TO oil or Varnish Mahogany

[tom_Heidema]

I have just add wood grate floor... There are made of Mahogany (teak was just to much money) But i am unsure what to so next.. I want them to be nonslip but also need them to last... What do you think? TO VARNISH OR TO OIL

Thanks

Tom and Sarah
E27 Basackwards

 

[Sailsteve]

Varnish or Oil

Personally, I think varnish looks beautiful when it's perfectly applied and maintained. Without those two things it ends up as more of a chore than it is worth. My solution to teak on the boat is to sand off any varnish that might be on the wood, wash and scrub it down with any good commercially available teak cleaner/brightener and finish it off with a couple of coats of Decks Olje matte finish sealer. With the D.O. sealer you will see a beautiful honey color in the teak that will last for some time. You may have to do this application every season, but it sure beats the difficulty of maintaining a varnish coating. If you want that glossy look Decks Olje also makes a glossy finish sealer (although I've never tried it so I can't say how it will hold up over time).

Steve Schwartz

 

[escapade]

teak vs. mahogany

Be aware that mahogany will NOT clean up like teak when it get's weathered. You will need to sand the gray discolored wood to get it back to it's original color unlike using a cleaner as you would on teak. Because of this, I have always used a good spar varnish on mahogany. Yes, you will need to keep after it every year, light sanding & a couple of coats of new varnish. But that is nowhere near as much work as sanding out the discolored wood to get it looking good again. Teak is much more expensive to use, but easier to maintain. That's why it's so widely used.
Have fun & sail fast
Bud E34 "Escapade"