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Clear Wood Finishes

Entire books have been written about the proper surface preparation for and application of clear wood finishes—this brief review, naturally, can only touch some of the highlights. You may wish to not only protect but also enhance wood’s natural beauty with oils, varnishes, or other clear sealants. A good finish applied to the wood on your boat will provide a barrier to protect against the elements that will attack the wood during the season–sea, rain, wind and sunlight. Deciding which to use is often confusing…frequently, appearance plays a big part in deciding what to apply.

Surface Preparation

Different woods will require variations on proper surface preparation prior to the application of the finish. That said, basic preparation includes getting the surface smooth and clean– to allow for a pleasant looking base, but also to allow the finish to adhere properly to the wood. This usually includes:

  1. removing the existing finish
  2. bleaching faded or oxidized wood
  3. removing natural oils from woods such as teak (alcohol or acetone may be used—but, beware the extremely toxic nature of the latter)
  4. sanding the surface as desired (sanding raises wood grain—so, application of a sealer or thinned product when applying varnishes would be a good idea—requiring a sanding again, prior to application of further coats.)

Varnish

Varnishes have long been the traditional clear wood protector. They are generally made up of oil, solvents, resins, dryers, thinners, and other additives. By varying these ingredients, and by adding UV inhibitors and other proprietary ingredients each manufacturer’s varnish will have different characteristics. Although in many respects they may all be quite similar. Varnishes can have a gloss or a satin appearance. They can be extremely hard and durable, and can vary in color from clear to dark amber. One very good idea is to cut the varnish for the first coat on bare wood by as much as 50% with the recommended thinner. This may sound a bit overboard, but it actually allows that first coat to penetrate deep into the wood’s grain, allowing for an exceptional bond between the wood and subsequent coatings of varnish. Varnishes generally require at least 6 coats…10 coats is not uncommon. Satin finishes are usually applied only for the last coat on exterior surfaces. The two-part varnishes are polyurethane based. They are even tougher and longer lasting, and can frequently be applied two– some types three– coats per day, saving time. Examples—(Conventional): Epifanes Clear Gloss Varnish, Petit 1015 Captain’s Varnish, Interlux Original Varnish, and many more. (Two-part Varnish): Bristol Finish, Interlux Perfection Plus, Epifanes Poly-urethane Varnish, and others.

Oils

Wood or Teak Oils will penetrate more deeply into the wood fibers and maintain the original look of the wood better than other finishes that are simply surface coatings, but oil has a shorter lifespan than varnish or synthetic finishes. Oils range in color from clear to dark brown. As with any wood finish, multiple coats will result in a more uniform finish and greater longevity. Oil is usually the easiest to apply– but, as with any wood finish, it requires some basic preparation for the best results. Clean, sanded teak with several coats of oil can provide 3-6 months of protection. There are several varieties of wood and teak oils to choose from—all seem to provide satisfactory results within the 3 to 6 month lifetime of this product. Examples: Deks Olje (#1 is a Satin; #2 is a Gloss which is similar to a varnish, in some respects. More coats will last considerably longer than traditional oils); Various Teak oils, and Tung and Teak oils.

Synthetic Wood Finishes

(Sealers) Synthetic Wood Finishes become more popular each year. They can be as easy to apply as an oil finish and they have almost the same durability as a varnish, yet can be somewhat simpler to refinish when the need arises. They are an easy-to-apply alternative that offers good durability and a good-looking finish that offers a different (slightly cloudy) appearance than either varnish or oil. These are available as tinted or clear finishes. These finishes require basic initial surface preparation, and application is essentially the same as the first coat of a varnish. After that first coat, multiple coats can be applied easily with no surface preparation. Maintenance coats are much simpler than varnish (hence the appeal!), generally requiring only a cleaning of the existing finish and re-application of a new coat of finish. If there are damaged spots, the technique generally used is a touch up of the damaged area, then an application of finish to the whole piece. Examples of Synthetic Wood Finishes includes: Armada Wood Finish, Cetol Marine Finish, Epifanes Rapidcoat.

Resources

Some books worth checking into for more detailed information include: WoodenBoat’s Painting & Varnishing (edited by Peter H. Spectre) Sailboat Refinishing by Don Casey (McGraw-Hill) Also, read the labels on the finishes you are considering—oftentimes there is a wealth of information there.

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