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Ever since I was introduced to Sikkens Cetol Marine in 1995 I've been so impressed
with it that I've recoated all the bright work on Panache. That took a couple of years considering weather conditions, etc. In 1999 I coated my tiller four coats, scraping it down to bare wood. That took a fair amount of effort. Two
years later and the finish is still perfect with no sign of peeling or
wear. But in 2002 I finally applied the first maintenance coat which I now try to do annually. An ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure and all that.
The real beauty of this product is:
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Sheds liquids like water off a duck's back.
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Passes vapour one way only, OUT, just like Gortex.
This breathing property guarantees
that all water vapour passes out of the wood into the
atmosphere. This maintains the
residual moisture content of the wood at its optimum. It's the expanding vapour in the hot sun
that lifts varnish and other solid coatings off the surface.
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Four coats is a 100% UV block.
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It wears very well under foot.
There is a version for vertical
surfaces and another for horizontal.
NO sanding between coats, only washing with soap to make sure the
surface is clean for good adhesion.
However, if there are tiny bumps or pointy things it is OK to do a light scrub with a Scotch Brite pad between coats. Cetol Marine is 100% compatible with Sika-Flex adhesives which is perfect for bright work installed on a
deck to ensure that no water creeps under it to soak into the
wood.
However, all wood should still be installed on top of a thin plastic spacer to keep it high and dry off the
deck. It is quite OK to apply a fillet of Sikaflex over the spacer to hide
it. Requires an annual maintenance coat depending
on the climate or severity of service it is exposed to.
May be extended to 2 years with exposure to mild weather. If you want to make a non-skid top coat for areas that are
exposed to water spray, sprinkle some fine dry mason's sand
on the second coat
while it is still wet. Use a salt shaker with large holes and
sprinkle lightly. Apply a top coat of Cetol Marine over the sprinkled grit to lock the sand in. If the finish is too coarse then add more coats of Cetol Marine till it
imbeds the sand to a texture you like. The deeper the sand is
imbedded, the stronger the bond. This is especially important for wood steps on
your boarding ladder or the companionway steps into the cabin.
This remarkable combination of properties prevents the coating from
lifting off like varnish does. But no matter how good a product is,
preparation is everything. In fact when the Canadian technical
representative attended one of our sail club meetings, more than three
quarters of
the discussion time was focused on wood preparation. So click on the
preparation guide pages below to learn more about it.
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Prep Guide Page 1
- Preparation Procedures.
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Prep Guide Page 2 - Preparation Procedures, Cont'd.
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Prep Guide Page 3
- Areas of use & Maintenance Procedures.
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Prep Guide Page 4 - Application Procedures.
NOTES
Stir the Cetol often as you apply it. This brings the UV blocking compound up from the bottom of the can. Don't shake the Cetol. This introduces air bubbles that may end up on your finished work. The original Sikkens Cetol finish from 1995 is now available as Sikkens Cetol Marine. I have two cans of the marine version and treat them like gold. The none marine version of Cetol has a milky colour that I use for land based projects. The milky stuff must be stirred every 5 minutes to keep the UV block in suspension. This ensures an even application of UV block over the project. Sikkens Cetol Marine is
available at select qualified retailers only. From what the factory
representative told me, a retailer must pass an authorized painting course
to be qualified to sell Cetol Marine. Akzo Nobel is the parent company. You can find them on the
web at Sikkens.
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