The owner has just taken delivery of a refit. The dining room now has a marquetry compass rose in the table top, the bar front is shagreen, and the entrance lobby has gilded leaf detailing on the coving. Your junior stew has been trained on the basics and is standing in front of it all with a spray bottle. Your job is to stop her before she starts.
Decorative timber work
Marquetry and inlay are separate pieces of veneer, shell, brass or mother-of-pearl set into a ground and levelled. Different materials expand at different rates and are held with hide or resin glues.
- Dust only in the direction of the joint lines, never across them.
- Moisture is the enemy — water at a glue line swells one material against another and lifts the piece.
- Never use a scraper, a fingernail or a scourer on a proud edge. A lifted sliver becomes a specialist repair.
- Vacuum with a soft brush head held off the surface, or use a dry sable-type brush and pick the dust up with the vacuum nozzle in the air.
Lacquered and gilded finishes
| Finish | Vulnerability | Correct treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese/urushi-style lacquer | Alcohol, solvents, heat, dryness | Soft dry cloth only; keep out of direct sun |
| Gold leaf / gilding | Wafer-thin; abrades with any pressure | Dust with a soft dry brush, never a cloth, never wet |
| Water-gilded gesso | Water dissolves the bole beneath the leaf | Absolutely dry methods only |
| Silver leaf | Tarnishes, cannot be polished | Dust only; report tarnish, do not treat it |
Gilding is measured in microns. A cloth dragged across it takes the gold with it. If you can see cloth fibres catching, you are already causing damage.
Shagreen and parchment
Shagreen is stingray or shark skin, sanded and dyed, with a hard pebbled surface. Parchment (vellum) is stretched animal skin, usually lacquered.
- Both are hygroscopic — they absorb moisture, swell, cockle and stain. Water marks them permanently.
- Dust dry, with a soft cloth or brush.
- If a guest spills, blot straight down with a dry absorbent cloth. Do not wipe, do not dampen, do not use a cleaning product.
- Alcohol and perfume are common culprits at a shagreen bar front — they strip the dye and dull the lacquer. Wipe drips off the bar top, not the skin, and brief the crew on it.
- Sunlight bleaches shagreen and yellows parchment. Manage the blinds.
Onboard Notes
- Get the yard or the interior designer to give you a materials schedule with the maker care sheets, and keep it in the interior standards manual. Guessing is expensive.
- Rings, watches and bracelets go off before you touch inlay, gilding or shagreen. Most of the damage on these surfaces is jewellery, not chemicals.
- If a piece is already damaged, photograph it, log it and report it up the same day. Do not attempt cosmetic repair — these go to specialists, and a home fix devalues the piece and the boat.