Plywood paint

[RosieB]

I have a stripey plywood cabin sole which has become more and more unsightly due to minor chips and damage breaking through the veneer which is very thin. As a new sheet of stripey plywood is absurdly expensive (£600!) I am thinking of sanding it smooth and treating it with some really tough non-slip coating - an epoxy-type two-pot laquer or varnish of some sort. Does anyone have a better idea? Or a recommendation for said coating?

 

[Tranona]

Ronseal Floor Varnish - there are other brands as well.

 

[Bodach na mara]

As Tranona says, Ronseal products can give good results. I used Ronseal satin varnish on my stripey cabin floorboards last year because I had a can available. Note that it is the stuff that needs white spirit to clean up, not the water-based stuff. Concerto of this forum recommends Morrel's laquer but I didn't want to buy 5 litres of the stuff. It would have been quicker to have used it however as more than 1 coat can be applied each day.

 

[Pete7]

Vinyl cushioned flooring. We have it in shades of grey planks pattern at home and its really nice to walk on in bare feet, non slip and dog proof.

Not ours, but saw this for sale a while back.

 

[PCUK]

Burgess woodsealer. Gives a satin non-slip finish.

 

[MisterBaxter]

Screwfix used to do a great floor paint that was very cheap and durable, if that's still available you could do a lot worse.

 

[Allan]

I refurbished our utility room using beech faced ply as a worktop. I painted it with Ronseal diamond floor paint. It still looks like new after a year.
Allan

 

[justanothersailboat]

Roger of Concerto is dead right about Morrells acid catalysed lacquer for cabin woodwork (I tried it on his recommendation - but I used a slightly different one they sell mail-order to anyone, rather than the Westerly-original trade-only stuff - still good)... but I don't think he did the floor with it.

For best results re-veneer, if you have the skill of it. For distinctly less great but ok results, fill any chips, sand flat, then stain the filler to match, then re varnish. Paint is likely to look cheap and age disgracefully.

I've not been impressed with anything from modern Ronseal. Plastic varnish that will probably peel and be hard to retouch.

I would definitely consider a non slip additive, or a bit of salt or walnutshell grit, plus a matte finish.

 

[Refueler]

For all areas that are subject to non-slip .... I use Patio deck stain .... its mould and weather proof ... soaks into the wood to give long lasting finish ... wood stays completely non-slip .... water based .... easy to apply another coat later if needed ... drys quickly .... no smell in use .... can be had in many different wood colours ... you can even mix it into fillers ...

Cheap and usually available in local DIY shop.

 

[Stemar]

I haven't used le Tonkinois on a cabin sole, but I had it on the stairs of my old house. It looked really good, non-slip - surprisingly so for a high gloss finish, and survived the best part of 10 years with a houseful of teenagers.

If you don't like the gloss, matting agents are available and, best of all, if it gets damaged, a quick rub down and a few fresh coats will fix it. It doesn't lift like varnish if water gets underneath.