Sole board varnish question

[Elessar]

A friend of mine has just sanded down the boards on a cared for but heavily used shared yacht.

I didn't know the answer to his question, as I have only ever had carpet or flexiteek inside. What does the panel think?

he said

"There seems to be some debate as to whether to use yacht
varnish or floor varnish. Floor varnish is generally water based but
it seems to be harder wearing for under foot. Do you have any
thoughts?"

TIA

 

[sailorman]

I have just used Rustins clear matt floor varnish.
the previous Ronseal hard diamond @ £43 per 2.5 lts was just a pee take ( done 5 or 6 yrs ago)
the rustins via amazon was £14 per ltr delivered

Note the previous owner sanded through the veneer
this sole board is 35 yrs old

 

[ksutton]

I use Epifanes satin varnish, but I don't think it needs to be a hard and fast rule what you use unless your cabin floor spends hours soaking wet. As mentioned above be careful when sanding its easier to go through vaneer than you would think. I usually use 400 wet and dry with white sprit, don't try and remove all the old varnish, just needs to be dulled and smooth. I also found that using a varnish roller to be very acceptable, applied very thin. I sand my panels down in the cockpit or garage at home, but refit them and varnish back in situ on the boat.

 

[lw395]

Johnstone's floor varnish was white spirit based last time I bought some, it's a good compromise IMHO.
Nice satin finish, easy to touch up.
I bought it from a trade place.

The Ronseal Diamond Hard stuff is OK once it's properly matured, survived OK on parquet in our kitchen, did not fail easily even when the wood got dented by me juggling with the washing up...

 

[Ardenfour]

Just done mine with Ronseal Outdoor Satin. Seems pretty tough, but took a while to dry on sanded teak and holly ply. The second coat dried much faster.

 

[Hadenough]

I use this

http://www.greenshop.co.uk/treatex-....html?osCsid=b01eadb0726633292735d3f274b06cc5

Brilliant stuff, I treated my teak steps with three coats in 24hrs to the stripped teak, just retreated them after three years, clean, light abrade and one coat and they were good as new.

 

[Avocet]

Ronseal "Diamond Hard" floor varnish. Done a good 10 years ago and water-based but exceptionally hard-wearing. Goes a bi milky when soaked and then clears up again s they dry out. I've even had a rainwater leak bad enough to leave them actually floating for a week or so and they have recovered.

 

[rudolph_hart]

Ronseal "Diamond Hard" floor varnish. Done a good 10 years ago and water-based but exceptionally hard-wearing. Goes a bi milky when soaked and then clears up again s they dry out. I've even had a rainwater leak bad enough to leave them actually floating for a week or so and they have recovered.

Another vote for Ronseal Floor Varnish.

I used it after stripping & sanding the sole of my Dehler 34, and it was so good when I sold it several years later that I overcoated the sole of the then-acquired 35CWS, which is still excellent 10 years later.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I use Deks Olje No 1 - the satin one, not the gloss one. It works very well.

 

[sailorman]

yes our kitchen upstand still look good it works much better indoors than on the outside of a boat :encouragement:

 

[JumbleDuck]

yes our kitchen upstand still look good it works much better indoors than on the outside of a boat :encouragement:

Was that a Deks Olje comment? If so, I agree - I never had much luck with it on exterior stuff. Inside, though, it works a treat.

 

[Elessar]

Thanks for all the replies all very helpful. I'll see what he chooses. Very interesting the milky when wet information in particular.

 

[sailorman]

Thanks for all the replies all very helpful. I'll see what he chooses. Very interesting the milky when wet information in particular.

i have not experenced that

 

[sailorman]

Was that a Deks Olje comment? If so, I agree - I never had much luck with it on exterior stuff. Inside, though, it works a treat.

i used it when it was first imported. it failed on exterior teak

 

[Plevier]

Goes a bi milky when soaked and then clears up again s they dry out.

I tried Dulux water based floor varnish which you would expect to be equivalent to the Ronseal one.
Never again.
It would not only go milky but also peel off as a stretchy plastic film.
Avoid!
(This was about 5 years ago. Don't know if product still the same.)

 

[Elessar]

i have not experenced that

also interesting. Good thread this all first hand reports, very useful. Thanks again all.

 

[smithy]

I tried Dulux water based floor varnish which you would expect to be equivalent to the Ronseal one.
Never again.
It would not only go milky but also peel off as a stretchy plastic film.
Avoid!
(This was about 5 years ago. Don't know if product still the same.)

Had similar experience with B&Q acrylic floor varnish, it went milky and softened when wet and didn't seem to penetrate properly. Had to take off the whole lot and do it again with Ronseal Ultra Tough polyurethane.

 

[Avocet]

Funny enough, I've just been out to the boat today - first time since it came out in October, and sure enough, the sole boards were completely immersed! (well, the two that were fastened down were, the third one was just floating). As before, slightly milky. We pumped out the bilge and stood them on end to drain. If the last few soakings are anything to go by, they'll be fine in a few weeks. I'd have taken some piccies if I'd known this thread was still live!

 

[JumbleDuck]

i used it when it was first imported. it failed on exterior teak

The theory, I think, is that you are supposed to use Number 2 as well on exterior stuff. I have a tin of No 2 somewhere ,,. unopened after 40 years ...

 

[sailorman]

we use No1 & 2 & followed the instructions to the letter