Cabin Sole finish recommendations?

[ItDepends]

I know that asking sailors for their recommendations on wood finishes is every bit as risky as asking them for recommendations about anchors... but here goes...

We will be refinishing the teak sole in our interior cabin. Stripped to bare wood and starting from scratch, so compatibility is not an issue.

Some nice things for the product to have:

• Quick recoat times. We live on the boat, and waiting a day between coats would be a royal pain considering this is a cabin sole and many coats will be needed for good durability. The design of the cabin means that we do not have to walk on any part of the surface during a recoat.
• Some kind of non-skid (or at least reduced slide) on the surface coat would be nice.
• High gloss is not needed, and in fact is not very desirable when it comes to a good match to the rest of the wood in the interior.

These things are required:

• A hard finish. No teak "oils" or other such would be considered.
• Durability.
• Brush/roller application. For at least some of the surface spray application is not practical.

As an interior product, we are not too concerned about UV stability, if a product checked all our other boxes. Application complexity is not an issue, as long as the total time out of service is not too long.

We are leaning toward a two part varnish, for their durability, quick cure to usably hard, but would love to hear what product you recommend and why. Just as important are any stories about products that did NOT work for you in this application.

[psk125]

Suggestion on application: doing one side at a time might allow you to move (carefully) about the boat even if you have to wait a day between coats.

[ItDepends]

Originally Posted by psk125

Suggestion on application: doing one side at a time might allow you to move (carefully) about the boat even if you have to wait a day between coats.

Actually... moving around the boat isn't an issue. It's just the time and hassle of living on the boat while applying one coat a day. Let's look at this schedule:

Sanding: 0ne day.
Seal coat: One day
6 coats, with sanding after 12 hours, 6 days...

Then repeat for the other side???

The admiral is not going to tolerate most of a month with paint fumes and sanding dust... every day.

[tkeithlu]

I'm gathering that you like the wood, so it's going to be a varnish. There is no secret varnish - people often think that gymnasium floors are done in super varnish but it's not true, so the two part sounds like as good an idea as any. I like psk125's idea of one side of the passageway at a time.

[ItDepends]

Actually, all the places that we normally put feet while moving about the boat are removable hatches. So we really have no need to do the project "half and half" and the overall layout of the cabin is such that you can reach every part of the fixed flooring without ever needing to step on finished wood. Makes it easy as far as logistics.

[jpstevens]

I've used Bona Traffic, a water borne finish we used for durable finish on oak floors. Two parts, easy application, rapid curing and easy clean up.

[markxengineerin]

I am curious if there is a product which is that "quick drying" and also durable and good looking. I just finished 8 coats of "quick dry" polyurethane (miniwax, oil based, clear gloss). It required sanding in between coats, and overnight drying, even longer when cold out. The process took a month in between other work. I applied with a foam brush and found it much better than even the most expensive paintbrushes as far as minimizing bubbles. The gloss is definitely not what you're looking for, just posting this info for reference, since I just did it.

[ItDepends]

Originally Posted by markxengineerin

I am curious if there is a product which is that "quick drying" and also durable and good looking. I just finished 8 coats of "quick dry" polyurethane (miniwax, oil based, clear gloss). It required sanding in between coats, and overnight drying, even longer when cold out. The process took a month in between other work. I applied with a foam brush and found it much better than even the most expensive paintbrushes as far as minimizing bubbles. The gloss is definitely not what you're looking for, just posting this info for reference, since I just did it.

All of the two part polyurethane varnishes I am aware of allow quick coating without sanding between coats. These are some of the most durable and good looking products out there. There are now several lines of one-part products that allow the same. Like recoating in an hour, and 5 coats a day.

I am typing this on my saloon table which was done using AwlWood, and it is just perfect.

I know there are downsides to the two-part polyurethane varnishes, but for a cabin sole they seem pretty well suited.

I am also considering some of the TotalBoat brand one-part varnishes.

[markxengineerin]

Interesting, what would you say are the downsides? Certainly sounds like a lot less work.

[sailasia]

Bona Traffic. The natural is good, but there is also a satin anti-slip.

[s/v Jedi]

Regardless of all the arguments, I would probably use Odie’s Oil. I love it and you only need 1 coat and it’s done in a couple hours.

https://odiesoil.com/

[PUDDLE JUMPER II]

Originally Posted by ItDepends

I know that asking sailors for their recommendations on wood finishes is every bit as risky as asking them for recommendations about anchors... but here goes...



We will be refinishing the teak sole in our interior cabin. Stripped to bare wood and starting from scratch, so compatibility is not an issue.



Some nice things for the product to have:

• Quick recoat times. We live on the boat, and waiting a day between coats would be a royal pain considering this is a cabin sole and many coats will be needed for good durability. The design of the cabin means that we do not have to walk on any part of the surface during a recoat.
  
• Some kind of non-skid (or at least reduced slide) on the surface coat would be nice.
  
• High gloss is not needed, and in fact is not very desirable when it comes to a good match to the rest of the wood in the interior.
  

These things are required:

• A hard finish. No teak "oils" or other such would be considered.
  
• Durability.
  
• Brush/roller application. For at least some of the surface spray application is not practical.
  

As an interior product, we are not too concerned about UV stability, if a product checked all our other boxes. Application complexity is not an issue, as long as the total time out of service is not too long.



We are leaning toward a two part varnish, for their durability, quick cure to usably hard, but would love to hear what product you recommend and why. Just as important are any stories about products that did NOT work for you in this application.

Interlux "Perfection Plus"... Chemical and petroleum resistant, and UV inhibitor... I put I on my mahogany cabin sole... Looks amazing after 7 years, and scuffs buff out easy...

Let me know if you want an in depth discussion on this--- DM me your digits and we can chat... Been using this product for 5+ years...

Cheers,

Skippers T