Refinishing my teak floor

[grahamdouglass]

I'm refinishing my teak floor. I have a 1981 Marine Trader with the traditional teak strip flooring. It's gotten a lot of use over the last 16 years that I have owned her.

I am going to do a light sanding and my choice of finish is Epiphanies or Varathane satin polyurethane.

What are your thoughts for a floor covering?

 

[Mambo42]

I'm refinishing my teak floor. I have a 1981 Marine Trader with the traditional teak strip flooring. It's gotten a lot of use over the last 16 years that I have owned her.

I am going to do a light sanding and my choice of finish is Epiphanies or Varathane satin polyurethane.

What are your thoughts for a floor covering?

Do I understand it correctly you want to put paint or epoxy on teak ?

The former owner of my boat put epoxy and then painted it. It did look very nice, I did like the white color, which created a sense of space.

Unfortunately teak decks do work (move) and thus the epoxy formed cracks. Especially where the caulk was sitting the epoxy was cracked.
As a result rain water and sea water went in those cracks, saturated the wood, but could not get out anymore. I could feel the teak becoming softer, so a couple of weeks ago I decided to remove all the epoxy.
The bow deck is still sort of OK, with 17 % moisture in the teak. I hope that will dry out and that I won't need to remove it.
The stern and side decks however were at 40 - 45 % moisture, some parts are completely rotten and I fear this cannot be saved anymore, so started looking for an alternative.
So if you are planning to paint the teak deck take at least a flexible paint, so you don't end up with rotten teak below the paint like I did.

As a result of what the former owner did, in the end I will have to remove the teak from the stern and side decks, reinforce the hull below (some parts are soft as well), then either put new teak, add more fiberglass or come up with some other product. Removing the teak will basically lower the deck with about 10 - 12 mm and that presents all kinds of other problems, so was looking for something to compensate that
Last week I was introduced to Marinedeck 2000, which is a cork based material that looks like teak. It is completely waterproof, does not become warm in the sun, does not need to be screwed into the deck (just glue) and it is possible to do it yourself.
This material is produced by a company call Stazo in the Netherlands, but they sell it everywhere. As a guidance look for about 250 euro per m2 (is around 9 - 10 sqft).
If I hire a company to do all the work it is going to cost me around 25.000 euro to repair the side and stern decks. If I do it myself I am looking at roughly 10.000 euro and that is without the cost for the marina.
In other words, I will never put epoxy on a teak deck again.

 

[Cigatoo]

I'm refinishing my teak floor. I have a 1981 Marine Trader with the traditional teak strip flooring. It's gotten a lot of use over the last 16 years that I have owned her.

I am going to do a light sanding and my choice of finish is Epiphanies or Varathane satin polyurethane.

What are your thoughts for a floor covering?

I did our GB a few tears ago with oil based polyurethane. 4 coats of gloss and then a coat of satin. Came out nice. I felt the urethane would hold up better than varnish. Either would probably be fine.

 

[mvweebles]

25 years ago, I took a chance and used a 2-part water based product StreetShoe. Was based on recommendation of a large flooring supply company in San Francisco who insisted the product was used in entranceways of commercial buildings and such.

Great product. Went on very easily and held up very well. I recently had the floors redone and used it again. Honestly, I don't know why anyone would use oil based. It takes so long to dry between costs. The water based 2-part systems are light-dey within an hour. The only caution I would give is the color does not have the deep golden hue of oil based topcoats.

To apply, a cup or so if the mixed product is poured down and a fabric squeegee is used to spread it. Goes on as a milky color but dries clear.

Basic Coatings STREETSHOE Waterbased Wood Floor Finish Satin 1 Gallon https://a.co/d/hhJIBa9

Peter

 

[Datenight]

I'm refinishing my teak floor. I have a 1981 Marine Trader with the traditional teak strip flooring. It's gotten a lot of use over the last 16 years that I have owned her.

I am going to do a light sanding and my choice of finish is Epiphanies or Varathane satin polyurethane.

What are your thoughts for a floor covering?

Grahamdouglass,

Is this an interior floor? If it is solid wood which it sounds like you will have no problems sanding to clean, new wood. If veneer you need to be a little more careful.

For finish any standard polyurethane made for floors will work well. I would use the Varathane for your product. ZipGuard, Lasts and Lasts are also good choices. When doing a sole where regular urethane is requested I use Lenmar. No need for a "marine" finish in this application.

