Teak Cabin Sole

[JDAM]

Has anyone sealed a teak veneer sole with epoxy and then varnish. Would welcome any input in doing this project.

Also need to remove the existing varnish as its breaking down in spots. Is this best done by hand sanding since the veneer is very thin?

Thanks in advance.

[hamiam]

the veneer is typically very thin. I did read somewhere of the technique of sealing the wood with epoxy and putting the varnish on that for an exterior application. may have been on this board. you might want to do a search.

[BertV]

I''ve done an solid oak sole in the past. Sealed it with a product called S1 sealer. That''s a two part epoxy sealer that is as thin as water, gets into everything. It was made by a local plastics company so I don''t know what it would be called in your neck of the woods. Then finished it with Interlux two part polyurathane varnish. Very hard finish with great non-skid properties. A bit of a challange to paint the two part varnish without getting dust in it but once done, boy did it look good and last a long time.

[paulk]

We''ve epoxied the ends of some of our teak veneer floorboards (Brunzeel, I think, but more than 20 years old, so the ends get worn and water gets in...) but have left the actual floor surface simply varnished for the most part. IMHO that the epoxy will eventually darken and be impossible to remove (like your grandma''s beautiful mahogany furniture that is now black because of the UV getting to the varnish). Varnish can be sanded off pretty easily, but epoxy is a lot harder. As an experiment last season I did replace a small floorboard in the galley area and fully epoxied the edges and faces of it. It may take a few years to see how it turns out, however.

[svreleaseme]

I am refinishing the sole and I am also tring to decide what to finish with. I do know of people that have used epoxy on exterier teak under cetol. The key is protecting the epoxy from UV. I have seen epoxy with UV damage and it is not pretty.I have read a book about how Hinkley does things and they put down three coats of epoxy then three or so coats of varnish (I can''t remember which one) on the sole of their yachts. I would love to hear what varnish people are using for this job.

[svreleaseme]

Sorry, I forgot to add that I am sanding the venneer. See if you can examine an edge to see how thin your veneer is. This will give you a heads up to how much you have to play with.