Finishing Aframosia - the finer points

[GJD]

My big project over the winter was 'stripping' the aframosia wood throughout with laquer thinner - worked quite well (contributed brain cells to the cause I'm sure). Ued a nice teak oil to refinish. Applied quite generously let stand 30 minutes then 'buffed' with a terry towel. The immediate result was real pretty (even for me!). What's happened though is over the course of some weeks the pretty shine has dulled and now looks quite uneven in many places (see pic)

Question is - is there a way to get beyond this look? more teak oil? opt for a tung oil? do touch ups with something like Pledge?

Appreciate your input!

 

[REBrueckner]

you got it...just wipe on teak oil in judicious amounts so no runs result....and eventually the more absorbent sections of wood will stop sucking it up...I'm surprised you got so far on only one initial coat...often that acts more like a "prime" coat....

 

[GJD]

Thanks Rob - how many coats would you guesstimate before the absorbtion quits? This could be the perfect summertime project for the kiddies (17 and 15).

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Buy a can of the finish from Sams. It's supposed to be almost exactly like the original Dupont 704C that was put on the wood when the boat was new. It keeps it's gloss as it is both a penetrating oil and a sealer. Good stuff.

 

[GJD]

I'll call em in the morning and give it a try. For all the effort cleaning/stripping it'd be a shame not to go all the way to the finish line.

Thanks Sky

 

[Pete]

Greg, I have used the finish SAM's has and it did provide a consistent gloss finish with one coat. Just notice that I used the word GLOSS. It is a gloss finish, not a semi gloss or matte finish. I use Watco Natural Danish oil finish, that gives a finish more in line with the original look. The one downside I have noticed is areas that get sunlight need another coat every year or two. It starts to go flat, although consistently so there is no blotchy look

Pete

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Greg, I have used the finish SAM's has and it did provide a consistent gloss finish with one coat. Just notice that I used the word GLOSS. It is a gloss finish, not a semi gloss or matte finish. I use Watco Natural Danish oil finish, that gives a finish more in line with the original look. The one downside I have noticed is areas that get sunlight need another coat every year or two. It starts to go flat, although consistently so there is no blotchy look

Pete

Pete,
To achieve the satin finish with the Sam's product, you need to rub it with a terry towel. I brush it on with a foam brush and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Then I go back with the towel and rub the finish in. That tones down the gloss and makes it look like the original finish.

 

[Pete]

Sky, thanks for the application info to get a semi gloss finish.

I would like to find a finish that can take the sun/UV that south eastern boats endure. Anyone with a 12 month floater, in the south east, that always sits outside, have any feedback for me on the durability of the Sam's finish. How often do you need to redo the finish to keep it looking good, especially where the UV is able to get to it?

Pete

 

[BurtB]

I posted this item on a different thread. I thought that some of you would like to see what I did. Burt


BurtB
Registered Member Posts: 1
Join Date: May 2008

Re: Brighten up the salon - 05-19-2008, 07:24 AM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My experience with refinishing of wood in 1978 Hatteras Yachtfish.

My wood was dull and dark on the boat, and I tried several things like wiping down, cleaning but it was never looked very good. I was visiting the Lauderdale boat show and went on a 1974 Hatteras Sportfish. I was amazed at the wood. It was brilliant, soft finish, not light in color but the real Formosa teak wood showed through. There was a lady who was sitting on the boat for the broker and she turned out to be the person who did the wood refinish job on the boat for the owner. Her recipe was clean the wood with denatured alcohol using a green 3M pad. Scrub with pad and plenty of alcohol. Wipe the area then with clean rags with alcohol until there is no residue on rag. She told me that this was the most important part was the prep work of cleaning. After allowing the wood to dry she use Jel'd- Poly-Kote for the finish.

Before I started this job I purchased a can of Jel'd- Poly-Kote and did the back of one of the closet doors. It came out beautiful and so the project began.

If you have any discolored areas on any of the teak use a liquid stain that will match the color. Do not use stain/varnish, use just the stain for color. I had a few areas that water had leaked in that had caused the wood to turn white. I could not believe all the gunk that came off of the walls as we cleaned the wood. The previous owner, I was the third owner of the boat had used furniture oil to try to make the wood look good, it never looked good. Any way we scrubbed all of the Formosa teak, and it really started to look clean. The scrubbing was the difficult part.

After the cleaning we started with the product Jel-Kote satin finish that the lady had told us about. You wipe it on and then wipe it off. I used a sponge applicator that had cloth around it for the application and then followed it with cheese clothe to wipe it down. I did two coats, she suggested three, I got tired, there is a lot of wood on the boat. I pulled up all base boards and quarter round and did them separately.

The final work was spectacular, the wood took on a soft sheen that glowed. I did the refinish nine years ago and the wood still looks great today. I use only a damp cloth to wipe down the wood for clean up. The amazing thing is that in areas that receive wear (stair case going into galley} I can just wipe it down with alcohol on a rag, let it dry and reapply a couple of coats of Jel-Kote and it looks great again. The new finish blends perfectly with the old.

