Salon floor refinishing

[Adventure Time]

Hi all,

I've been a long time lurker and learn something new here almost every day. I finally have a question worthy of the group, so here we go. My wife and I own an Offshore 64 trawler that we really love. But the wood floors in the salon and galley have taken a bit of abuse from dogs, kids, and fun over the past few years, and we'd like to get them refinished soon. They are solid cherry floors, almost identical to what we had in our last house. I've had two different companies provide quotes, but they were both 4 to 5 times the cost per square foot that we'd expect in a house. I realize the boat has tight corners and less square footage, but this seems really high. Does anybody have a good company they can recommend in the Fort Lauderdale area, or any other ideas about a less exorbitant solution? Thanks in advance!

Malcolm
Adventure Time

 

[GregBrannon]

Welcome to the forum! Post pics of your boat and the floor you wish to refinish.

Based on the boats I see in that area, I suggest moving the boat to less expensive providers. Or maybe look for those who work on home floors and not the 'marine' crowd.

Greg.

 

[Comodave]

Welcome aboard. There is a recent thread on this for DIY. Maybe search and read it to see if you want to try DIY or not.

 

[GH41]

You cannot compare per s/f prices with your home. The equipment they use in a house is way too bulky to use in a boat. Smaller machines slow progress at the expense of more labor. I am surprised the boat quote is only 4-5 times higher per s/f than the house price. I am surprised to the point of doubting they could do a good job.

 

[Comodave]

On a previous boat we had corian counters made. Home Depot, Lowes, etc would not do the work because it was on a boat. Finally found a marine carpenter that did it for about 3.5 times what HD charged for household jobs.

 

[tiltrider1]

You cannot compare per s/f prices with your home. The equipment they use in a house is way too bulky to use in a boat. Smaller machines slow progress at the expense of more labor. I am surprised the boat quote is only 4-5 times higher per s/f than the house price. I am surprised to the point of doubting they could do a good job.

Actually, they use the same equipment. Marine guys wanted $10,000 to do my floors. Found a house guy who did it as a side job for $1,500 cash. Cash talks in some environments.

 

[Datenight]

Actually, they use the same equipment. Marine guys wanted $10,000 to do my floors. Found a house guy who did it as a side job for $1,500 cash. Cash talks in some environments.

It is the same equipment. However I almost never take the big walk behind machine on the boat as it is too heavy and runs on 220. While I have dockside adapters it is easier to use the edger followed by an orbital to take out the edger scratches on solid floors. Veneered surfaces get slathered with stripper, scraped and orbital sanded. All edges and corners are scraped.

It takes longer than a square bedroom but in a 30-45 foot boat there is not that much floorspace. I calculate the square footage to give me an idea on how much finish will be needed. Then I play with numbers calculating hours, materials and a bit for the unknown.

The cost per square foot is always higher but I have found that I make very good money, better than a home or commercial job. My price is always much less than half what the yard would charge at an extreamly good rate for me. Private marine contractors are generally 3-4 times my price. Should also say here that I have never seen a yard or marine contractor who had professional flooring sanders.

I would like to note that I only work in yards with the managements permission and provide all the licsenses and insurance they want.

If you are wondering about pricing I did two sailboats this past fall. One was a 40 footer which need a lot more than just sanding and refinishing that was $2,000.00 The 35 footer was about the same square footage but came in at about $1,600.00. The 40 footer had quotes from a marine guy for just under $8,000.00.

Final word? If it is solid flooring get a guy who does houses. Check his reputation. If it is veneer be sure they they have the skills for that. To be honest I don't know how you would verify said skills.

Rob

 

[tiltrider1]

It is the same equipment. However I almost never take the big walk behind machine on the boat as it is too heavy and runs on 220. While I have dockside adapters it is easier to use the edger followed by an orbital to take out the edger scratches on solid floors. Veneered surfaces get slathered with stripper, scraped and orbital sanded. All edges and corners are scraped.

It takes longer than a square bedroom but in a 30-45 foot boat there is not that much floorspace. I calculate the square footage to give me an idea on how much finish will be needed. Then I play with numbers calculating hours, materials and a bit for the unknown.

