Cetol is my new friend

[Fotoman]

Some of*my cabinet doors needed to be refreshed so I decided to strip them and revarnish.

I used Cetol for the first time and I was so pleased! It is much easier to apply than regular varnish or Epifanes. It's more like stain than maple syrup-like varnish. I also find it's easier to get a smoth nice finish.

Two thumbs up for me!

 

[Delfin]

You might try Epiphanes Rubbed Effect varnish.* It is extremely forgiving and the hardest varnish there is.* Because it is flat, any little imperfections really don't show up.* It flows nicely and produces a top quality finish that is hard to beat.* That said, I like Cetol a lot for exterior pieces.

 

[marinetrader]

I love the Cetol Natural; just finished a 3rd coat an hour ago. But there are some tricks to getting it to flow just right. Forget what the label says and cut it 30-50% with mineral spirits. I have an article on my website I wrote specifically about that.

Just go to the link below and visit the Cruising Center


-- Edited by marinetrader on Wednesday 24th of March 2010 01:50:55 PM

 

[jethrobd]

I'm running an experiment this year.* All the brightwork on my boat is varnish (Interlux 95).* I've had trouble with some*areas regarding the finish lifting at joints.* I love the look of varnish and don't mind the maintenance, but the lifting was a problem.* The bridge deck edge-trim (don't know what else to call it) was in poor shape, so I stripped it last summer with a heat gun (8 hrs, not bad), sanded and refinished with 3 coats of Cetol Light.* I will apply maintenance coats starting this spring only with Cetol gloss.

Over the winter I also refinished the transom gate (teak top, bottom, and both sides) with 2 coats Cetol Light and 3 coats of Cetol gloss.* Again, all maintenance coats from here on out will be Cetol Gloss.

I've used Cetol before on a previous boat.* I love the breathability of the coating; never had it lift.* It looks quite nice when first applied, though not the deep rich gloss of varnish.* But after 4-5 years of maintenance coats, the wood acquires quite a build-up of pigment and it begins to look like brown paint.* I'm hoping the Gloss over Light approach will avoid this.* I ran the approach by Sikkens Tech Support, and they said it should be fine.* We'll see.

For now, the cap rail will remain varnish; that's a huge expanse to strip, and it looks mostly great. Ditto for the aft cabin door.* If the gate and bridge deck trim look good by the end of the season, I may strip and refinish the eyebrow on the forward cabin.


-- Edited by jethrobd on Monday 29th of March 2010 03:18:14 AM

 

[Fotoman]

I will also experiment: a few coats of Cetol natural teak and the a couple of coats of Epifanes for the gloss.

 

[jethrobd]

BTW, Sikkens told me not to use the Cetol Gloss alone on bare wood. They said it tends to not adhere well, which is why they recommend it be used only over one of the pigmented Cetols.* The latter are thinner and act more like a primer, sealing the wood and providing a base for the gloss.

According to Sikkens, the breathability of the gloss is equivalent to the others.

 

[Baker]

Whatever happened to Armada??? That stuff was awesome and it never caught on???