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How to renovate above the gunnels?


Petalsnow

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We are in the middle of renovating our narrowboat (aren't we all..) and have come to the point where we need to rip off the material that is above the gunnels.

Firstly, I'm not sure what the material that is on there currently is called. It is glued on and thicker than wallpaper, easy to clean (wipeable) but peeling at the sides and a grotty colour. Other than it being grotty/peeling in multiple places it is inoffensive but haven't been able to find anything like it anywhere. Any ideas what it would be called? Picture attached of this.

We have put wood in under the gunnels and are wondering what others have done above the gunnels to complement? It potentially would be difficult for us to paint due to the glue that is already on the underside of the wood. I've heard about vinyl, wallpapering, carpeting.

We do have leaky windows/condensation so questionable what is suitable. Thoughts welcome!

wall.jpeg

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I'd call that leathercloth and you'll find that sort of thing in auto restoration type of places. I have painted my upper sides which were very rough ply, it took about eight coats, though I was a bit reckless, I should have spent more time sanding. You can probably  get leathercloth off easily. It's a case of trial and error.

Edited by LadyG
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21 minutes ago, David Mack said:

I think you're right! We did think it was something like what they have on yachts. Thank you so much!

20 minutes ago, LadyG said:

I'd call that leathercloth and you'll find that sort of thing in auto restoration type of places. I have painted my upper sides which were very rough ply, it took about eight coats, though I was a bit reckless, I should have spent more time sanding. You can probably  get leathercloth off easily. It's a case of trial and error.

Brilliant! It's really useful to know that you managed to paint though. Thats really helpful thank you.

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What wood is under the vinyl type material? Is just a far Eastern type ply? Do you know what condition it is in? Its very much going to depend on how stable the underboard is, and how the fabric was attached.  If its in good condition, I'd probably try machine sanding it with the grain, if there is one, paint it, starting with zinsser primer, finishing with an oil based paint. Then trim to your taste. If its in poor condition however, I'd rip it off and use new ply, first sealing it with an oil based varnish behind. Then treat it as you wish,  oil, varnish or paint.

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Agree with @Ally about Zinsser quality, I have gone for white paint above gunnels, just to make it light and airy as I am on board 24/7 in winter, I have added varnished solid oak trim, not too expensive, but looks very smart . 

With a solid fuel fire, grubby black fingermarks seem to appear on a regular basis, so it is important that the surface is wipe clean, my last  (and I hope , final coat), was white , scrubable, with a seven year life expected , according to Zinsser. .... I tried Crown, I tried B and Q, and Aldi. If I started again, it would be coarse sanding, filling holes,  medium sanding,, thin coat primer, standard coat primer, light sanding, one undecoat, one top coat, or maybe two, all a bit 'ad hoc', as one usually has to buy litre tins, and sometimes 2.5 l tins.

Edited by LadyG
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On 21/02/2021 at 17:45, Ally said:

What wood is under the vinyl type material? Is just a far Eastern type ply? Do you know what condition it is in? Its very much going to depend on how stable the underboard is, and how the fabric was attached.  If its in good condition, I'd probably try machine sanding it with the grain, if there is one, paint it, starting with zinsser primer, finishing with an oil based paint. Then trim to your taste. If its in poor condition however, I'd rip it off and use new ply, first sealing it with an oil based varnish behind. Then treat it as you wish,  oil, varnish or paint.

I'm not sure on the ply. It is sturdy but the fabric was glued down so would definitely need some work! You advice is really helpful. Thanks so much!

 

9 hours ago, LadyG said:

Agree with @Ally about Zinsser quality, I have gone for white paint above gunnels, just to make it light and airy as I am on board 24/7 in winter, I have added varnished solid oak trim, not too expensive, but looks very smart . 

With a solid fuel fire, grubby black fingermarks seem to appear on a regular basis, so it is important that the surface is wipe clean, my last  (and I hope , final coat), was white , scrubable, with a seven year life expected , according to Zinsser. .... I tried Crown, I tried B and Q, and Aldi. If I started again, it would be coarse sanding, filling holes,  medium sanding,, thin coat primer, standard coat primer, light sanding, one undecoat, one top coat, or maybe two, all a bit 'ad hoc', as one usually has to buy litre tins, and sometimes 2.5 l tins.

This sounds so lovely. I really appreciate knowing how you would recommend painting if you did it again. This will help massively! I think we will be going white too as we are also liveaboard. Totally agree on the wipeable aspect!

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