Paint suggestions

[NWpilot]

I'm in the process of restoring my 1979 30' Tolly sedan. The previous owner did little maintenance so the surfaces are pretty run down. I have 3 specific areas to address:

1. I plan to clean the woodwork with TSP and was thinking that I would then paint a coat of polyurethane on all of it. It appears to not have a finish on it so I started to think about something like tung oil instead. Would the poly be a mistake? What have others of you done?

2. The bilge is a mess with oil from the diesels almost everywhere. I know that when I attempt to clean it I won't be able to get it clean enough for most paints to bond. I'm not going to attempt to wipe it down with laquer thinner, alcohol or any other solvent just from a safety aspect. Are there any good bilge paints that are forgiving that can be used?

3. Finally, the lower berth area and head walls are painted white. I'm a little sceptical about just repainting with a white enamel. I just don't think it will look or perform very well. Any suggestions?

I figure many of you have already been through these tasks and hope to learn from your mistakes and successes.
BTW, I plan to cover the wall behind the toilet with 12 x 12 mirrors to make the head seem larger. Do you see a downside?

Chas

 

[Comodave]

I'm in the process of restoring my 1979 30' Tolly sedan. The previous owner did little maintenance so the surfaces are pretty run down. I have 3 specific areas to address:

1. I plan to clean the woodwork with TSP and was thinking that I would then paint a coat of polyurethane on all of it. It appears to not have a finish on it so I started to think about something like tung oil instead. Would the poly be a mistake? What have others of you done?

2. The bilge is a mess with oil from the diesels almost everywhere. I know that when I attempt to clean it I won't be able to get it clean enough for most paints to bond. I'm not going to attempt to wipe it down with laquer thinner, alcohol or any other solvent just from a safety aspect. Are there any good bilge paints that are forgiving that can be used?

3. Finally, the lower berth area and head walls are painted white. I'm a little sceptical about just repainting with a white enamel. I just don't think it will look or perform very well. Any suggestions?

I figure many of you have already been through these tasks and hope to learn from your mistakes and successes.
BTW, I plan to cover the wall behind the toilet with 12 x 12 mirrors to make the head seem larger. Do you see a downside?

Chas

As far as the bilges go, I had great success with a carpet/upholstery cleaner using a steam cleaner. He sprayed the area with steam which got the oil liquid and then as he went he vacuumed it all up. No mess except the steam condensing on things. But it all dried quickly. The bilge was clean enough after the steam that I only had to do a few touch ups before painting. TSP or Extreme Simple Green are good for manual cleaning too.

As the bulkheads that are already painted white, I would test how well the paint is adhered and try some primer on it to make sure the solvents are compatible with the old paint. I like Interlux Brightside polyurethane paint. Use PreKote primer first. I have rolled and tipped Brightside as well as spraying it with a HVLP sprayer.