Hello Comander owners. I am new to boat ownership and am working to revitalize Fancy. i have started to sand the upper cabin and have noticed that the mahogany ply and the solid pieces have different colors once sanded. I do want to have a balanced look and really don't know if i should stain first or what to do. turning to this forum to help me. hoping this is the best place to get this information.
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I'd go with some recommendations from Jeremy (he's a real professional and his work is out of this world)... but...
I used a filler stain made by a company that is unfortunately no longer in business (Velvit Oil). I used a shade call "Warm Cherry." I am looking for a replacement for our aft stairs I am working on now, and also for the helm area headliner trim that I'll hopefully start working on this year. But... my steps were as follows for the interior...
Stripped
Sanded (Mostly 180 grit, but where I had to work paint out of the fibers of the wood, I started with 80, being careful not to get too crazy on the plywood - the old stuff is thick, but still, you don't want to burn through it).
Stained - using the filler stain.
1st coat varnish - Epifanes clear gloss - thinned 50% with Epifanes thinner.
2nd coat varnish - Epifanes clear gloss - thinned 25% with Epifanes thinner
Sand (hand sanded with a larger sized surface (I used 3M sandpaper - it's purple, and does not clog easily from the varnish - 120 grit)
3rd coat varnish - Epifanes clear gloss - thinned about 10% with Epifanes thinner
Sand - 120 grit, use a tack cloth to wipe down - you'll start to see that your sanding will leave a mostly "white" surface... to show you easily that your surface is starting to get smooth.
4th coat varnish - Epifanes clear gloss - thinned about 10% with Epifanes thinner.
Sand - 220 grit, tack cloth
5th coat varnish - Epifanes clear gloss - thinned about 10% with Epifanes thinner.
Sand - 220 grit tack cloth
6th coat varnish - Epifanes Rubbed Effect - not thinned. This left me with a non-gloss satin finish. I really like this look (my dad did it in my parent's 38 Commander and I like the "soft" look of it. One coat usually worked fine .. In some instances, I needed a second coat of it (no sanding in between), but usually a single coat was just fine.
6/7 coats of varnished worked well for me, and after about 12/13 seasons now, and varying degrees of sunlight, I can say that the Epifanes varnish has held up great... it looks the same as it did when I put it on. Epifanes has a good content of UV inhibitors in it. You'll have a lot of opinions on varnishes, stains, etc... read comments do some research, and pick what you are comfortable with.
Oh, for anything exterior, skipped the Rubbed Effect Epifanes, and just went with full clear gloss... although I've had some frustration with dust - Jeremy has told me (and probably this year I will attach my aft seating table) to sand it down with a high grit paper and go at it with compound and a buffer.
Hope this helps, but for sure I'm not a pro... I did what worked for me, and I tried to do the best job I can, keeping in mind that we want to use the boat, not show it - and I don't want to freak out if something get scratched... although a nice thing about wood and varnish... it can be fixed fairly easily. Take what I've provided... ask others, and as you go you'll see what works best for you!
Chris