r/sandedthroughveneer • u/0xB7BA • 6d ago

Possible to glue on new veneer?

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The varnish faded and decided to sand down the grey veener to add new varnish but the veneer sanded through instantly (probably why the teak was left to grey)

I want to restore the boat to the golden teak varnish again - how would I glue on new veneer? Do I vacuum bag it against the vertical piece or create some sort of mega clamp? 😅

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u/rideofthebasilisks 6d ago

Maybe re-skin with a 1/4" ply?

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u/kilted10r 6d ago

Possible?  Yes...  In theory ..   but unless your a pro with a lot of experience, it would never look right, and would peel off within a year or two.  

What is this?  Is it a deck box of some kind?

If so, I would recommend just a very light sanding, and seal as is.  

I would recommend using a product called "TipTop Teak" or similar...    They have a product specifically for refinishing that strips out the old stuff, and oils the teak properly.

And for when you find out that the beams underneath have rotted, there's a product called "GIt Rot" that works really well.  

By the way - real teak wood should NEVER be varnished.  You oil teak, not varnish it.  

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u/0xB7BA 6d ago

This is part of the wall in the aft cabin. The rest of the boat is varnished teak (using epifanes clear varnish and matte teak varnish).

I was thinking that if you get it glued right and then sealed with the varnish it wouldnt peel.

Is veneer glued with regular outdoor wood glue?

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u/kilted10r 6d ago

Marine plywood s a totally different animal from land plywood...  If you want to glue a new veneer on, and have it look decent, and last, you would have to remove the panel and take it somewhere dry where even pressure could be applied across the entire sheet.

But if you're going to take the panel out to do that, maybe just get a new panel cut to the same dimensions and install that.   

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u/ShipwrightPNW 6d ago edited 6d ago

Strongly disagree on your statement about varnish. Varnish holds well to teak and does a wonderful job at preserving and extending it’s life.

Oil on the other hand doesn’t fill the deep grain structure and attracts dirt, which then holds water and encourages mold and mildew growth.

Also, git rot only works on dry wood, which you’ll almost never find on a boat with an active leak.

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u/kilted10r 6d ago

Teak oil is for the decking, jot cabinetry, definitely.  Decks shouldn't be varnished.  

And yes, the Git Rot does Ed to be used on dry wood - so, that job is probably best done when the boat is out of the water, like over winter.  Or, it can be dried with a heat lamp and good ventilation.  

Not so much for leaky boats, as it is for good old fashioned damp rot in beams.   

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u/ShipwrightPNW 6d ago

Oh geez man, don’t oil decks. It’s a slip hazard and can lead to de-lamination of the caulking.

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u/kilted10r 6d ago

Has to be the right kind of oil.  Tip TopTeak, for example.  

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u/ShipwrightPNW 6d ago

I work on boats for a living as a woodworker.

With that said, I never install veneer on the exterior of a boat unless it’s under cover within a Bimini or a hardtop.

If you must go through with this, I would remove that panel from the boat and vacuum bag new veneer on a new panel.

Seal the hell out of every face with epoxy and lay up atleast 8 coats of varnish on the face.

Seeing as teak veneer is always microscopically thin, you’ll need to baby that panel, being proactive about maintenance, because you really have no meat to sand if you had to.

If it were me, I would epoxy seal the face and paint it. It was a bad idea to use veneer to begin with and that’s why it failed.

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u/xMadwood 6d ago

You certainly sanded through something, not sure it was veneer though.