Summary
• Different shades of Sadolin Classic can help blend old with new timbers.
• Long-term protection was critical for teak on the Cutty Sark.
• After success with the deck housing, use of Sadolin Ultra was extended to other timbers.

Crown Paint’s Sadolin Wood coatings have played their part in two landmark projects – the £1m restoration of a Birkenhead church and the protection of the famous tea clipper the Cutty Sark.

The transformation of the Oxton Congregational Church building, which had been derelict for 15 years, into a new home for the Wirral Christian Centre, saw extensive use of Sadolin Classic translucent coatings for all the interior timber features, including an impressive barrelled roof.

Blending old and new

Pitch pine was the predominant species inside the church, but age, a leaking roof and a copious amount of pigeon droppings took their toll, with much of the wood having to be replaced. It was not possible to match new timbers to the original, so a variety of colours from the Sadolin Classic range was specified to blend the old and new.

Kevin Murphy, proprietor of Shropshire-based Painting and Decorating Services, said all the original and repaired sections had different colouring and absorbencies.

“Luckily there are lots of quite finely differentiated shades to work with in the Sadolin Classic range and by experimenting with different shades and numbers of coats, we were able to build up a consistent rich and warm teak colour across the whole ceiling.”

Mr Murphy had 14 wood tones and 48 tinted colours to choose from. “It has a consistent translucent finish which allows all the natural grain and detail of the wood to show through.”

Three coats and five weeks later the church was restored, with the ceiling unlikely to need recoating for another 10 years. The rest of the cladding and timber features on the ground floor are on an annual recoating contract.

Sadolin Classic is aimed at new or bare joinery and is also suitable as a two-coat application on timber cladding, while Sadolin Extra is used for a durable finishing coat.

Cutty Sark

Meanwhile, another product from the Sadolin family – Sadolin Ultra Highly Translucent Woodstain – was given the job of protecting above deck timber elements on the Cutty Sark. The brief was for a woodcare system that offered longer decorative and protective benefits than yacht varnish, with easy long-term maintenance.

“We also wanted a very clear finish so that all the beautiful woodgrain and detailing of the teak would be shown in its full glory,” said Kevin Elson, construction manager at Heery International Ltd, the principal contractor on the ship’s restoration project.

Mr Elson approached TRADA Technology for advice because long-term protection of the exterior timber was critical to the restoration. Sadolin Ultra was brought to the attention of the Cutty Sark Trust and specified following a site survey by Crown Paints specification manager Glyn Dodds.

Sadolin Ultra’s high degree of translucency, a seven-year maintenance cycle and no need for stripping during recoating were key in its specification.

Maldon Painting Company used the system first on the teak deck housing, which had been removed to Chatham Historic Dockyard for restoration. Stripping the teak took two weeks, with another two months of preparation because much of the wood was badly denatured.

A single coat of Ultra basecoat was followed by use of Sadolin Exterior Woodfiller to fill pin holes and cracks. Two coats of topcoat followed to give the teak a subtle sheen.

“We are absolutely delighted with the quality of finish,” said Mr Elson. “And this has given us total confidence to continue to use the system on the solid teak pin rails, decorative bulwark panelling, the ship’s wheel and other wooden fittings on deck.”