refinishing wooden dash

[HappyJack]

Hi folks,

Someone told me the other day “gee Jack, you need to do something about that ‘gawd-awfu’ dash on your TD.”  So, since I needed to cut a slot in the dash to raise the steering column anyway, I decided to clean and refinish the dash.  

I thought that the dash was Mahogany but the wood was in such bad shape it was hard to tell.  It is actually a pretty nice Cherry, about 7/8″ thick and nice and solid with no cracks.

So far, I used WATCO natural Danish Oil on it to keep the Cherry edges from darkening too much and on the front to keep it from absorbing the stain unevenly and getting blotches.  Then I applied gel stain.

Now it’s time for the final clear finish.  I am also a woodworker in my other hobby, but most of my stuff is for “inside”  I’m not familiar with protecting wood going into a car.  I want a nice smooth satin finish top coat, but it also needs to be well protected from the elements.  The car is prone to rain drops hitting the dash from the driver’s side in a light drizzle with the side curtains off.

Can someone advise as to the best top coat to put on this dash?  — Thanks  Here’s a “before” shot and in process shot.  

HappyJack2013-07-02 10:05:12

[john barry]

jack
your Dash looks awesome !!

[john barry]

jack
being an old sailor
i would say any good marine varnish that is compatible with your stains.I like captains varnish
Z Spars Captain’s Varnish 1015 highly regarded for its ease of application, outstanding gloss retention and tough yet flexible durability. 6-7 coats should do it

[Gabor Kesseru]

For a solid board dash I recommend a lot of coats of an oil finish, like teak oil or tung oil topped with paste wax. Be sure to do both sides identical so the board won’t cup. Problem with a high gloss varnish on solid hardwood boards is that the moisture changes from summer dry to winter moist will cause the board to expand significantly across the grain. Think of a thick high gloss finish as a plastic container that does not change size very much. When the wood expands then the finish will crack, usually at the edges first. I like teak oil because is penetrates the wood better than any other oil varnish. Plywood, on the other hand, is pre-stressed in both directions and will not change size very much (except for thickness). For this reason, plywood will have less of a problem and can probably be varnished with spar varnish. Topping with automobile clearcoat works on plywood because it has UV protection built in.

[HappyJack]

Hmm — I can see where a varying moisture content’s effect on Poly-sealed hardwood (in this case Cherry)  could cause cracking and splitting over time.   I have some Teak oil, as well as Walnut oil (for wood turnings) — or I can just continue to add coats of WATCO Danish Oil on top of the gel stain that I’ve already applied.

I’ll try the WATCO oil finish on some scrap and see how it looks when dry.  Hoping to continue that nice Matt glow that Cherry can take on given the right top coat.

  Naturally, I want it done “now” and don’t want to wait for the required drying time.  But I guess I need to “do it right” vice “do it fast.”

[john barry]

or clear epoxy both sides and then captains varnish..

[Gabor Kesseru]

Being a woodworker, you probably already know that no wood darkens faster in  the sun than cherry. Expect a deep brown red eventually. Sometimes it’s visible within hours. Walnut is the opposite, lightening over time.

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