Non-slip sealant for cabin sole - alternative to Le Tonkinois?

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pipemma

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Hi everyone, we've cleaned up our cabin sole boards, which are now ready for re-sealing - when we bought the boat they looked to be in poor condition, which thankfully turned out to be mainly dirt, but the dirt had become ingrained because they were also unsealed. We will now need to get them treated/sealed before we splash in May.

I've read several threads recommending Le Tonkinois for this job, but I can't find an obvious source for that in Greece where the boat is, nor even here in Switzerland.

Can anyone recommend a suitable alternative that is non-slip and water-/grease-proof? The section under the galley took a lot of cleaning so I want to be sure to protect it so we don't have to do it again any time soon!

Thanks in advance for bright ideas!
 
pipemma said:
I've read several threads recommending Le Tonkinois for this job, but I can't find an obvious source for that in Greece where the boat is, nor even here in Switzerland.
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Why not drop Brian at Le Tonk an email or lift the phone and ask if he can send it across the interstellar space between the UK and Greece?
 
pipemma said:
Hi everyone, we've cleaned up our cabin sole boards, which are now ready for re-sealing - when we bought the boat they looked to be in poor condition, which thankfully turned out to be mainly dirt, but the dirt had become ingrained because they were also unsealed. We will now need to get them treated/sealed before we splash in May.

I've read several threads recommending Le Tonkinois for this job, but I can't find an obvious source for that in Greece where the boat is, nor even here in Switzerland.

Can anyone recommend a suitable alternative that is non-slip and water-/grease-proof? The section under the galley took a lot of cleaning so I want to be sure to protect it so we don't have to do it again any time soon!

Thanks in advance for bright ideas!
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How did you clean the floor pleaze? My kitchen floor sounds the same and needs layers of something taken off , hot air gun and scraper or sander? Trouble is mine is in blocks so grain runs at different angles to each other.
 
Goldie said:
I know people who’ve had excellent results wit this : Bona Traffic HD | Tough, Fast Drying Two-part Lacquer for Wooden Floors
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Wow, a 2 part varnish, news to me. What a price too, £136 for 5 litres but then it is £110 for 5 litres of le tonk I’ve just seen. I’d want to see a sample before trying I think. And what is extra Matt compared to Matt I wonder? Covers 50 metres squared is good and low volatiles is good. For trade floors such as pubs, sounds good stuff.
 
OCuea said:
How did you clean the floor pleaze? My kitchen floor sounds the same and needs layers of something taken off , hot air gun and scraper or sander? Trouble is mine is in blocks so grain runs at different angles to each other.
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block flooring is probably best done with a proper floor sander which you can hire. Huge choice of finishes for floors (see post#2). My bathroom floor is teak and holly on ply as used in boats and was laid over 30 years ago finished with Ronseal floor varnish and still in excellent condition. Likewise the Parana Pine stairs, although they could probably do with a refresh, particularly the edges of the treads.
 
I'm a great believer in Decking treatment ...

There are loads of Patio / Balcony / Decking treatments that soak into the wood - anti-fungal - providing a matt finish to be non-slip. Most are water based - so easy to use and clean up after.
Once you've done the first job of cleaning / sanding / raising grain and multiple coats .... later is easy as its just a light sanding and a fresh coat to spruce it up.
The Decking Oil is available in many different wood shades ..... and is far cheaper than Le Tonk and so on ...
 
If you are considering one part varnish, either marine with UV protection, or simple for interior areas, I would go with Vernilac products. I have tried water based soaking products but they are very weak to friction, as from my experience they do not really soak well but make a thin layer which is too soft for floors. I guess solvent based ( white spirit) soaking varnish is a better choice.
Other wise normal one part solvent based gloss or satin even better.
If you choose to go with 2 part varnish, Neotex company makes a good one in good price
 
Why I don't like Varnish for this job :

1. Varnish soaks in but also creates a surface layer. Once that layer is broken with wear - you end up with a total scraping job to get all looking same again.
2. Varnish even in Satin finish is not exactly non-slip when wet ..

Looks nice - but I think I will stay with water based decking treatment.
 
Thanks for the thoughts. Looks like we can get the Bona product (also as a one-part) here under a different product name, so I'll have a look at that next time we're in the DIY store.
 
Sorry for the belated reply. We have bought 4l of Bona Home Supreme (the equivalent of the Traffic HD referenced above) and will give that a go. I don't want to put granules in the mix for the interior cabin sole, but I rather assume that floor varnish is designed to be non-slip - it would be a bit counterproductive if it weren't. We'll give it a go when we're back at the boat next month.
Thanks for all your thoughts
 
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