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I recently purchased a 13'. All of the wood is relatively new and solid, but needs to be refinshed. The varnish is looking pretty worn and I'd like to refinish it.
However, this is the first boat I've owned that has wood on it. Can anyone refer me to any parts of the web site that might have some step by step instructions or adivce on how to go about it. I need a "wood refinishing for dummies" book.
I think this is one of the best books you will find on the topic.
To refinish, you can manually or chemically strip the varnish. Manually is much less messy and arguably, just as easy. I use a heat gun to get the varnish to just barely bubble and begin scraping it off with a metal sracper. Be careful not to use too much heat or you will burn the wood, move the gun around a bit to diffuse the heat some.
After you have gotten most or all of the varnish off, sand with a 60 grit paper to get any nicks, blemishes etc. out. Once that is done move to about 100 grit and do it again. Once that is done repeat with about 150. This can be obsessive, its hard to tell when is really good enough, its all about what is acceptable to you. Once this is done, clean the wood really well to get all of the dust off it. I like to wipe it with a damp rag, then let it dray and follow with another cleaner. You can use turpentine or benzine, tack cloth, whatever. This should get you ready to varnish.
Some seal the grain of the wood with epoxy before laying on the varnish, but epoxy alone is not enough as it has little to no UV protection. Many traditionalists, do not use epoxy at all, it has its pros and cons. Varnish alone is easier to strip if redone, rather than having to strip the epoxy...Varnish without a good UV inhibitor may allow the epoxy to weather under the varnish leaving a marred look over time. Interlux Schooner is the choice of many, but there are other good ones too, and each have their preferences... Varnishing is rather easy, here is a recent thread with some info.
Basically, varnish, sand, tack, varnish sand, tack over and over again until you have the desired amount of coats. Use a foam brush or a good quality badger hair brush. (expensive) Remember not to dip your brush directly from the can as it can contaminate it. You should strain your varnish into another container between each coat. When applying, maintain a wet edge and brush from the wet edge to the bare wood, or under coat, you have to work kind of fast, especially if it is warm where you are varnishing. Always clean your brush well after each application, unless you are using foam, then just throw it out. As you reach the final coats, work with progressively finer grits of sand paper, up to about 1000 or so. Some like to do a wet sand on the final coat or two. The more coats you have the more dimensional or "deep" your finish will look. There really are many ways to get an acceptable finish, but some things should be done regardless of technique, (like straining the varnish.)
Here is a little article I found that gives some quick reference. I wouldn't substitue it for the book though. Rebecca Wittman's book is about the foremost authority on finishing wood for marine applications.
Definitely, its all about the prep work. Think it out and have a plan, but its ok to run with it a bit. The fun is in learning. It is for me anyway. Enjoy, let us know how she turns out.
Not at hard as it seems or some make it sound. I assume all of the wood is out of the boat. If it is in decent shape you won`t need to remove the old varnish, simply sand it smooth and feather any areas where the old varnish has peeled. I probably would use 120 sandpaper on the old varnish. You need a warm relatively dust free atmosphere in order to varnish. Use a good quality one part marine varnish. Thin out the first coat about 10-20 per cent. sand with 220 paper, Just scuff sand, to rough up the surface, and remove any dust. Important to use a tack cloth after wiping off sandpaper residue with thinner. Wait at least 24 hours between coats. Sanding should not take more than 1/2 hour per coat. Try four at least 5-9 coats. Remember to strain varnish between coats with a funnel strainer, and use a good quality bristle brush. An easy way to varnish both sides of a board at the same time is to take a piece of plywood the size of the board to be varnished, and drive 2" drywall screws at each corner. then lay the board on the screws, Now varnish the flat surface area only of the board, and flip it over, on the screws and varnish the other flat side. Then with a relatively dry brush, brush the edges. Don`t put a heavy coat on the edges as you will have to sand off the runs after it drys.
I agree with Binkie in getting as many coats on it as possible and let it dry at least 24 hours between coats.........By the time you get down to the final coats you will be using the finest grit sandpaper available............may almost feel like newspaper, but you;ll be amazed at how much it will remove. Be absolutely sure to use the tac cloth as mention to pick up all of the loose residue..............Main ingredient you need to add is lots and lots of patience! Keep us updated with photos.
I hung some coat hanger wire so that the screws that I put in the sides could clip on, and I could dry the board horizontally (leave the screws long), when I got to the final coats, I dried the boards (over night) in the bathroom (no dust). I sand down my corners and edges too, this gives the appearance that the wood is NOT new, and the high gloss finish sticks to these areas better with less chance of wearing off. This is not "woodworking law" or anything, just what I do, there are many different ways and tricks to refinish wood, we all do it a bit different, kinda makes it fun in a "Sadistic" way. I kinda hate doing it sometimes but, when the compliments come in, you are to lean back with a swagger and say "Yea, I love working with wood, it relaxes me". The beautiful wood makes these boats stand WAY out and sparkle !
What is the final word on varnish over epoxy? I'm doing my casting deck in sapele with a light stain on it to darken it a bit. I planned to epoxy and then varnish hoping for some more durability. What epoxy would any one recommend?
For the wood I would recommend West System epoxy, using the #207 Special Hardener. I say West System mainly because that is what I have first hand experience with, so I can say it first-hand. The 207 special hardener is meant for special coatings, specifically things like using the epoxy as a protective coating on wood. This hardener is a yellow color, as opposed to the other ones which are generally clear colored.
Mixed with the resin in the proper proportions, which is easy to do using West System's pre-metered pumps, this resin/hardener makes for a great coating. Apply anywhere from 2 to 4 or 5 coats, just depending on the results you are seeing along the way, sanding with fine sandpaper in between coats to keep it smooth and help it bond well.
Three notes on using epoxy as a coating like this, which I have found from personal experience with it:
#1. After you build up one or two coats, the epoxy will start to emit a "blush" all over its surface. It will not necessarily look oily or anything, but it will feel slightly slimy and slick. This should be removed before sanding, or can be done in conjunction with it. It is water-soluble and you can get lots of it off by wiping it down with soaked rags and you can also wet-sand it, thus killing two birds with one stone.
#2. Depending on the condition of the wood, the way the finished product looks 24-48 hours after last coat may not be the same as it does 1-2 weeks afterwards. Just because it looks good right when you finish it does not mean that further drying will occur and the wood seems to even draw some of it in, so I would suggest getting it to the point where, "dry" it looks like you're done, and then add one or two MORE coats to be sure. No need to build up a bullet-proof layer of epoxy on the wood, understand, just enough to be sure of it.
#3. This is more of a personal thing. The wet epoxy, like any other wet finish, holds onto dust, hair, sawdust bits, and just about anything else that touches it before it is hard. In my "workshop," I am not the only one who uses it, and boat work is not the only purpose for which it is used, so people may come in and kick up dust or the climate control may kick in and blow a nice cloud of dust onto the wet epoxy. If you're like me, you dont have another room where you can seal off your work from anything and everything while it cures, so just build a little enclosure using a PVC pipe frame and *clean* plastic drop cloth to cover it up, works fairly well.
Maybe you read all that in a book/other posts already, but hope you something there applied!
