Care of the Interior Wood

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jeleuen
Posts: 102
Joined: Sat Oct 31, 2009 8:29 pm

Care of the Interior Wood

Post by jeleuen »

This forum is wonderful for helpful information from Born Free owners so I thank you in advance for your comments to follow. Anyway, my coach is a late 2002 and the oak walls, cabinetry have probably never received more than dusting. Today I bought Pledge furniture spray and also Howard Restor a Finish from Home Depot and intend to test both.
The cabinets still look good but at the Creede rally there was a coach which looked like cabinets had been polished and shined. Don't remember whose. Anyway, look forward to your suggestions about what you have tried. Thanks. John
The more the government provides, the more it is our Master.
jobrien

Post by jobrien »

Several years ago we bought a product called Orange Luster at an FMCA rally. We have used it on our home kitchen cabinets and also the cabinets and wood in the Born Free. It's a citrus based product and works well at removing grease and everyday dirt. It only takes a light wiping to clean the Born Free since it's mostly dust that gets on the wood.

We inherited a wooden secretary that was in an apartment where the was cigarette and pipe smoke. We thought the wood was a dark mahogeny until we started to clean it. It took a lot of time using the Orange Luster and extra fine steel wool, but underneath all that built up "stuff" was really nice cherry wood.

That's what works for us.

John
bigdipper
Posts: 353
Joined: Thu May 27, 2010 3:13 pm

Post by bigdipper »

Once or twice a year we use Wylers lemon oil. It kept a 2001 looking like new for 10 years.
Ralph
Ralph
2011 24RB
Former 2001 23RK
kiwijoe

2002 Wood cabinets. Oiled or Polyurethane?

Post by kiwijoe »

The strange things people do! The Previous owner of our 2002 BF used large quantities of adhesive tape to attach notes to the front of the cabinets above the sink. I have removed the adhesive but the finish is badly damaged to the point of being bare wood.
What I am not sure of is what actually is the finish? It seems to me to be more like oiled and polished wood. Or, is it a good quality polyurethane satin varnish?
Any input would be appreciated.

Geoff Arkley
Palm Desert, CA
rv4fun

Post by rv4fun »

If you have the oak cabinets, you might be able to use MinWax semi-gloss polyurethane. I've modified and added cabinetry to my 2001 Born Free using 3/4 oak and oak plywood. The MinWax finish on the modification work seems to be a fairly perfect match with the existing cabinets. However, I haven't yet re-finished any of the old cabinets.

You can always sand off the finish on the old cabinets and apply the MinWax. Better yet, you can probably lightly rub the surface with steel wool to finely rough up the surface and then apply minwax. Roughing up the surface with steel wool creates a surface that a coat of polyurethane can cling to. If you try this be sure to vacuum the steel wool and wood dust off the surface and wipe it with a cloth dampened with mineral spirits before applying the polyurethane.
tomdclark
Posts: 49
Joined: Wed Oct 05, 2005 7:50 pm

Post by tomdclark »

I agree with Larry's remarks about refinishing the oak but would emphasize his remarks about being careful to remove all the steel wool residue. The iron in the steel wool residue will, in time, react with the tannins in the oak and produce rather disgusting black spots. I read a remark by a woodworker in a woodworking site to the effect that he never let steel touch unfinished oak. (I wondered at the time how he ever sawed and shaped the wood in the first place, but oh well...).

When finishing oak I tend to use sandpaper or one of these sponge rubber sanding blocks sold by 3M, for example. Good Luck
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Mike Jean Bandfield
Posts: 513
Joined: Sun Aug 14, 2005 3:43 pm

Post by Mike Jean Bandfield »

There's a lot of good advice here and nothing I'd disagree with. I also do woodworking and will add my thoughts to the collective for what it's worth.

These days most cabinet shops use lacquer for it's ease of application, quick drying time and nice finish. The only problem with lacquer is that it is not as durable as polyurethane. Acetone and some oils like eucalyptus will dissolve lacquers. You might want to check with the factory and see what they used. Depending on their sources for the various components (i.e. the rotary sawn paneling used for the cabinets, raised panel doors, trim, etc.) some pieces may come pre-finished and they might not know what the finish is.

You never want to use an enamel over a lacquer finish but I suspect polyurethane over lacquer will work and look OK but the best results will be achieved when using like-on-like finishes. If the original is lacquer you'll get the best results touching up with lacquer. A spray lacquer goes on easy and dries in minutes. Dull the old surface lightly with #0000 steel wool, one of the new very fine sanding pads or a 320 or 400 grit sand paper. If spraying be sure and mask the surrounding areas.

As for cleaning any finished wood surface, I would recommend Murphy's oil soap as needed and a lemon oil polish occasionally when dusting.

On our coach, the oak trim around the galley and vanity counter tops cracked and flaked off within a couple of years from the repeated cleaning and frequent use of water in those areas. The old finish was easy to remove and I applied a couple of coats of polyurethane to the bare oak and that has endured nicely. I've also touched up the cabinets with spray can lacquer in a couple of spots.

We also have an oak floor in the BF which I'm pretty sure has an aluminum oxide coating from the flooring mfr. I has not require any repair work yet. We wash it with Murphy's as needed and apply an acrylic floor wax once every couple of years.

Mike
Mike & Jean
2005 26' RSS Diesel
Brent
Posts: 314
Joined: Tue May 16, 2006 4:53 pm

Post by Brent »

The oak cabinetry in my '99 looks new. The RV has always been under cover when not in use. I dust the wood when cleaning and make sure to use a Murphy's oil wipes for wood a couple of times a year.
Bornfree (1999 Rear Kitchen)
Traveling with Chester (The Boxer) - at least in spirit
harrisgowing
Posts: 338
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2008 5:30 pm

Post by harrisgowing »

I also use Murphys oil soap before our spring and fall trips and the wipes when it is really dusty when traveling. The wood looks great and I like its clean smell.

Judy
Chuck and Judy Harris
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