Cloudy Varnish

[OhWell]

Before I try, I'm curious if anyone has any ideas on how to fix this door?  
Will it buff out or wet sand?  Can it be striped and varnished?
I expect the veneer is paper thin. 


  
Thank you in advance

[eoin2020]

Nov 19, 2022 17:18:58 GMT OhWell said:

Before I try, I'm curious if anyone has any ideas on how to fix this door?  
Will it buff out or wet sand?  Can it be striped and varnished?
I expect the veneer is paper thin. 

Hi there,

I'm not an expert so I'll be interested in other's opinions here too but that looks like what's called 'Varnish Blooming'.

That's caused from moisture on the uncured varnish surface during the curing stages and or high humidity in the air of the factory when applied.
It can or could also have happened if a previous owner also applied varnish with out adhering to correct procedures.

But yeah it can be sanded off and varnish re applied but as you say you're not sure of the veneer thicknesses..... so sand carefully!

I've tried once in the past to sand and buff (careful with buffing RPM speeds as you can burn the varnish) a bloomed varnish cabinet. But while I did get a lovely mirror sheen on the surface the bloom was still within the varnish coating. 

Hope this helps throw some insight into your quandary. 

[Tafika II]

I only have varnished the exterior toe rail, but between coats, it has turned a matte finish & looks similar to your photo. Mine was caused by varnishing too late in the afternoon and moisture landing on the surfaces during the evening. I did a light sanding and revarnished without incident.

[rxc]

One other thought. Is it possible that this wood is fading, due to sunlight exposure? We try to keep the sun completely out of the boat interior, but there are always some places where the sunlight manages to get in, and we see some bleaching.