sikkens

[Doug Thomas]

I just applied a maintenance coat of Sikkens Marine Gloss to the brightwork of my Uniflite. It looks great, but as I run my had across it, I feel "drag"- like the difference between newly waxed and unwaxed fiberglass. The untreated brightwork adjacent to where I left off still has the smooth "glassy" feel. I followed the instructions to a 'T'. This is my first experience with Sikkens. I don't know what the PO used on the brightwork previously (18 months ago or so), but I thought it was this product since I found it in a drawer below.

 

Will this smooth out with time (I applied it yesterday afternoon) or did I do something wrong?

 

Doug

"PAX", 46' Uniflite

 

[Bob S]

If it is Sikkens "Cetol"  I was once told it should not be put over traditional varnish. I've never done it so I don't know the effect but that may be the problem. You can put varnish over  Cetol and Cetol over Cetol without a problem. Then you just might have to wait awhile for it to harden. I use both. I Cetol in the hard to reach areas and Varnish where people will notice. 

Cetol is generally not as pretty/clear as Varnish but takes less coats (3) and is much more durable than Varnish. The newer clear Cetol is much better than the original which had an orange stain and masked the wood grain.

Hope that helps.  

[Doug Thomas]

Bob,

 

In your experience, is varnish "smoother" than Sikkins Cetol Gloss? It's possible the PO used varnish.

 

I've had some areas I've had to remove all the finish and start over with bare wood. In those areas, I'm applying 3-4 coats of Cetol Marine (amber tone) or Cetol Light (gold tone) followed by 3-5 coats of Cetol Gloss. I'm about half way through those projects.

 

As a suggestion to others, next time I'm going to try to do this inside. The product instructions address sunlight and heat, but overlooked wind. If there's any breeze, sand/dirt contaminants will end up in the finish and give it a gritty feel. Looks OK, but you can feel the grit. I'll wait till next year's application to sand it down with super fine paper (400-600 grit) before applying the next coat.

 

Doug

[Bohn, Steve]

I have been varnishing my my mahoghany bulkhead exterior after a month it turns  ashen white where exposed to elements is cetol a better way to go??

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[Doug Thomas]

I've not heard of that happening with Cetol. But I'm just a newbie with Cetol, so I can't say much with authority. I'll try to update this post with what I learn re: Cetol as I gain more experience.

[Bob S]

Cetol is generally much better in the sun. I live in cloudy Seattle so we have it pretty easy here. The only issue is that a cracked varnish finish gets wet immediately and stains the wood, requiring a complete sanding. 

[Bob S]

For me varnish can be beautiful, with a deep glassy look. This however requires a bunch of coats beginning with a thin coat going to a thicker application(maybe 10 coats). The key is to keep at it every 6 months after that. If you can't -definately use Cetol. After 15 years of fighting the elements to keep my railing beautiful I had a custom sunbrella cover made to protect it. Now its blue most of the time. 

[waterguy]

Cetol is great at resisting UV degradation, but I don't like the pumpkin-orange color.  I prefer to stain bare wood (usually Philippine mahogany on Uniflites) with an oil-based stain, like Minwax.  I used to use Behr, but I don't know if they make an oil-based stain any more.  I generally use Natural color stain, or maybe Golden Oak on light-colored wood.  The order is:  sand with 180-grit until smooth, wipe down with acetone, then stain (tack off with a tack cloth right in front of the area you're staining), let dry, sand with 220-grit, then varnish using your choice of varnish thinned by about 25%, let dry, sand with 220, wipe down with acetone.  For coats 2 and 3, varnish with 10% thinned, tacking off right ahead of you, and sanding and wiping down between coats.  For coats 4 - 10, apply varnish full strength, scuff-sanding with 320-grit, with the usual acetone wipe down and tacking before application, etc. etc.

My personal preference for varnish is Epifanes Wood Finish (gloss or satin finish).  Has the consistency of honey and builds up nicely.  Also has a 72-hour open time between recoats (as opposed to 24-hour with Epifanes varnish).  But preferences of varnish are guaranteed to start fights, so this is just my opinion.  

Once you've laid a good basis, upkeep depends on how much direct sunlight it gets, because the UV is what kills it.  In the Northwest, a once-a-year light sanding and a couple of finish coats should be all that's required; but in South Florida, it could be a four-times-a-year job on exterior brightwork.

I cannot too highly recommend that you pick up Rebecca Wittman's book, "Brightwork Companion," which contains all the woodworking information in her massive tome, "Brightwork."  By all means, pick up "Brightwork" too, but it's more of a coffee-table picture book of beautiful woodwork, with accompanying text.  The "Companion" is what you want to have by your side when you go to do the actual work. As low as $14.87 new on Amazon.

[Kerry Lebel]

Brilliant.  I'm printing this one out.  

Kerry

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