This process does not lighten the wood but restores it to its orginal nutmeg color. I keep my boat in Fort Lauderdale if you would like to contact me to see it. I will try to answer any questions you might have.

Product is

Jel'd Poly Kote
Wood-Kote Products
Portland, Orgeon 97211

woodkote.com

 

[Brian Degulis]

For dark water stains imbedded in the wood try the Yachtsman Bill muriatic acid method. It's quicker and more effective than bleach or anything else I've tried.

Brian

 

[Brian Degulis]

That's why I never bother to hunt down afromosia it's not going to match what's there anyway. I simply use teak the come up with a blend of stains to get a match. You can get teak and even mahogany to match OEM afromosia.


Brian

 

[bobk]

Greg, Please let us know how this works out. I too have some areas where the gloss is uneven. My previous coats are Watco teak oil, but I imagine if it works on one finish, it will work on others. Thanks,

Bob
Chateau de Mer
1981 Series I 48 MY

I'll call em in the morning and give it a try. For all the effort cleaning/stripping it'd be a shame not to go all the way to the finish line.

Thanks Sky

 

[lumina]

Hi All,

My baby actually has two teak finishes ie the salon, hallway and galley have been meticulously sanded and varnished several times.

My forward stateroom, aft stateroom, master stateroom and both heads are oiled with a product called Penofil (may be misspelled). I also like the warm lustrous oiled finish look and this product does a super job.

FYI before I continue I have all the original Mozambique tiger teak in the entire boat.

With Penofil, you need to gently wipe your surface down to eliminate dirt/build up etc using dustless/lint less rags and a mild cleaner. Once thats accomplished you simply wipe the Penofil on (using same type of rags), wait appx 10-15 minutes (as it penetrates) then wipe it off.

Result is vibrant lasting tiger stripes and rich and lustrous woods.

Gene

 

[dcate]

I posted this item on a different thread. I thought that some of you would like to see what I did. Burt


BurtB
Registered Member Posts: 1
Join Date: May 2008

Re: Brighten up the salon - 05-19-2008, 07:24 AM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My experience with refinishing of wood in 1978 Hatteras Yachtfish.

My wood was dull and dark on the boat, and I tried several things like wiping down, cleaning but it was never looked very good. I was visiting the Lauderdale boat show and went on a 1974 Hatteras Sportfish. I was amazed at the wood. It was brilliant, soft finish, not light in color but the real Formosa teak wood showed through. There was a lady who was sitting on the boat for the broker and she turned out to be the person who did the wood refinish job on the boat for the owner. Her recipe was clean the wood with denatured alcohol using a green 3M pad. Scrub with pad and plenty of alcohol. Wipe the area then with clean rags with alcohol until there is no residue on rag. She told me that this was the most important part was the prep work of cleaning. After allowing the wood to dry she use Jel'd- Poly-Kote for the finish.

Before I started this job I purchased a can of Jel'd- Poly-Kote and did the back of one of the closet doors. It came out beautiful and so the project began.

If you have any discolored areas on any of the teak use a liquid stain that will match the color. Do not use stain/varnish, use just the stain for color. I had a few areas that water had leaked in that had caused the wood to turn white. I could not believe all the gunk that came off of the walls as we cleaned the wood. The previous owner, I was the third owner of the boat had used furniture oil to try to make the wood look good, it never looked good. Any way we scrubbed all of the Formosa teak, and it really started to look clean. The scrubbing was the difficult part.

After the cleaning we started with the product Jel-Kote satin finish that the lady had told us about. You wipe it on and then wipe it off. I used a sponge applicator that had cloth around it for the application and then followed it with cheese clothe to wipe it down. I did two coats, she suggested three, I got tired, there is a lot of wood on the boat. I pulled up all base boards and quarter round and did them separately.

The final work was spectacular, the wood took on a soft sheen that glowed. I did the refinish nine years ago and the wood still looks great today. I use only a damp cloth to wipe down the wood for clean up. The amazing thing is that in areas that receive wear (stair case going into galley} I can just wipe it down with alcohol on a rag, let it dry and reapply a couple of coats of Jel-Kote and it looks great again. The new finish blends perfectly with the old.

This process does not lighten the wood but restores it to its orginal nutmeg color. I keep my boat in Fort Lauderdale if you would like to contact me to see it. I will try to answer any questions you might have.

Product is

Jel'd Poly Kote
Wood-Kote Products
Portland, Orgeon 97211

woodkote.com

+1

They're's alot of new afromosia going into my boat. New desk in master, new head board, sanded teak valaces around the ceiling of the salon where it had be re-upholstered over the years. All needs re-doing.

From expriementation (and just general life experience) a wood finish, once it's gone, it's gone. Oils don't bring it back except for the "oh, that looks better" first impression after applying it...but that's only temporary at best.

My only luck at any permenant fix for a bad wood finish has been to sand, mix stain that matches, then re-apply. There is no magic bullet for this. No short cuts.