Peter's suggestion of StreetShoe NXT is also very good and extremely durable. However as he mentions you will not get the deep golden hue. Bona Traffic HD is another good suggestion.

Please feel free to contact me here or PM if you would like more info on refinishing your floor. I am third generation in the business and have been doing it since age 5 (!), Dad really needed the help.

Rob

 

[Cigatoo]

25 years ago, I took a chance and used a 2-part water based product StreetShoe. Was based on recommendation of a large flooring supply company in San Francisco who insisted the product was used in entranceways of commercial buildings and such.

Great product. Went on very easily and held up very well. I recently had the floors redone and used it again. Honestly, I don't know why anyone would use oil based. It takes so long to dry between costs. The water based 2-part systems are light-dey within an hour. The only caution I would give is the color does not have the deep golden hue of oil based topcoats.

To apply, a cup or so if the mixed product is poured down and a fabric squeegee is used to spread it. Goes on as a milky color but dries clear.

Basic Coatings STREETSHOE Waterbased Wood Floor Finish Satin 1 Gallon https://a.co/d/hhJIBa9

Peter

I agree with the water base. However for the reasons you stated I went with the oil. Still the oil urethane doesn’t have the richness of a varnish. But a good compromise me thinks.

 

[Cigatoo]

When I stripped the teak parquet I found GB had applied epoxy as a sealer. Was a bitch to remove. I skipped the epoxy and went with the urethane. Looking back I would have applied a coat or three of epoxy to seal the joints of the parquet. I can still find a few that didn’t fill with the urethane.

 

[Larry M]

Here are a couple of threads on refinishing floors. Good luck with your project.

https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s32/refinishing-salon-hardwood-floors-5688.html


https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s10/refinishing-teak-parquet-48314.html#post832644

 

[Nomad Willy]

Have you considered typical oil finish prep and alkyd floor paint?

As you go fwd finding time to bright finish your house floors will fade.

 

[FWT]

25 years ago, I took a chance and used a 2-part water based product StreetShoe. Was based on recommendation of a large flooring supply company in San Francisco who insisted the product was used in entranceways of commercial buildings and such.

Great product. Went on very easily and held up very well. I recently had the floors redone and used it again. Honestly, I don't know why anyone would use oil based. It takes so long to dry between costs. The water based 2-part systems are light-dey within an hour. The only caution I would give is the color does not have the deep golden hue of oil based topcoats.

To apply, a cup or so if the mixed product is poured down and a fabric squeegee is used to spread it. Goes on as a milky color but dries clear.

Basic Coatings STREETSHOE Waterbased Wood Floor Finish Satin 1 Gallon https://a.co/d/hhJIBa9

Peter

If it were me, I'd use a slow drying product on floors but a faster drying finish on walls that are paneled.

Here's why.

In application you need a "wet edge." Second, you have no risk of sagging / slumping. In a big flat surface if you start in the top left corner and go down, by the time you get back to work adjacent to where you started it can start to set up and create a roughness where the drying finish doesn't take kindly to the finish being applied adjacent to it. Second, if a slow drying finish it has more of a shot of "self-leveling" and just settle in with a smooth top surface with no brush strokes.

On a vertical wall that can work against you. Just a wee bit too much and it can sag and slump, and setting up faster can help prevent that. Plus the individual panels being finished tend to be smaller.

My two cents.

 

[Larry M]

Here are some before, during and afters plus what I used. I didn’t go any finer than 120 grit before the first coat. Between coats I used 150 grit.

 

[mvweebles]

......
Here's why.....In application you need a "wet edge." .... Second, if a slow drying finish it has more of a shot of "self-leveling" and just settle in with a smooth top surface with no brush strokes....

I can tell you are not familiar with these products. Use and application bears zero resemblance to oil based urethane type products.

These 2-part water based products are consistency and color of skim milk when they are applied. You do need to cut-in edges with a brush, but there are no issues with brush stroke marks because the stuff is so thin. Full broadcast application is very fast: splash 8-12 inches on the floor and quickly roll/spread it out. You can easily do a sealant coat and two topcoats in a day vs a week or more to do oil based. No sanding needed between coats. Just splash and spread. And the finish is rock solid - no compromise there. To reiterate, only downside is the lack of a golden glow if that's important to you (it is to me, but not enough to offset the other attributes).

