Wood sealing help needed

[RobinFLINT]

I am sorry to intrude on your time - I am not a boat builder. I have a problem with wood and have tried all sorts of forums, etc. and thought those who work with wood and water might be able to help. I will understand if no one responds. But, for those who might, thank you for your time. I will first describe the situation and then ask the questions. However, please feel free to point out anything I might be missing.

The situation is a shower in a home. A previous owner installed Northern Michigan Cherry tongue and groove planks on all the walls and the wood also constitutes the shower/bath surround. At some point someone installed clear plexiglass over the wood in the shower/bath. They did a horrible job and applied/used silicone caulk as a sealer and an adhesive - there are GALLONS of it. I have owned the house for ove a dozen years. Last year I observed that water had gotten in under the plexiglass and at least one area was rotted, with substantial mold and mildew throughout the botton. I have now removed all the plexiglass and its plastic framing. I was able to get all the silicone caulking off the tub but cannot get it off the wood.

I have tried a hot gun and 3M silicone caulk remover. I have also spent countless hours with a scraper/safety razor blade and just cannot get the final layer of silicone off.

I have removed all the rotted wood - which actually meant cutting about a 1/2 inch all the way around the top of the tub. I have filled the gap with an expanding foam sealer - which did a nice job. I then applied a bathroom caulk tape over the foam. The caulk tape did not work, but the foam sealer is keeping the water from leaking through to the next floor.

I have cleaned the rest of the room with TSP and applied two coats of tung oil by hand. The rest of the room has had very little moisture issue - there was spot by the toilet that had to be sanded and was given quite a bit more tung oil than the rest. There is a large breezy window that is almost always open. We are also installing an outside vented fan to further reduce the moisture. A shower or bath happens at least once everyday - large family - one bathroom.

Now the problem is to waterproof the wood in the shower/bath. One t/g joint is expanding/buckling. I have put a shower curtain up over the entire surround so the wood is not receiving any direct water while we figure out what to do.

Questions:

1. Any thoughts on how to get the last layer (very, very, thin, but ugly) of the silicone caulk off the wood?

2. Any thoughts on how I can tell what the wood has been treated with before (or does that really matter)?

3. What about a product like CLES and then a resin over the top? I do not want a glossy finish.

4. Should I wax the tung oil finish in the non-shower/bath area or otherwise cover it?

4. In terms of sealing the tub, the caulking tape did not work. I was thinking maybe a fiberglass tape covered by a decorative vinyl of some sort (remember it has the foam sealant underneath, which is just not attractive. Any thoughts?

5. I have considered a shellac or marine-grade poly - but I am not sure of the pros/cons of either of these. (I have also considered removing the wood and putting up a store-bought surround, but this wood is gorgeous and I would like to avoid that if possilbe.) Also, if I go with a marine-grade poly, how do I know what to buy? Any thoughts?

6. Any thoughts on how to dry the one joint that is buckling out so we don't have to replace it (which would be pretty impossible)?

Again, I very much appreciate your time for a non-boater, but what better place to take about wood and water? Thank you.

try contacting the rotdoctor.com - lots of good products and information. good luck!

[32' new guy]

nice bathroom,
1- last layer it's wood so sand it down?
2- again it won't matter if you sand it down it's really not that time cunsuming
3- why not the glossy cherry finish would be beautiful in your bathroom, then again your guests may not want to leave, cles and resin finish are fine, but as a boat builder Cetol is fantastic take care when applying follow the directions.
4- doesn't matter your choice!
4b- I hate that f**** foam nothing sticks to it for long, sorry my boat was full of it when I got it, no suggestion except start over with anything else!!!!!
5- Don't get rid of the wood, not a sugestion, shellac or varnish is fine Cetol is better if you don't want to constantly be maintaining(I'm cheap)
6- wood absorbs water, sealing cracks with swelled wood therefore boats float, best to replace those two boards, or dry it 'til you get dry rot and then replace

once again nice bathroom hopefully this will help

[PAR]

You basic problem is rather simple. You have a material that likes to suck up moisture. In doing so, it invites it's own death and decay. You have to dry the material, down below 15% moisture content for any real hope of getting any coating to stick and stay stuck.

Sanding is the only way to get the last bits of goo out of the pores of the wood (sorry) It most likely needed a good going over anyway.

Who cares what was the treatment before, you'll be sanding it off and starting new. Don't put the plexi back on as this is what started the problem in the first place.

CPES is what you're thinking of and it's a good product, but the wood will need be very dry (12%) it's toxic, not fun to work with and not a product I'd recommend for the beginner.

The foam sealant may bring you some troubles later. The area it sealed has been living in a mold infested, wet, soapy, mildew laden, moisture rich wooden wall structure. Ventilation wasn't good and unless you really cleaned the inside of the wall (unlikely) the polyurethane foam will not have a great bond, though the pressure and form filling from expanding may help somewhat. You've locked the little beasties, mold, mildew and other goo in the wall, where they will party it up on the back side of your wood until you get notice, in the form of something appearing on the front (after working all the way through) not good.

The good news is it's all fixable, the bad, it needs to come apart and be redone with a thought to shedding the water from in the shower area to the tub (I'm guessing) and sealing up the lumber (after it's well dry, free from beasties, mold, old sealants and other surface infestations)

You'll not be pleased with the performance of shellac. It just it's up to the task during wet/dry cycles and is a furniture finish, not a shower sealer.

Poly's in general have a poor record when compared to other products like epoxy when it comes to wet/dry cycling.

You have three selections as I see it, other then buying a plastic shower enclosure to replace the ripped out wood.

You can paint the dry and sanded wood with a good exterior paint. This is the easiest way to go. Paint can cover a host of sins, but you'll lose the beauty of the natural or stained wood. Cetol, as mentioned by another, is really just fancy paint, though it does come in clear and a butt ugly color of orangie clear.

You can encapsulate the dry and sanded wood with epoxy. This will be the most costly, as epoxy isn't cheap, nor that easy to apply (well) but will lock down the moisture content and maintain the wood in a dry state as long as the coating isn't breached.

You can use a "Dutch Oil" mixture over the dry and sanded wood and keep it treated as time goes on. This will be the cheapest way to go, though the wood will require treatment a number of times a year, it easy as slapping some oil on the wood and wiping down any extra running down the walls. It will not have the bright, high gloss finish of epoxy or poly, but is a time honored method for natural finishes.

I have a personal formula for Dutch oil, given to me by a very old fellow, who got it from his grandfather in the "old country" I will not publish it here, but will let folks I like have a peek (it has a secret ingredient)

[Robert Miller]

Originally Posted by PAR

I have a personal formula for Dutch oil, given to me by a very old fellow, who got it from his grandfather in the "old country" I will not publish it here, but will let folks I like have a peek (it has a secret ingredient)

C'mon... you probably like us all
I, for one, would be very interested in your formula.
I'm sure many would appreciate it if you would post the info.

If, on the other hand, it is the case that you ONLY like me, than would you please email the formula to me?

Thanks very much.
Robert
rmiller3@earthlink.net