Re-finishing Cetol-ed Brightwork

[Kenneth K]

I've never worked with Cetol before, so it's a bit of a mystery to me. I'm pretty sure my handrails and taffrail are Cetol treated from their orange-ish appearance. I actually don't mind the look. Not as nice as a quality varnish job perhaps, but I still prefer it to gray weathering.



As you work towards my companionway, the finish seems to shift to varnish--the hatchboards, the trim on the companionway hatch, etc. It's this piece that goes above the sliding companionway hatch I'm not sure about:



I'm thinking it might be Cetol becuase of the way it cracked/crazed in almost a grid-like pattern. It's also apparent that different coatings were used in different places (notice the discoloration around all the screw/bung holes). I removed the piece and sanded it thoroughly but it seems the wood still has a bit of an orange-ish tint to it (versus the non-coated side which sanded down to a normal brown-ish teak). Does Cetol penetrate that deeply into the wood that it would still be evident after sanding? Does this mean I have to use Cetol again, or can varnish be applied after sanding off Cetol? Is Cetol a time-saver over the years versus varnish?

Thanks.

 

[Frank Langer]

Hi Ken,
It's a bit hard to tell from the pics, but I think older Cetol looks even more orange. I'm guessing that you have older varnish, though I'm looking at it on a smart phone screen. I'll be interested in what others think.
If it looks too thick, or is cracked / crazing, I would strip it and apply several coats new varnish, but if it looks reasonable, a light sand and revarnish might be ok.
I have used both cetol and varnish. In my opinion Cetol is more forgiving, but varnish looks better.
Frank

 

[tenders]

I think Cetol is a more sensible finish than varnish, too. Also keep in mind that its color changes over time - but it comes in a few shades, including clear, which you can put over older colored Cetol as renewal/protection.

The problems occur when you try to sand a section to touch it up, which is what I think happened to your curved point. You just can't match the aged color. The solutions are either prevention or resignation - put a clear coat or two on a year even if it still looks good, or just suck up the fact that you'll have to completely strip and redo it after several years and feel decent about the fact that it's easier and more forgiving to apply than varnish.

 

[Christian Williams]

I don't have an answer and know zero about Cetol (I'm a varnish guy).

But if you swipe that newly sanded trim piece with alcohol, the momentary result will look pretty much like what varnish would. Varnishes are different, of course. Interlux Schooner varnish, which I use, darkens to honey color, which tends to hide some imperfections.

Re that "before-sanding" trim photo--hard to tell, but that ridged build-up could also have been varnish applied too thick. The result is sometimes called "alligators."

 

[u079721]

Well I was a Cetol type of guy, and that cracking and crazing does not look like Cetol, which (in my experience) tends to stay flexible and just wear away, not crack. My regimen was sand down to bare wood, and apply three coats of the colored Cetol (the orangey looking stuff), and then at least three coats of Cetol clear over it. Then each season I did a quick sanding and application of a single coat of clear. Seemed to work just fine, BUT I was in the Great Lakes, with the boat wintering inside a barn - so my sun exposure was not that great. I felt the Cetol was worth it because it didn't fail like varnish can, though I also didn't think it ever looked quite as good. As for the staining, I would have thought it would all come off with sanding, so I don't know what you're seeing.

 

[Bolo]

Cetol preferred

I've never worked with Cetol before, so it's a bit of a mystery to me. I'm pretty sure my handrails and taffrail are Cetol treated from their orange-ish appearance. I actually don't mind the look. Not as nice as a quality varnish job perhaps, but I still prefer it to gray weathering.

View attachment 28212 View attachment 28213

As you work towards my companionway, the finish seems to shift to varnish--the hatchboards, the trim on the companionway hatch, etc. It's this piece that goes above the sliding companionway hatch I'm not sure about:

View attachment 28214 View attachment 28215

I'm thinking it might be Cetol becuase of the way it cracked/crazed in almost a grid-like pattern. It's also apparent that different coatings were used in different places (notice the discoloration around all the screw/bung holes). I removed the piece and sanded it thoroughly but it seems the wood still has a bit of an orange-ish tint to it (versus the non-coated side which sanded down to a normal brown-ish teak). Does Cetol penetrate that deeply into the wood that it would still be evident after sanding? Does this mean I have to use Cetol again, or can varnish be applied after sanding off Cetol? Is Cetol a time-saver over the years versus varnish?

Thanks.

That looks like old varnish to me also. I've been using Cetol for quite awhile now and I'd be the first to agree that it doesn't look as good as varnish, close up. At more of a distance I can't really tell a difference especially with the newer Cetol. I started using it because when I was using varnish on the taffrail it wouldn't last a season. I was told later, by someone more experienced in varnish, that water was getting under the taffrail, being absorbed by the wood and then, when the heat of the Chesapeake Bay summer came, would evaporate and push the varnish finish off the wood from behind. It would discolor and blister. When I opened the blister there was moisture. Cetol allows moisture to pass through it and not cause blistering. Now if this a true explanation of what was really happening (moisture pushing the varnish off) I can't say but what I do know is that after using Cetol I never had that problem. I now use it on all of the on deck wood surfaces. I like to sail more then I like to varnish.

 

[Kenneth K]

Cetol preferred

I was told later, by someone more experienced in varnish, that water was getting under the taffrail, being absorbed by the wood.....

Would that be an argument in favor of treating the underside of brightwork with CPES?

Some of the varnished trim pieces I've removed where heavily bedded in silicone. Maybe that was a PO's way of trying to stop water abosrbtion from below.

.....It didn't work.

 

[tenders]

In my experience exterior epoxy coatings are a ticking time bomb. In theory, they lock the wood down permanently, but in practice, there is a weak link somewhere and once that is breached the failure spreads significantly. It all has to be removed - and when it does, it’s very difficult.

I would instead suggest cleaning and treating the underside of brightwork with Cetol, not CPES.