looking to use oak on inside of boat cuddy cabin?????

[sampler]

What iam looking to do is use 1/4 x 1"x5/8 oak strips to redo the inside of my cuddy cabin. looking for if this is a good idea or bad idea? also if its a good idea what should i use for it as in should i use a oil or satin and what kind? also should i use a varisnh finish on the wood. like the shiney finish look. i try this two year ago with 4'x8' 1/4 thick oak sheet plywood which must have been just lamnet oak on the outside. and when i open then boat from winter storage found that all the wood had mildo and warp out of shape. all help is welcome. also the reason for using oak because cant afford teak or mahogany.

 

[BWT]

Re: looking to use oak on inside of boat cuddy cabin?????

Solid wood will be fine to use; I am doing this very same project for a customer but using quarter sawn teak (1 3/8 W x 3/8 T). For my project I put a 30 degree bevel on the side of each strip so that when they are butted up it looks like bead board. Each plank secured with brass screws. When finished will look very nice. What kind of oak are you using? With the narrow width of your planks they should not move much (certainly nor like the ply you used before... Just make sure to secure them every 16" - 24" or so.. The big factor is how dry the wood is to begin with. If it's all kiln dried then it's good to do.

As far as finish, I personally do not recommend a high gloss for an interior. My preference is a satin or flat. For my project I am using a teak oil, but for you a satin polyurethane would work well. Also, you have the option of staining before finish (oak stains well). Lots of choices. Should look great when finished. Do some testing on scrap to get the finish you're looking for. Also, helps to have everything pre-finished before installation (a lot easier than trying to do this over-head )

Please post some progress pics!!

~BWT

 

[sampler]

Re: looking to use oak on inside of boat cuddy cabin?????

thank for the help. i use a polyurethane gloss finish last time for a finish. that why i was wondering about a varnish finish to keep it from mildo? just wondering if that would work?

 

[BWT]

Re: looking to use oak on inside of boat cuddy cabin?????

The finish isn't really what failed when you used the ply, it was the ply itself. Probably not a high quality core and absorbed moisture like a sponge. There will be a big difference this time around using solid wood. You can certainly use varnish if you like, but typically varnish over a light color wood ends up looking like pine (it yellows over time). If there are any black spots or streaks in the new lumber, might not be a bad idea to go over it with a bleach mixture to kill any spores that may be present (before finishing).

Hope this helps!

~BWT