The cost per square foot is always higher but I have found that I make very good money, better than a home or commercial job. My price is always much less than half what the yard would charge at an extreamly good rate for me. Private marine contractors are generally 3-4 times my price. Should also say here that I have never seen a yard or marine contractor who had professional flooring sanders.

I would like to note that I only work in yards with the managements permission and provide all the licsenses and insurance they want.

If you are wondering about pricing I did two sailboats this past fall. One was a 40 footer which need a lot more than just sanding and refinishing that was $2,000.00 The 35 footer was about the same square footage but came in at about $1,600.00. The 40 footer had quotes from a marine guy for just under $8,000.00.

Final word? If it is solid flooring get a guy who does houses. Check his reputation. If it is veneer be sure they they have the skills for that. To be honest I don't know how you would verify said skills.

Rob

My Saloon is 25’ x 14’. I’m guessing you would have used the walk behind on it.

 

[Bacchus]

"Final word? If it is solid flooring get a guy who does houses. Check his reputation. If it is veneer be sure they they have the skills for that. To be honest I don't know how you would verify said skills."

I'm thinking same as verifying any contractor... ask for references of similar jobs and call to ask questions.
Then its gut feel based on responses.

 

[JDCAVE]

I did mine myself, with lots of advice and encouragement from Datenight. It went quite well. Here’s a thread on it somewhere. I used an orbital sander. The bigger part of the job was removing the carpet and underlay that had been glued down over the parquet flooring.



Overall, I’m pleased with the outcome. Sanding took a couple of days. Don’t skimp on the sandpaper! Replace it every 5 minutes. I used a used an orbital sander with a Shopvac attachment for dust. I used 4 coats of Poloplaz, which is a professional product but Datenight could suggest others.









Jim

 

[Datenight]

My Saloon is 25’ x 14’. I’m guessing you would have used the walk behind on it.

Wow! You are right, I would lug the big machine down the dock.

Rob

 

[tiltrider1]

I see JDcave used a satin finish. I went with a satin finish as well. The original finish was gloss and certainly gloss looks best but it also shows all the imperfections. 5 years later I am still happy with my choice to use satin. How about you JDcave?

 

[Pete Meisinger]

It is definitely a "DIY" project. The Admiral and I did ours in an afternoon, might have been two. I used high gloss Poly because I like the look when we did the maple floors in our dirt home.

Use a random orbit sander or two with dust collectors. Teak is actually pretty soft compared to oak or maple. The sanding is pretty easy.

pete

 

[GH41]

It is definitely a "DIY" project. The Admiral and I did ours in an afternoon, might have been two. I used high gloss Poly because I like the look when we did the maple floors in our dirt home.

Use a random orbit sander or two with dust collectors. Teak is actually pretty soft compared to oak or maple. The sanding is pretty easy.

pete

OP said he has cherry. That's about as hard to sand as it gets.

 

[Datenight]

Something I did not think to include in the previous posts is that each job gets a minimum of six coats usually seven. I like to completly fill the grain getting a mirror like finish.

For some reason my wife calls me Mr. Anal...

On the question of sheen I find about half the people want gloss, the other half a satin or semi gloss. I lean toward the satin or semi gloss as it better hides the dust and inevitable minor nicks and scratches.

Rob

 

[Pete Meisinger]

Oops, I missed that the sole is cherry, wouldn't change my plans though. Still a DIY job, if you care to take it on. It's really not a huge project.

pete

 

[Adventure Time]

Thanks all! Unfortunately, I'm not currently in Florida so I can't take pictures at the moment, but I'll post them when things settle down enough to travel. It will also be difficult to DIY for now, though I hope to transition to a live aboard in the next 2-3 years so we'll see. I definitely think the best route is to find a local shop that normally does houses, but that is willing to work onboard the boat. If anyone knows a specific company in the Southern Florida area please let me know.

 

[JDCAVE]

I see JDcave used a satin finish. I went with a satin finish as well. The original finish was gloss and certainly gloss looks best but it also shows all the imperfections. 5 years later I am still happy with my choice to use satin. How about you JDcave?

I’m fine with the satin. I probably should have gone with a couple of more coats, as Datenight indicated, however fatigue set in. It still looks good and I’m happy I did it myself.

Remember...it’s a boat. It’s not high end furniture!

