Cabin sole fresh topcoat

[seabum]

I have teak and Holly on the sole of our trawler. It is in good shape and in order to keep it that way I plan to lightly, but throughly, sand it with 220 grit ( +/-) paper to give it some tooth, then apply a coat or two of a semi gloss finish.
If you have been through this process please pass along your knowledge about sanding, dust control, type and make of finish used and your choice of a finish application tool.
Thanks in advance.

 

[caltexflanc]

I'm not sure what the current condition of your sole is, or what the current finish is. You need to vacuum while you sand though. I used Epifanes Wood finish on high traffic areas such as the aft deck and the stairs both to the lower level and up to the flying bridge. It held up wonderfully for years of year around use and doesn't require sanding between coats. Used gloss for the aft deck and stairs to upper deck, matte for the interior stairs which better matched the surrounding wood. We did not put down a gloss before applying the matte as they suggest so can't comment on that. We were extremely happy with the results.

https://www.epifanes.com/page/wood-finish-matte

 

[SoWhat]

orbital sanders throw wood dust everywhere. Palm sanders are less aggressive. I used 150 grit. 220 clogged too easily. I used several types of epifanes. No sanding between coats but I did knock off the high spots if several days went by.
I used reasonable quality natural bristle brushes. I went through a lot of chip brushes, they worked OK as long as I pulled out the loose bristles before using.

 

[garbler]

Guessing your T&H sole is plywood if not disregard my comments. Anyway the face veneer on most moderately priced T&H plywood is very thin running from 1/64” to a full 1/8” +-. The old Bruynzeel ply was much heavier but not often used on production boats. The point is be very very careful with abrasives especially if your using an orbital. If you go through the face veneer it will really stand out and just hurt something fierce.

Good luck

 

[FF]

Gymnasium varnish is slip proof when wet.

 

[garbler]

Gymnasium varnish is slip proof when wet.

Sounds like the right product however many gym floor coatings are very nasty and very aromatic. So using will mean laying it down full so it flows well and quick so you’re out of there. Proper chem masks are a must cause you’re kneeling over the job. Don’t skimp on a brush full as runs don’t happen horizontally, the product will flow and level. Sole hatches can be done outside. I recommend a house fan setting on a forward cabin hatch to move air. Can’t recommend a product as my files and work records are 1000 miles away.

Good luck

 

[TJM]

Not meaning to hijack this thread but a similar question for an older Trawler.
We use Sikkens cetol as a coloring agent and UV protector. We have in the past used the Sikkens clear gloss as a top coat. Our finishes never look like our neighboring boats, is Epifanes really that different and can it be applied over Cetol ?
We had planned to redo our sole as well, so that info is great.

 

[rslifkin]

I can't remember what variation of Cetol it is, but the teak parquet in my galley and heads was done in Cetol years ago (galley is fairly glossy, heads are satin, so I'm not sure they were done the same). They're not slippery when wet at all.

 

[TJM]

My cetol is on my trim of doors, windows, rub rails, dinghy cradle etc...., not on the walking surfaces.