Milky polyester cabinet finish

[diverdude70]

Hello folks. I"ve been repairing and restoring wood boats or wood on boats for years. Recently I was asked to have a look at a Doral, 39' not sure of year or model, that has a problem with the finish on the galley and cabin cabinetry. OMG!
The glossy finish on the wood work has a milky -film- on the underside of the coating. "wood" being presswood with a thin veneer of course.
I have no experience with polyester, and all the research I have done has done nothing to encourage me One expert even said that it takes a nuclear device to strip it off! I experimented on a small area of the most obscure door I could risk and discovered that indeed this stuff is a nightmare. I'm going to price new doors, leaving me with the issue of all the panels that must remain in-situe. Or run away fast. Any one else seen this ?

 

[BSAFlash]

Re: Milky polyester cabinet finish

I don't like the sound of the recommended stripping method!
My cockpit table has gone milky, it started in a small patch but now covers most of the middle of the table.
The dealer blamed sun bleaching (the boat was 6mths old) despite the fact that the cover was the table and the boat covers over the top whenever the boat was not in use. I have seen this with acrylic clear coat in the past but it occurs during the drying process and is a result of excessive moisture in the air when spraying. As you say, the Doral issue starts from the bottom up not the top down. I can't image the need for a nuclear device to strip the coating but... The veneer is so thin that I doubt you will have sufficient depth to strip and sand without going through to the core material.

 

[diverdude70]

Re: Milky polyester cabinet finish

Thanx BSA. The boat in question is a 2006 Boca Grande, and very little sunlight gets through those little ports so it is not UV related. Doral won't answer any questions. I've tried strippers and heat and I'm only making a mess. I really don't see how I can do this. There are several contoured doors and panels so drum-sanding is out and I loath the idea of using chemical strippers in the boat. Also I worry that a stripper may damage the edging or the backing of the pieces. Give me solid wood!

 

[BSAFlash]

Re: Milky polyester cabinet finish

Thanx BSA. The boat in question is a 2006 Boca Grande, and very little sunlight gets through those little ports so it is not UV related. Doral won't answer any questions. I've tried strippers and heat and I'm only making a mess. I really don't see how I can do this. There are several contoured doors and panels so drum-sanding is out and I loath the idea of using chemical strippers in the boat. Also I worry that a stripper may damage the edging or the backing of the pieces. Give me solid wood!

The only solution I could come up with for my table is to chemical strip and hope the veneer is not affected.
The edging strips on cupboard doors etc. are replaceable, find a good colour match before you start .
In your case I would attempt the restoration with the view to replace or paint if it doesn't work.:facepalm:

Interesting that your Boca is a 2006, my Elegante is also a 2006. I have owned it since new and noticed the table within the first few months, nothing else, including the other tables have done the same.

 

[diverdude70]

Re: Milky polyester cabinet finish

Indeed replace or paint. Striping is out of the question. Almost every piece is affected, including the instrument plaques at the helm. FYI the veneer is not bonded very well to the plywood [standard spruce ply]. A very light pass with a heat-gun bubbled-up a thumbnail of veneer. :faint2:

 

[WhySoSearious?]

Re: Milky polyester cabinet finish

omg. i hope nothing like that happens to my doral. mine is a 2006 as well. before purchasing the doral, we were looking at Formulas and found a couple 2005 37PC and 35PC with their veneer totally unglued. i think they were thermofoil. there's no sanding or stripping because it is all fake. i wonder if doral is similar. apparently it only takes one hot afternoon to unglue the veneer and headliner.

my doral has a canvas for each hatch and we use it all the time to minimize sun damage. but now you have me all paranoid.

can you share a photo?

 

[diverdude70]

Re: Milky polyester cabinet finish

I don't think there's much danger of the veneer popping-off on its own, this polyester is bullit proof. With the heat-gun I noticed the finish clearing-up somewhat and then going back to the milky look. This suggests moisture in the panel. Although they are very well sealed there are openings for the hardware and you would think that the issue would be more/less apparent close to these. But not so. Perhaps the ply was too fresh and was still off-gasing? I've tried to upload some pics but they are apparently 'too large'

 

[BSAFlash]

Re: Milky polyester cabinet finish

I agree with Diver, the issue appears to be moisture in the timber when new. Mine started going milky when only weeks old, no other panel has been effected regardless of sun exposure.