Teak & Holly Cabin Sole

willysail · #1 (**permalink**) 07-23-2011

Hi There,
I have a teak & holly sole in my C&C 30. I bought this boat several years ago, and I finally have decided to address the cabin sole. The sole looks as if it was varnished before it was cleaned. There are dark spots on the teak and I was to clean them to there original teak color. After removing one of the inspection holes I noticed that it is only a piece of 1/4" veneer onto a piece of 5/8’s marine plywood.

Can this be sanded to remove the varnish?
Can I use something to clean the teak and holly and recover it with something?

primerate84 · #2 (**permalink**) 07-23-2011

Try using a heat gun and scraper. I have used this method to remove old Cetol so I am not sure if it will work the same on varnish. Be sure to not keep the heat on one spot too long or you will scorch the wood. (Be sure to use a heat gun, not a hair dryer. Hair dryers do not get hot enough to be effective.) After you do it for a few minutes, you will get the hang of it and it really is a quicker and easier way to remove the finish without removing any of the wood, which you will do with sanding. Good luck.

willysail · #3 (**permalink**) 07-23-2011

Thanks Primerates84,
I'll give that a try,
I found one in the garage the other day when I was looking for something else.

What would you use to clean the teak & holly after?

mitiempo · #4 (**permalink**) 07-23-2011

There are many good teak cleaners, most have oxalic acid in them.

If the veneer is 1/4" consider yourself lucky. Most factory cabin soles have about 1/16" veneer and sanding is not a good idea with it so thin.

Sabreman · #5 (**permalink**) 07-23-2011

If the heat gun doesn't work, you may have to sand off the old finish. In this respect, it's not any different than refinishing a hardwood floor in a house. In order to speed your work and reduce the chances of gouging the wood, you need to take a counter-intuitive approach. When sanding, use a rough grit paper on 5" random orbit sander, progressing through to 220 paper. I would use 60, 80, 120, 180, then 220 grit. This sounds like a lot of sanding but it's really a lot LESS than trying to sand with 120 and then 220. And the finish will be much better because you won't be trying to work an area to excess. Change paper often - about every 3' of floor. Make sure that you're really working with 1/4" veneer. If so, then it's a joy. If not, then you will sand through to the substrate. It's an odd size for veneer, 1/8" is much more common for custom veneers. If so, it's still workable.

I would try to stay away from the cleaners unless there was no other alternative. If you sand as I indicate above, you will not need a cleaner.

I use Minwax Spar Urethane with exceptional results.

A partial view of our floor finished as I indicate:

VICTORIA (and her mistress)

Boatsmith · #6 (**permalink**) 07-23-2011

It wil most likely be 1 layer of 1/4" plywood with a teak and holly veneer that is only 1/28" thick. Sand very carefully by hand. These are quite easy to sand through. A heat gun can get a lot of the finish off. A chenical stripper can be of use as well.

willysail · #7 (**permalink**) 07-23-2011

Tomorrow when I get to the boat I will check very carefully on the thickness of the Teak & Holly veneer and then we can figure out what to do. I want to thank everyone for there help with this project.

Tweegs · #8 (**permalink**) 07-23-2011

Be careful with the heat gun, it may cause the veneer to delaminate from the plywood. Test in a small out of the way area first.

Also, a power sander will blow through a layer of veneer in the blink of an eye.

Personally, I wouldn’t go any courser than 180 grit.
I, too, am refinishing most of the interior of the boat. The head door is solid teak, the rest of the doors and drawers are veneered. On the veneer, I’m using 180 grit to knock the old finish off, followed by 220, then several coats of finish (high gloss spar urethane).

My sole panels are delaminated in several spots and flat out need replacing, but I’m going to take a different approach rather than using a veneer. Still, the finish should be rated for use on floors, don’t use a spar or standard polyurethane, the finish is too soft to hold up and will scratch like the dickens with foot traffic.

willysail · #9 (**permalink**) 07-23-2011

Tweegs,
What would you use on the cabin sole after sanding? If things don't work out with the veneer, I might look at the synthetic teak & Holly

fryewe · #10 (**permalink**) 07-23-2011

Willy,
I am restoring a Norsea that sank at the pier, and the mess on the cabin sole made me think it was a total loss, with black oil and dirt and debris all over it, standing for weeks. The cabin sole also had some varnish, epoxy, and caulk spots.

First thing I did was wash it down with fresh water. Then I scrubbed it with a water and Dawn dishwashing liquid, followed by a good cleaning with two part teak cleaner (a cheap no-name 6 dollar a gallon brand that I got from Fawcett's in Annapolis several years ago). Then I used a well sharpened CABINET SCRAPER to scrap the spots on the deck. The scraper removes a lot less material than sandpaper.

First time I had used a furniture scraper on the boat. I was rummaging in a tool box and happened on it and a light bulb came on...widely used for fine furniture finishing, why not use them on the boat? It worked so well I used it topside on toe rails and hatches (you can buy one with a kind of French curve shape that is great for scraping curves) and it was MUCH more efficient than sanding.

The cabin sole looks great with oil and other stains barely noticeable. Haven't sealed it yet. Am considering Watco teak sealer, Tung oil, or boiled linseed oil. Don't want a varnish finish...too slippery and too much maintenance. I want to keep it soaked with a good wood or other oil to keep other liquids from staining it while making it easy to clean with soap and water.

That's my planned approach right now. Will take any good advice from anybody on the forum who thinks there is a better way...