Mock teak/holly cabin sole

The hint is in the link - the strips are just straight grained deal cut on a saw table. The only down side to this method is if the grain is distinctive, as shown in the link, it is obvious that it is a fake. A sole built from timber does not have any grain matching at all!

My laid sole needs a bit of a clean...
 

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Many years ago I made new sole boards and created a reasonable effect by drawing the 'holly' strips on ash faced plywood with a felt tip pen, then staining the 'teak' strips between. Looked pretty good, though I say it myself.
 
The wood is called literally "Stripwood" and you can , or could last time I bought some, get it in B&Q. You could also use Ramin which again is sold in machined lengths in B&Q. If you don't fancy the work of fitting wood then routing the seams and caulking with white Sikaflex would give a similar effect but have the advantage of being non slip - probably more useful outside in a cockpit. I have also made locker lids using teak strips and caulking the seams with thickened epoxy with a cream pigment to match the floor on my Bavaria. More than one way of killing the cat!
 
A friend of mine has just done cabin soles for the Centaur of another friend - looks absolutely brilliant.

He is a very clever woodworker and has finished the job off beautifully in clear epoxy varnish but I would imagine that the work could be done well by a good DIYer who is handy with a router.
 
Ramin is quite hard, so would be better for that job than most other woods. The writer of the article is in the USA where rock maple is sold in DIY stores. I am surprised he did not use that.
 
vyv_cox said:
How flexible is it? At only 2 mm thick I assume quite rigid?
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No, Amtico is just pvc with less filler than many of its competitors so flexible, not the most durable but a premium price because of the massive range of patterns and thicknesses.

I work the odd half day in the local boatyard when required but unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) I am not entrusted with the high quality joinery which is Jackie's speciality. He had a Thames steam launch in for restoration a week or two back and the new deck was mahogany with the caulking strips filled with an epoxy graphite mix, very smart and durable but brown and black rather than brown and white. A lot easier to do than imitation teak and holly and will last a lot longer and uses real wood.
 
Try Robbins Timber. Look up "inlays" and "banding".
Other timber merchants will do them as well. It may also be worth trying Marquetry suppliers.

Another option would be to get a suitable veneer and cut it down.
 
Quandary said:
No, Amtico is just pvc with less filler than many of its competitors so flexible, not the most durable but a premium price because of the massive range of patterns and thicknesses.

I work the odd half day in the local boatyard when required but unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) I am not entrusted with the high quality joinery which is Jackie's speciality. He had a Thames steam launch in for restoration a week or two back and the new deck was mahogany with the caulking strips filled with an epoxy graphite mix, very smart and durable but brown and black rather than brown and white. A lot easier to do than imitation teak and holly and will last a lot longer and uses real wood.
Click to expand...
That is exactly the method I used on my cockpit seats over 20 years ago. Well described in the Gougeon Brothers book. Downside is that it is not very good with thick teak - I used 2.6mm veneers - because differential expansion can break the bond to the edges of the wood. Also not very good in high wear situations as the thin veneers do not last. In my case the cockpit is always covered when not in use so the seats are just like they were when I did them.

As an aside I "strip planked" the floor of my granddaughters dolls house recently using a piece of mahogany veneer with the seams laid out with marker pen then coated with a tinted wax. Dolls House is Regency style and it would not look out of place in Bath!
 
This is the floor of a Fantasi 44. The floor is teak, with routed out strips. The strips themselves are actually GRP. Looks stunning, lasts for ever.

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