The raised poop decks were, as often as money permitted, of teak or an oiled hardwood, and the deck seams in white putty, purely for appearance. The white seams also appeared frequently on the tops of deckhouses.

  Insides of bulwarks were a decorative artist's dream. Rarely were they painted one colour throughout. The divisions made by the stanchions were panelled with painted borders or actual wood panels with mouldings like cabinetmakers' work, which could be unshipped and stowed away when at sea. Sometimes portable panels also had landscape scenes painted on them in each division; up to what standards we can't tell, but probably of the style seen on gypsy caravans or canal boats. Plainer painted panels on iron bulwarks as well as wooden ones were in pleasant pastel shades such as white with pale blue, green or pink, on a border about 6 in. wide, and inside this border a thin stencilled line with elaborated corners, geometrical or flower patterned, the centre of the panel having a stencilled motif such as a tudor rose or diamond. Above the main rail, if there was a topgallant bulwark or rail it too was panelled in horizontal rounded oblongs with wood mouldings and painted inner stencil lines as on the bulwarks. The decorative scheme could also be carried across the low bulkhead formed by a raised poop or a forecastle. The heavier American ships with their high, stout bulwarks topped by thick planks for the monkey rail clamps did not as often have the divisions formed by stanchions and in consequence ran plain bands of colour from end to end, white and bufffor instance, but enhanced them by adding thick horizontal mouldings and flowered tracery, often cut out of the planks themselves. On both sides of the Atlantic the waterway planks (or gutters if metal) were painted a darker contrasting colour such as blue, green, grey or buff. One extraordinary and extravagant feature of the bulwarks was the amount of brasswork. The inside moulded edges of main rails were often capped with brass like a split tube, and the top exposed edge also brass capped, end to end in some instances. The vertical bulwark stanchions were faced with rounded brass or had chamfered corners and mouldings top and bottom.
It was a poor ship that left them plain. Belaying pins could be brass, hardwood or iron.

  Deckhouses of teak on British ships were panelled in their construction with solid vertical posts or styles between groups of panels, and frequently an ironwork framing inside. The teakwork was varnished bright originall y as no self-respecting shipbuilder would paint over good class wood if it was easily accessible for maintenance. Later, with reduced crews, some of the panels might get painted white, as also the curved moulding on the edge of the roof, which also gave a pleasing appearance. Less expensive deckhouses were made of tongue and groove boarding, two thicknesses  laid in opposite directions, the outer usually horizontal and painted overall white; American deckhouses were usually white.