Screenshot from a video attached.

Peter

 

[Larry M]

…I am going to do a light sanding and my choice of finish is Epiphanies or Varathane satin polyurethane…?

I would use the Varathane. I like the ease of application plus the durability of polyurethanes.

 

[Cigatoo]

Have you considered typical oil finish prep and alkyd floor paint?

As you go fwd finding time to bright finish your house floors will fade.

Alkyd floor paint on a Grand Banks!! Surly you jest my friend?

 

[Cigatoo]

Here is another take on how to proceed.
https://youtu.be/zfchwHoJ3pU?si=vHnGhhYdQA2f07J7

 

[Bmarler]

I can tell you are not familiar with these products. Use and application bears zero resemblance to oil based urethane type products.

These 2-part water based products are consistency and color of skim milk when they are applied. You do need to cut-in edges with a brush, but there are no issues with brush stroke marks because the stuff is so thin. Full broadcast application is very fast: splash 8-12 inches on the floor and quickly roll/spread it out. You can easily do a sealant coat and two topcoats in a day vs a week or more to do oil based. No sanding needed between coats. Just splash and spread. And the finish is rock solid - no compromise there. To reiterate, only downside is the lack of a golden glow if that's important to you (it is to me, but not enough to offset the other attributes).

Screenshot from a video attached.

Peter

I looked at the basic coatings website for the tds for this product. The data sheet for the nxt is pretty vague, but there’s an embedded link to the opt product. Are these the same thing? The tds for the opt product says apply directly over stain in desired. I bet you could get that golden hue from stain and apply the topcoat for durability. It’s an interesting product and I hope to try it sometime.

 

[grahamdouglass]

I certainly got a lot of responses. My plan is to experiment with the V-berth floor, since it is quite small. I'll sand it down and then apply the Varathane. I've seen a couple of videos and it looks relatively straight forward. The only caveat is the temperature. I'll have to read the label on the can and figure that out. Thanks again for your advice.

 

[Serene]

I certainly got a lot of responses. My plan is to experiment with the V-berth floor, since it is quite small. I'll sand it down and then apply the Varathane. I've seen a couple of videos and it looks relatively straight forward. The only caveat is the temperature. I'll have to read the label on the can and figure that out. Thanks again for your advice.

Would be good to see some pics before, during and after if possible. I am thinking I might do mine at some point in the future too.

 

[fryedaze]

I did what you are proposing about 10 years ago. If you just lightly sand you may reach clean wood in areas of thin top coat. Those areas will be much darker when you apply the top coat. If I had it to do again I would have done the extra work to take it down to bare wood and have a consistent richer color.

 

[koliver]

I certainly got a lot of responses. My plan is to experiment with the V-berth floor, since it is quite small. I'll sand it down and then apply the Varathane. I've seen a couple of videos and it looks relatively straight forward. The only caveat is the temperature. I'll have to read the label on the can and figure that out. Thanks again for your advice.

Graham
I am also in Vancouver, if climate makes any difference.
I have refinished my teak interior floors. I have also done the walls and dashboard tops, though in those places I have used less gloss than on the floors.
My first effort was using Varathane water based varnish on the starboard half of the front of the main cabin and a marine spar varnish on the port side. within a few months, the Varathane side started showing water marks, while the spar varnish side did not. I soon decided the Varathane was a poor choice, as this interior gets water on it from time to time, so would need a different product. Unfortunately, the Varathane water based varnish is very hard and adheres tightly, so getting the stained parts off took a lot of effort.

All that was done about 15 years ago, and the spar varnish is still holding up.
My floors never saw Varathane, and there I used a high gloss spar varnish, which has held up equally well and still looks good except where it has been damaged. Repairs are not difficult and don't require more area to be prepped than just the damaged area. I have used oil based spar varnishes, exclusively. I don't think you need Epifaanes inside your boat, as its major difference from an ordinary spar varnish is in its thickness and extra UV protection. A cheaper, thinner spar varnish like I used will work just fine.

Good luck with your project.

 

[Max1]

My MT36 has varnished floors and it is due for a touch-up next spring.

I was planning on giving it a light sanding and then adding 1 or 2 coats of spar varnish. Is this going to be OK or is it better to go with a verathane finish that I see being discussed here? what are the pro's and cons of either?

