In Section 1, we discussed how to get ready for applying some varnish on your brightwork; let’s now begin our work.
Step 3- Varnishing, Let’s Get Ready
Supplies We Will Need
Your choice of varnish
Mineral spirits
Foam brushes ( I prefer the ones from Wal-Mart)
Tack rags
Bleach
If you are starting with raw teak you may desire to use the Cetol Marine which has some pigment in it. I prefer to use 2 coats of it on raw wood to give it a nice color to it. I follow this with 4 coatings of gloss . On teak previously finished, I use only gloss. Obviously each year, the varnish builds up so you’ll have to strip it down to bare teak and start over every 5-6 years or so.
This past year I only applied 3 coats of gloss as I stripped it down to bare teak last year.
Cetol advises not to thin their product with thinners. Forget that! I cut my Cetol with mineral spirits at least 30%; if its in the 90 degree temperatures and up to 50%. The rational for doing this is that it allows the Cetol to flow and level itself, reducing the uneven results you will get otherwise. Cetol right out of the can will flow to a greater extent like honey than a paint.
My choice of applicator is a 2 inch foam brush. No brush hairs to deal with and it spreads on oh so smooth.
Step 4- Let’s Lay Some Varnish
Okay, we are almost prepared but there’s one more step you need to do. Bright work has a tendency to get mold beneath the varnish on the wood over time. You’ll want to kill any potential spores with a rag moistened with bleach and wiped over the surface before the first coat. The bleach will not raise the grain nor will it harm any bare wood.
OK, let’s varnish.
Moisten the foam brush with Cetol and apply the varnish to the teak in about 6-10 inch stokes. Apply it lightly to avoid runs always watching your work to catch that run that does occur. Always keep a wet edge, meaning you work your way into the previously wetted surfaces to avoid drags from drying varnish. The going appears slow but it moves quickly.
You’ll need to let each coat dry before reapplying another; weather permitting, I can apply three or four in a day. Be sure to use a tack rag to remove any dust before laying another coat. There is no need to sand between coats when using Cetol.
About 6 coats will give you a gorgeous finish.
Time – 2 hours each coat
Total application time – 6 hours
Step 4- Clean Up
Think back, we put the tape on particular spots for catching the missed brush strokes? It took me about 5 minutes to remove it all. I passed nearly 4 hours with a Dremel tool and brush some time ago removing the varnish that the Patricia Ann’s previous owner had “applied”.
It looks pretty good. All said and done, it took my wife and I a total of 8.5 hours out of a 2 day weekend to get the bright work back into Bristol condition. So its not such an ordeal after all if you know how to do it.