replacing a cabin sole

[simon_sluggett]

I need to replace my interior main cabin sole as its scruffy. What is the best material to use. I would like a teak planking look as its classy. I currently have a 20mm thick plywood base which is sound. The easiest thing to do would be to glue on a teak/holly veneer. Or is a artificial laminate better for harder wear and non slip qualities. Also Tek Dek artificial teak decking looks good until you see the cost, maybe worth it for outside decks but not inside. Any thoughts please.

 

[Tisme]

Can you get real teak/holly veneer? When I looked into this a while ago the only stuff I could find was laminate. It wasn't bad though, and there was a choice of different "timbers". Cost around £70 for a 8ft x 4 ft sheet. AFAIK it's used by most of the OEM people these days. Available from Robins Timber and Hawke House.

Another job for next winter!

 

[joliette]

If you want a 'teak planking look' then use solid teak. Joliette has teak laid on top of thick plywood to form the cabin sole. It's been laid just like a teak deck with the screws plugged and sikaflex in the seams. It's lasted about 25 years so far and is still absolutely sound, so has proved to be an extremely durable solution. I doubt that artifical laminate or teak / holly veneer would survive this long. However, it does produce a heavy sole board, but as it is not lifted very often this is not a big problem. Go for a solid wood solution if you can afford it. Iroko would be a servicable and cheaper alternative to teak, or you could even use something like utile?