Cabin sole boards

[tyce]

I am in the process of sanding back to bear wood the cabin sole boards which are the laminated teak and holly variety.
As it is not a particularly un-time consuming job I want to make sure that what I coat them in is going to look good and last a long time.
The boat is a moody and the woodwork is finished in clear satin varnish so that is the finish I am after, can anyone recommend a good hard wearing varnish for the job.
Another thing I was thinking of is grip, all my previous boats have had carpet and this boat up to now has had carpet over the sole boards so grip has never been an issue, I am guessing varnish is rather slippy at times so is there a better coating I could use?

 

[tolhurstorganic]

Be very carefull with the glasspaper it is easy to go right through the veneer which is very thin, better to do by hand not machine.
On Naida which has solid Douglas fir boarding with sikaflex joint, I used Ronseal diamond floor varnish, very easy to apply seems hard wearing, it has had regular use for three years and still looks perfect apart from the odd dent where tools have landed. I loaded up with about seven coats rather than the recommended two for extra durabilty. Dries quick and water based, I am happy with it although I recall that somewhere on the tin is says not suitable for bathrooms! It has been wet a few times but boat is very dry in general, so maybe not so good if you have a sodded soul. Seems to do what it says on the tin.

 

[tolhurstorganic]

Forgot to mention grip, I have found it to be very grippy but maybe it depends on what you wear, not good in socks! We have some rugs with a thin honeycombe plastic material on the back, they hang onto the boards very well.

 

[PaulR]

we have used the same varnish on our floor boards and happy with it- key advantages are water based so no complaints about varnishing in the dining room - easy to wash brushes and quick to recoat, seems like good stuff and we would not go back to traditional thinner based varnishes for the interior

 

[tyce]

Thanks for the info, got the boards sanded down and they are looking great, also got some of the Ronseal so will slap it on today and let you know how i go.

 

[Sans Bateau]

Right, grip! What we did was to tape off an area which is likely to get slippery, bottom of the companion way, route to the chart table and the galley area. In fact an area where you might visit whilst at sea with slippery feet or with the boat on an angle. Right the cleaver bit. get some non slip grit used for deck paint and add that to the last coat of varnish. You retain the gloss look, but add additional grip where its most important. It works.

 

[Laurie]

Be very carefull with the glasspaper it is easy to go right through the veneer which is very thin, better to do by hand not machine.


Absolutely!! I had someone come to refurbish the saloon floor on my then new-to-me Feeling, and the went straight through the lot.
However, I then lay TEK DEK ...looks good and durable and grippy

 

[Graham_Wright]

bear wood

 

[tyce]

Where else would you find a bear than in a wood!

 

[pvb]

I treat my teak/holly floor with teak oil into which I add a few drops of staining polish. Rub it over the floor with a wad of kitchen paper, leave it for a couple of hours to soak in, then rub as much off as possible with more kitchen paper. Leaves a nice sheen, not slippery, no need for lots of preparation before retreating.