 

[fryedaze]

I am a big proponent of oil based finishes. Water based is nice to use but in high build application they tend to whiten. Oil based gives a rich golden color. Rust-Oleum make a poly for flooring. I used it 10 years ago on all the flooring in the boat and it is still in great shape. This stuff is a great product for floors. The price is great too compared to varnish.

 

[JustCruisin]

Salon floor refinish

I used a stripper to get as much of the old finish off as possible (kleanstrip premium) then sanded down to bare wood. You need to get the old finish off or it will look splotchy. Then put 5 coats Minwax premium oil urethane warm semi-gloss. Pretty nice for a 36 year old floor. Time will tell as to durability. Best of luck with your project!

 

[fryedaze]

I used a stripper to get as much of the old finish off as possible (kleanstrip premium) then sanded down to bare wood. You need to get the old finish off or it will look splotchy. Then put 5 coats Minwax premium oil urethane warm semi-gloss. Pretty nice for a 36 year old floor. Time will tell as to durability. Best of luck with your project!

Those floors look awesome

 

[Cantsitstill]

Basic Coatings Emulsion Pro

I am in the commercial cleaning business so I may have a different perspective than some of you.

Here is what I did for my teak flooring this year.

1. Light sand (220 grit).

2. Clean and tack with Basic Coatings Squeaky Cleaner.

2. Apply 1 coat Basic Coatings Tycote. This is a bonding agent and should help to ensure the new finish is compatible with whatever is on the floor now.

3. 2 Coats Basic Coatings Emulsion Pro. This is water based so it has low odor but has it also has an oil-based component, so it darkens over time like oil modified finish. Streetshoe is water clear if that is the look you want just be sure you have your eyes open about it.

Basic Coatings products are gym floor finishes. They are much more likely to hold up to traffic than a standard varnish (my opinion). All of them will scratch. It isn't magic but these should wear better than varnish over time.

 

[BobMc]

I'm refinishing my teak floor. I have a 1981 Marine Trader with the traditional teak strip flooring. It's gotten a lot of use over the last 16 years that I have owned her.

I am going to do a light sanding and my choice of finish is Epiphanies or Varathane satin polyurethane.

What are your thoughts for a floor covering?

Here's the system I used on our DeFever 41 which was recommended by a member of Trawlers and Trawlering List by a very knowledgeable fellow who restored Grand Banks fast trawlers.

Day---

1-Sand to bare wood with 60 and 150 grit paper then 2 coats of CPES and dry

2-Sand with 220, then CPES – 1 coat until tacky, then 1 coat Captains Varnish

3-Captains – 1 coat

4-Captains – 1 coat

5-Sand with 220 - Captains – 1 coat

6-Captains – 1 coat

7-pour Captains into still-open seams and brushed across seams in attempt to fill (will probably not be totally successfully)

May need more very light sanding and more Captains to obtain the appearance you want. If want satin finish, do not sand final coat.

 

[divert00]

I have used oil-based polyurethane on interior teak flooring (stripped and parquet) floors on multiple boats over the last 20 years. Much easier than varnish and tough. Holds up well. Like all other coatings, the prep reflects the most important and time consuming part.

John McCarley
Water Colors

 

[TStiles]

FloorFin

Another alternative to floor finishes is Daly's FloorFin. I refinished the floors of my Ocean Alexander nearly 20 years ago and today, it looks like they were just done. No visible wear whatsoever. And the best part is you don't have the anxiety during application like you do with a polyurethane. This is a wipe on, let it set for a bit, then wipe off product. The more applications the smoother it becomes (leveling) and the more durable it is. Awesome product.

 

[Darlin]

Floor Finish

Recommend Betco self healing floor finish. Available on Amazon. Resists scuffs and scratches.

 

[Nomad Willy]

If you use varnish on interior floors be aware there are a wide varieties of hardness.
Hardness is important on a floor. But so is repairability. Look for a balance.

And there are numerous coatings specifically formulated for floors. They usually are long lasting. Many or most are not marine products. But they probably out perform marine products.

Also some consideration should be given to the level of gloss. Too much gloss is easy to do w gloss varnish. I’ve seen pictures and if I hadn’t looked away I probably would have gotten a head ache … it’s awful.