Stripping interior wood surfaces on your boat

Over time, the wood on your boat interior may need stripping. It may have lost its shine and turned dull due to unsatisfactory finishes; there may be loose varnish or water may have seeped into it causing damage. Whatever the reasoning, it may be time to strip the surface of the wood and start afresh.

Now, stripping the wood back can be hard work and a time-consuming task. Some people opt for paying a professional to do the job on their behalf. However, doing it yourself is always going to be cheaper. It is important to do some prep work beforehand though.

Options for stripping wood

One option is just to use a scraper. Not only is this incredibly time consuming, but you also run the very high risk of damaging the wood in the process, and that is the last thing you want. The alternative is to employ the use of a chemical stripper, to ease along the removal process.

Before you begin stripping the wood, whichever process you opt for, it’s important to prepare the surface. This will involve the removal of any debris and any loose paint by brushing it away.

Touch test before use

To use a chemical stripper such as DSP 800, always run a test first. This will allow you to gauge how long it will take the chemical to work on average on the surface that you are applying it to. This is most commonly referred to as a touch test. Assuming any finishes that have been applied were evenly spread across the surface, will give you a good indication of the working time for the stripper to remove your old coatings.

Using the test’s findings, apply the product and allow it to do its thing. Then through the combination of a scraper and a soft brush, remove the stripper and coating. It’s important that as you strip the wood, you clean as you go. It will be a lot easier to get the job done with the assistance of another person.

After the use of DSP 800, it’s imperative that the instructions are followed to prevent paraffin particles being present on the surface. Rinsing the surface off thoroughly with water or white spirit will help to remove any paraffin residue that has been left behind. This will prevent the new surface being adversely affected. It’s always important to make sure that you finish the job off correctly. You don’t have to redo the whole process again.

Use with caution – check your surface for compatibility

It’s important not to use DSP 800 on surfaces at risk of dissolving such as GRP and plastics due to its volatile nature.

Other uses of DSP 800

Aside from boats, the product can also be used on other wooden surfaces elsewhere. However, it is always important to follow the instructions when using DSP 800. We also recommend to do a small test first to gauge the effectiveness and compatibility.

Wooden surfaces on the exterior of the boat should be treated with either Prepdeck or Marine Strip. Both are suitable for use on most surfaces, including glass reinforced plastic (GRP). The reasons for this is it’s much easier and quicker to strip using a stripper which is rinsed with water using a pressure washer. Obviously this is not possible for most interior wood surfaces hence using DSP 800, a dry stripper, instead.

When the wooden surfaces on your boat are looking tired and weary, stripping them back and starting again will give the boat a real face lift on the whole. Using these readily available products, will not only speed up the process but they will help protect the surfaces going forward.

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We hope you found this post on stripping interior wood surfaces on your boat interesting! If you have any other advice or top tips, please feel free to leave them in the comments below. We love hearing from you!

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