Varnishing Toe rail and cabin floor.

[noswellplease]

I'm planning to varnish the toe rail and cabin floor when the weather dries up a bit if it ever will and was wondering would some teak oil bring up the lustre of the wood a bit before applying numerous coats of varnish. Would this be folly or should I just varnish and let the varnish do this as the coats are applied. Also whats the toughest varnish to use as its gotta last as long as possible. Would it be best to use a matt finish on the floor? any ideas appreciated..Russ

 

[MoodySabre]

For the cabin floor I would recommend Ronseal Diamond Hard Varnish - it comes in gloss or satin (don't think they do a matt). I did mine with the satin last winter. It is easy to apply and has lasted very well - nothing to do with it this year /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I don't think that you can varnish over teak oil. When I had a wooden toe rail it was varnished and a PITA to do every year. In the end scraping the varnish off and just applying teak oil (prob twice a season) or letting it go white was a better option.

 

[Bosunof]

I cant see that varnish will stick to an oily surface. And as for the saloon deck I wouldn't varnish at all as when wet this will be a really slippery surface. In wilder conditions that could prove nasty. Sand it a little and it will look good, for a while.

 

[doug748]

I bought a can of speciaist floor varnish which has proved popular on these pages and is said to wear well. It has a slightly milky appearance which does not impress, but the main problem is that I bought a semi matt (silk). For the floor get gloss every time, you may get away with matt on a new boat but an older ship, esp teak, will look very dowdy, tatty even. I have never had much of a problem with slipping on it but I have a "carpet" of non slip material ready for use at sea, should the need arise. This stuff used to be expensive but is availble is your local 1£ (1e ?) shop now at knock down prices. Above floor level I prefer a matt finish but for the boards I will be going back to a conventional high gloss. For toerails, I have tried the lot and now leave them grey, if you want a varnish like finish, Sikkens Novatech is excellent. Good luck.

 

[NigelClegg]

I should just point out that matt and satin varnishes are just as slippery (if not more so) when they are wet as full gloss varnishes.

If you really need a skid resistant varnish, add some polypropylene granules to the final coat of varnish and apply thinly. Some people prefer sand or glass, but these tend not to look as good.

 

[NigelClegg]

[ QUOTE ]
I should just point out that matt and satin varnishes are just as slippery (if not more so) when they are wet as full gloss varnishes.

If you really need a skid resistant varnish, add some polypropylene granules to the final coat of varnish and apply thinly. Some people prefer sand or glass, but these tend not to look as good.

[/ QUOTE ]

I should have added that polypropylene granules are sold by MarineWare (UK distributors of Awlgrip products) in sachets suitable for a 750 Ml tin of paint or varnish. However, Awlgrip products tend to be used more by professional applicators, and so are not always readily available from chandlers. I’m sure they can be ordered in though.

They were also sold by International Paint at one time, but I cannot find any reference on their website, so they may have dropped this product line.

I'm not sure about Blakes, but I seem to remember that Wessex Resins sold a suitable product for use with their own epoxies and varnishes.