Jim

 

[JDCAVE]

OP said he has cherry. That's about as hard to sand as it gets.

It’s not the wood that’s the problem. It’s the pre existing finish. There was a product in the 1980’s called “Glitsa” that’s as hard as a rock. I believe it was quite toxic to apply. It’s as hard as a rock and tenacious to remove. I’m pretty certain it was used on my boat.

Jim

 

[Datenight]

It’s not the wood that’s the problem. It’s the pre existing finish. There was a product in the 1980’s called “Glitsa” that’s as hard as a rock. I believe it was quite toxic to apply. It’s as hard as a rock and tenacious to remove. I’m pretty certain it was used on my boat.

Jim

We used to use Glitsa. It was a fantastic finish but taken off the market for the reason Jim mentioned.

Rob

 

[Benthic2]

If anyone is curious about what an Offshore 64 looks like......there's a new one listed on yachtworld:

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2021/offshore-yachts-64-voyager-3648444/

 

[Adventure Time]

If anyone is curious about what an Offshore 64 looks like......there's a new one listed on yachtworld:

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2021/offshore-yachts-64-voyager-3648444/

It has some similarity to an Offshore 62, but it has a standup engine room and is a bit beamier. We've owned Adventure Time for 3.5 years and love her!

 

[Barrie]

I had a college near by and i hired a student (female) who needed brownie points for her woodworking class. She came onboard and got on her hands and knees with a hand sander and paint stripper. Paid $10. per hour. Student was over the moon.Job was finished in a week. I then refinished the floor myself. Very satisfied with how it turned out.

 

[skipgundlach]

Hot and Bothered and trying not to slip up...

I've not seen any mention of the way many sailboaters do revarnishing:

Heat gun and scraper to get off most if not all the prior varnish, prior to a light sand for any bits and to give tooth, and apply - avoids oversanding on veneers, as well as minimizes dust potential...

Also, while I don't recall the name, there was a marine varnish particularly designed for soles, non-slip but still very brilliant.

What was that product name, and what does the equivalent today?

 

[PBR]

Cabin floors

Would you recommend using Cetol as a finish for the floors?

 

[Barrie]

No. too soft. i used polyurethane from home depot

 

[moparharn]

A couple to thoughts:

1. Could you hire datenight to come down and do it? The job savings would pay for travel, motel, and equipment/finish. Datenight obviously has the experience.

2. Spend some time on the Bona Flooring site. They make equipment and finishes and have good information.

3. Do you have any shadows in the floor from the sun? If so, don't assume it is from the finish. It probably is not. If you have no carpet shadows consider renting a square buff with a 3M pads for a day or two $140 and then applying three coats on tongue oil. Square buff should knock down the old scratches and finish. The tongue can go over most finishes. Poly for sure. If you wan't high durability look at Traffic. Tongue is cheap and easy to repair.

4. See number 1.

 

[Comodave]

Would you recommend using Cetol as a finish for the floors?

No, I agree that it is way too soft and will not hold up to the wear.

 

[Datenight]

A couple to thoughts:

1. Could you hire datenight to come down and do it? The job savings would pay for travel, motel, and equipment/finish. Datenight obviously has the experience.

2. Spend some time on the Bona Flooring site. They make equipment and finishes and have good information.

3. Do you have any shadows in the floor from the sun? If so, don't assume it is from the finish. It probably is not. If you have no carpet shadows consider renting a square buff with a 3M pads for a day or two $140 and then applying three coats on tongue oil. Square buff should knock down the old scratches and finish. The tongue can go over most finishes. Poly for sure. If you wan't high durability look at Traffic. Tongue is cheap and easy to repair.

4. See number 1.

Thanks for the plug Moparharn! I hear flights are cheap now. To everyone else, we do not know each other.

Agree that Bona is an excellent source. I just finished a Kitchen and Dinning room coating with Bona Traffic HD. A very durable if expensive product.

The vibrator sander Moparharn mentions may do the trick. Be sure to remove any hatch pulls. Sun shadows rarely come out completly with sanding on cherry. However, if the covered sections are exposed to the light they will catch up (in color) with time. Or just put carpet and furniture back in the same places.

In contrast to what another poster said I have found cherry floors to be relatively soft.

Rob

Rob