will be preserved with this process. I use a bowl and foam brunch as wide as practical for the surface. It will get messy so remove cushions and any thing else that may be harmed by a drop of oil. I also found it helpful to go ahead a remove the doors. It made it much easier to move around, plus I took the doors home and worked on them there when I could not be at the boat. Apply the oil liberally and let it soak in. If you notice a very dry area, apply more.
6. Now for the Watco product. The cherry oil is as it sounds, an oil with a bit of red color to it. If you find any of the areas where you worked out a scratch or stain is looking lighter after one oiling, apply a coat of Watco to this area or any other area you want to be darker. I just rub this product on to the specific area with one of the lint free disposable shop rags.
7. The big change happens now. Again use a foam brush to apply a liberal coating of the lemon oil. Once the teak surface is covered begin a sanding process with the 400 wet/dry sandpaper. This addresses the raised grain and significantly smooths the surface and enhances the appearance of the grain. Sand only in the direction of the grain. I do not find a sanding block to be useful since you have so many tight spots and irregular areas to address. I just quarter fold the sandpaper and get after it with the paper held flat to the surface. You are just wet sanding with the oil rather than water. In addition to smoothing the wood, the heat created by friction serves to seal the oil into the surface. The final phase of this step is important. Use the lint free shop rag to wipe off any remaining oil and impurities from the surface. The wrag will appear filthy and the teak looks incredible at this point.
8. You guessed it, now you do the same thing again, but this time with 600. Now the teak appearance is further enhance and the surface is as smooth as a baby's butt. People that have seen my finished surfaces cannot believe the teak is from 1983.
9. Last step is to apply a coat of Tung Oil to seal the work you have done. This step will provide some further enhancement to the appearance, but is primarily intended to seal in the oil and add to the longevity of your work. I suspect an annual oiling will be all that is required even in my hot and humid climate.
Good luck and let me know how your job turns out!
Russell Rau
S/V Dreamer CD 30
rrau@att.net
Larry is one of the more knowlegable CD owners on the network. However, I have the opposite opinion on interior finish. I prefer the beauty of naturally oiled teak in the interior. Also, I feel the oiled surface will always allow me to readily access the surface should I need to sand out a scratch or ding in the future. Presently I am reworking every square inch of a CD 30 interior. Larry is correct that the teak dries and this causes the grain to appear raised. I will take you through the process I am using that was developed with the input of a number of teak finishing expert here in the Galveston Bay area. I tried to put together the best of what the experts recommended and now have a system that is working well and turning the teak interior into an absolute beauty to behold. My steps are as follows.
1. Divide the interior up into sections that you feel like you can complete in the alloted time for a work session. Don't wear yourself out, the beauty you are about to create will keep you going for several sessions.
2. All the sandpaper you use will be of the wet/dry variety. You will need 220, 320, 400, and 600.
3. Additionally, I am using Old English Lemon Oil (available at your grocery store), Watco Cherry Danish Oil Finish (available at hardware store), Minwax Tung Oil Fininish (available at hardware store), numerous widths of the cheap foam brushes, and a box of the disposable lint free shop rags.
4. The first step is to address any stains or scratches with the 220 and 320 grit sandpaper. The lemon oil can be used with the process, but if the scratch or stain is significant you can use the paper dry for more effect. Be careful and patient. All stains and scratches can be worked out of the finish. It is important to address this process completely before doing any major oiling because the oil will begin the process of closing the teak finish and this makes the scratch or stain more difficult to sand out. My stains were primarly under the port lights from water and at the edges of door trim. Ther were also a few in the galley area from grease or cooking splatters.
5. Next step is quite simply to slop on a bunch of lemon oil. Other varieties of oil could be substitutes. I personally prefer the lighter lemon oil to a teak oil intended for the exterior. Also, I prefer an oil with no tinting for this phase. If your teak is like mine it has developed a darker patena over the years and the dark tone will be preserved with this process. I use a bowl and foam brunch as wide as practical for the surface. It will get messy so remove cushions and any thing else that may be harmed by a drop of oil. I also found it helpful to go ahead a remove the doors. It made it much easier to move around, plus I took the doors home and worked on them there when I could not be at the boat. Apply the oil liberally and let it soak in. If you notice a very dry area, apply more.
6. Now for the Watco product. The cherry oil is as it sounds, an oil with a bit of red color to it. If you find any of the areas where you worked out a scratch or stain is looking lighter after one oiling, apply a coat of Watco to this area or any other area you want to be darker. I just rub this product on to the specific area with one of the lint free disposable shop rags.
7. The big change happens now. Again use a foam brush to apply a liberal coating of the lemon oil. Once the teak surface is covered begin a sanding process with the 400 wet/dry sandpaper. This addresses the raised grain and significantly smooths the surface and enhances the appearance of the grain. Sand only in the direction of the grain. I do not find a sanding block to be useful since you have so many tight spots and irregular areas to address. I just quarter fold the sandpaper and get after it with the paper held flat to the surface. You are just wet sanding with the oil rather than water. In addition to smoothing the wood, the heat created by friction serves to seal the oil into the surface. The final phase of this step is important. Use the lint free shop rag to wipe off any remaining oil and impurities from the surface. The wrag will appear filthy and the teak looks incredible at this point.
8. You guessed it, now you do the same thing again, but this time with 600. Now the teak appearance is further enhance and the surface is as smooth as a baby's butt. People that have seen my finished surfaces cannot believe the teak is from 1983.
9. Last step is to apply a coat of Tung Oil to seal the work you have done. This step will provide some further enhancement to the appearance, but is primarily intended to seal in the oil and add to the longevity of your work. I suspect an annual oiling will be all that is required even in my hot and humid climate.
Good luck and let me know how your job turns out!
Russell Rau
S/V Dreamer CD 30
Chris Scheck wrote: I am thinking about refinishing the interior of our 1984 CD33 this winter. The wood has lost the warm glow it had when we bought it.
I would like to make it look as close to factory new as possible. I'm not interested in varnishing the interior. I assume all the interior teak needs to be oiled.
1) what kind of oil should I use? Should I brush it on, roll it, or wipe it with a rag? Does it matter?
2) Should I sand the surfaces first? The cabinet doors are a little grimy from fingerprints and the wood is sort of dried out and grainy.
3) The trim on the edge of the bulkhead by the nav station and the galley sink is a light colored wood. What is that? It looks like it has clear varnish on it. What should I use on that?
4) The teak-and-holly floor is filthy. Should I sand that and use polyurethane varnish to make a waterproof floor?
I used CETOL on the exterior teak last spring after seeing so many recommendations on this site. It turned out beautifully. I hope someone can help me with the interior as well. Thanks
Chris Scheck
"Ragtime"
CD33 #117
rrau@att.net