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Interior Finish

George

Junior Member
I have an 87 34 and have water damage around several portlights down below. I was curious what other owners have used to refresh the finish on their boats? Would also be interested in hearing about the brightwork on deck are well.

thanks
 

Ray Rhode

Member III
Two years ago I applied Cetol Light to the stern cap on my E35. It has less pigment than the original Cetol. It has held up well. I also used it on a fold up table I added to the galley and didn't like it in comparison with the teak interior. When I made a cover for the backs of the instruments I used Interlux 65 and was very happy with the finish. I recently used the left over Cetol Light for the exterior cabin top handrails and was somewhat disappointed. It may have been the two year old Cetol. I then did the hatch boards with Intelux 95 and the Cetol will have to GO. If I had a lot of exterior teak I would use the Cetol Light but as there is only a little bit of exterior teak I feel I can easily keep up with it and use the good stuff. I can't see myself ever going back to Cetol after seeing the 65 in the interior and the 95 on the exterior.
 

George

Junior Member
Ray, thanks for the input. Is the 65 just for interiors and is it easier to work or would I get a longer lasting finish if I used the 95 for both?

thanks
 

Ray Rhode

Member III
The 65 is for interior use only. It does not have the UV protection of the 95. It also has a satin finish which I prefer for the interior. If you like the high gloss look in the interior you could use 95. As to ease of application both are addictive. The stuff just flows on and you hate to stop.

I followed the Interlux directions and used their special everything and the results were very good. You might save a couple of bucks but after all the prep work why take the chance? Speaking of prep work don't spare the sand paper. I thought I had the hatch boards perfectly smooth but after a couple of coats I realized that I had some valleys that would require more varnish to fill.

On the subject of stains there is a discussion of them in this months Sail. Don Casey suggests Oxalic acid. You might check out the column.
 

Sean Engle

Your Friendly Administrator
Administrator
Founder
Interlux

I like the look of the 65 for inside use too. I have Cetol outside on my sterncap as well as around the hatch, etc - and I really don't care for it - as it looks a little bit orange.

Ray, you said that the Cetol Lite is lighter on the pigment - is that shade of orange less? Is the UV protection better than competing products - or can I consider using something else when I do that project this summer?

//sse
 

Ray Rhode

Member III
Sean,


The Cetol Light still has a little of the orange cast to it but more of the wood shows through. They now have a gloss ovecoat which you can use over the Light I was going to use it on my handrails and the stern cap when I refinish it later this year. After doing the companionway and hatch boards with the Interlux 95 I have decided to abandon the Cetol all together. Not sure about the life of the 95. The Cetol on the stern cap was good for about 18 months in the Florida sun before it started to show its age. Since there is so little exterior teak on the E35 I figured I could live with the possible shorter life of the varnish. One other advantage of the varnish is that it is easier to clean up when you spill it on the fiberglass. The Cetol must be wiped up with mineral spirits quickly before it stains. The varnish can be cleaned up at you liesure.
 

Siltbird

Member I
I think the PO used Cetol on the companionway doors and handrails. It has a very rough look to it, as opposed the the glass finish that I know varnish to be. Is this true of Cetol, or can it be varnish that's just worn down?
 

Ray Rhode

Member III
Was hoping someone would respond that knew the answer. I suspect that it may be Cetol. When varnish goes bad it usually curls up and flakes off. Have not seen what Cetol does. I have some that is about 2 years old and it is dull but not really rough.

Ray
 

Troy Gattis

Junior Member
Finishes/Interior-Exterior

Just thought I would get my two cents in the debate.I have tried both of the products mentioned above.The Cetol brands are nice but if I want a gloss finish I have to apply satin base coats or it tends to be cloudy.The varnish was ok but you cant put it on to heavy or else you get orange peel. Now out of desperation I have tried or rather am testing Minwax Helmsmans Spar Urethane at the suggestion of Sherwin-Williams.The guy there claims it lasted three years of his boat before he had to "touch it up". I guess we will see. But back to the original post about the stains around the ports. I also have slight mildew like stains that were there when I bought the boat and after several Atempts at removing them with various stuff I have decided to just replace the panels with 1/4 inch mahogany plywood it really doesn't look too hard.If anyone has done this and has any tips don't hesitate to let me Know.
 

Sean Engle

Your Friendly Administrator
Administrator
Founder
Ah HA!

I knew ~someone~ would ask that!

Take a look at this earlier post on the subject . Lots of people have that problem (including me), and I would be interested in seeing what you do about it. Perhaps I could interest you in submitting to the 'Projects' section?? :)

Also - try doing a search on 'rot' and you'll see other related posts...

//sse
 

Kim Bache

Junior Member
Cetol was on my E35 and I don't care for the orange color either. I thought I'd do the good thing and varnished all exterior teak with Epiphanes. Looked great the first year but the following year the touch left it looking, well, touched up. I sanded it all off and found a GOOD PRODUCT called Teakguard by a Cincinnati Ohio company called All Guard. It is a water based polymer (real easy clean up drips/runs when still wet). It penetrates and seals the teak, leaves the beautiful natural teak color and texture, a little bit of shine AND, they guarantee the results for the season (if you follow the directions).
 

Brent Wright

Please Contact Admin.
I just recently purchased Starbrites Tropical Teak Oil right before this thread started and was wondering what everyones thoughts were on the product for deck trim and hatches. I am not worried about the maintenance as long as it is only once or twice a year. I would rather do that than have to sand down varnish every three to four years like I am doing now. I only have a small trim piece and two hatches.:confused:
 

Ray Rhode

Member III
Brent,

Suspect that you will have to oil more than once or twice a year. Oiled teak is very susceptable to mold or mildew which turns it black. You then have to clean it and sand and re-oil.

Ray
 

Brent Wright

Please Contact Admin.
Thanks Ray:
I think I'll try the sealer for a year being that it is easy to remove and keep clean. I went down to the boat last night and tried it out. The Starbrite gel teak cleaner was really easy to use and I just did it while washing down the boat, which I do at least once a month. The complete process was only about four hours and that included the sealer once it dried, and that was a perfect time for a Margarita and to watch my son swim. Keeping it a family adventure.
 

ccorcoran

Member II
George,

We're also the proud owners of an '87 E34. I was so inspired by your original post, that we resolved to do something about it. Actually, when we removed the original curtains to have them replaced, we discovered lots of black stains and some water damage around the portlights and in the v-berth, on top of the lockers. Taking the advice of those wiser than I, we sanded until we choked and then we sanded some more. We ended up doing the entire forward cabin and the top sections in the salon where the ports are located. You can remove the black stains and the mitigate the water damage. We sanded, aggressively, then we used fine brass brushes on the affected spots and for thoses that were more stubborn, we used a one-step teak cleaner. We sanded some more and then wet everything down (cut donw on the dust), used several tack rags and began to apply Interlux Goldspar Satin 60. We sanded between coats. We stopped at four coats and we're very pleased with the overall results (we followed the mfgrs. specs). It was a very labor-intensive process; but worth the effort. Only problem now, everything we didn't redo looks like it needs to be redone!

Good luck.
 

George

Junior Member
Chris & Wendy, sounds like it come out perfectly. I am now in the process of doing exactly what you have completed. I found several threads regarding ways to retard the water leaks from the exterior and have incorporated those as well. Hopefully that will be that.

cheers
 
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