The previous owner of my new pride and joy must have done his varnishing at sea with a 6" wall papering brush in a force 10. There is more on the fibreglass interior trim than on the wood itself. does any one know of a good product for removing these unsightly stains?
Thank You
We have a similar problem. I removed the varnished teak and holly from the cabin sole- it was just too far gone to try and save. When they varnished it, there was the enevitable dust and dirt under the edges that got varnished too. Some careful work with a razor scraper has gotten some of it, but that method is too tedious to get it all. We are looking for something better. I thought maybe some paint stripper, but the ones I have checked say do not use on fiberglass...
Most paint stripper does indeed soften gel coat. There are a few out there that won't. I would recommend an auto refinishing paint store and ask them what they recommend to uses on a corvette as they are fiberglass.
I found an orange citrus product that is sold in Home Depot. It is a bio friendly product that actually works! Most green products just don't work and they defeat their purpose by having to use twice as much or throwing it out altogether because it just won't do the job. This stuff works and smells nice to boot.
As for the teak and holly sole, nothing could be much worse than mine. The teak sanded up but the holly was stained black from water and bilge slime. I ended up giving the sanded floor one coat of varnish and painted the holly back to color with an artist brush and some paint I found in a hobby store where it was bad. It was a military color or model railroad paint of some sort and it matched very nicely. If you would like, I can rummage through my stuff to try and find the bottle. After a couple more coats of varnish it is almost impossible to tell the holly was black. This is a time consuming project, but I did a little at a time just before closing the boat up and it is almost finished.
Good sailing... Dale Tanski
My first response was to tell you to use citristrip http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100141801 (http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100141801) (probably what Maruska is referring to) it does say to test small spot before using on fiberglass.
Other options that are usually safe for plastics: Lift Off & Goo Gone 2 (waterbase formula)
I go right past a Home Depot on my way home- I will stop and pick up a jug of Citrustrip and give it a try.
Our teak and holly is already gone. It was delaminated and moldy between the laminates. We are filling the screw holes with epoxy and will apply nonskid paint to the cabin sole. One day the question will be "Do we clean house or go swimming?" I will be able to slosh a bucket of water on the cabin sole, pass a mop over it and we will go swimming while it dries...
I have to agree the razor blade works but leaves scratches which become harder to remove than the varnish and deeper as the willpower fades. I will try the Citrusip and put my trust in chemistry.
As for my Teak and Holly sole It is completely beyond saving. The individual laminate strips have come loose in some areas and are scattered to the winds. she needs a complete new floor which is beyond the bank for now, unfortunately I have to hide whats left with a carpet which gives more of a cottage feel than a ships cabin.
Thanks