I have a Contest sailboat whose interior cabin sole is about 1" thick solid tongue and groove teak boards fitted closely together. The sole has been oiled annually since 1972 by the previous owner. I would very much like to clean off the dark and dirty oil from the sole and apply a harder and glossier protective coating. Do you have any recommendation on effective (and safe) ways to clean the accumulation of oil from the teak sole? Are there any products that could do the job and how would I go about doing this? I will be grateful for any assistance that you can provide.
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Teak sole
If it were me I would sand it. Start with an orbital sander to see what happens. If the sandpaper clogs up too much try a belt sander with 120 grit then go over it with the orbital. You may not get to the very bottom of the oil but it will certainly look better. Unfortunately you may not be able to varathane or put another finish on the sole because of the oil. Better check that out with a paint specialist.
If it were me I would sand it. Start with an orbital sander to see what happens. If the sandpaper clogs up too much try a belt sander with 120 grit then go over it with the orbital. You may not get to the very bottom of the oil but it will certainly look better. Unfortunately you may not be able to varathane or put another finish on the sole because of the oil. Better check that out with a paint specialist.
After sanding
Rub well with acetone, 2 or 3 times. Sand again and then rub with acetone again. This will reduce the oil and allow the finish to stay put. Inside I think I'd try something like poly-shades. First coat make a 50/50 mix so it soaks in good. After that put on two more coats. Varathane is hard and would look nice and last if it stays put. If you use varnish you want to put about four or five coats. Best of luck. Paul
Rub well with acetone, 2 or 3 times. Sand again and then rub with acetone again. This will reduce the oil and allow the finish to stay put. Inside I think I'd try something like poly-shades. First coat make a 50/50 mix so it soaks in good. After that put on two more coats. Varathane is hard and would look nice and last if it stays put. If you use varnish you want to put about four or five coats. Best of luck. Paul
Steve
Just got around to reading this. When I originally purchased my 1983 boat, there was no finish on the soles. There were years of accumulation of ground in grit, teak oil and even a couple of splotches of what appeared to be motor oil. I took them out and used a two part teak cleaner and scrubbed them with a bristle brush. Took a couple of applications to get all of the oil out and the darker spots. I then applied a solution of bleach and sat them out in the sun. After rinsing and letting them dry, lightly sanded to knock down the grain and applied four coats of marine varnish, with a light sanding between coats. They look brand new. There are several teak cleaning products that I've tried in the past, but the two part cleaners seem to work the best for me. Luck!
Just got around to reading this. When I originally purchased my 1983 boat, there was no finish on the soles. There were years of accumulation of ground in grit, teak oil and even a couple of splotches of what appeared to be motor oil. I took them out and used a two part teak cleaner and scrubbed them with a bristle brush. Took a couple of applications to get all of the oil out and the darker spots. I then applied a solution of bleach and sat them out in the sun. After rinsing and letting them dry, lightly sanded to knock down the grain and applied four coats of marine varnish, with a light sanding between coats. They look brand new. There are several teak cleaning products that I've tried in the past, but the two part cleaners seem to work the best for me. Luck!
Consider NOT varnishing it at all
First, don't touch it with sandpaper till you have scraped it clear with a sharp-edged metal scraper. The biggest problem old (pre-1870s) houses have now is that someone sanded the floors, opening the grain too wide, and now they have to be varnished with polyurethane because nothing else will save it. Antique floors should be scraped and cleaned... period. Try scraping it clear of oil gunk first, then when you are looking at exposed (but not opened) grain, try the solvent wash. I would leave it raw for a while till it starts to dry out. Remember that with solid planks like this, if the bottom side is left untreated, finishing the top with a nonporous sealer (like polyurethane) is an automatic invitation for the boards to cup. This the other reason why antique-house floors are supposed to be left raw. If you want to see what happens when you disregard this rule, come see our church, where a new oak floor over 300-yr-old floor joists resulted in beautiful varnished cupped planks. Every longitudinal seam in the place is too high. When the light hits them just right, it's deplorable. JC 2
First, don't touch it with sandpaper till you have scraped it clear with a sharp-edged metal scraper. The biggest problem old (pre-1870s) houses have now is that someone sanded the floors, opening the grain too wide, and now they have to be varnished with polyurethane because nothing else will save it. Antique floors should be scraped and cleaned... period. Try scraping it clear of oil gunk first, then when you are looking at exposed (but not opened) grain, try the solvent wash. I would leave it raw for a while till it starts to dry out. Remember that with solid planks like this, if the bottom side is left untreated, finishing the top with a nonporous sealer (like polyurethane) is an automatic invitation for the boards to cup. This the other reason why antique-house floors are supposed to be left raw. If you want to see what happens when you disregard this rule, come see our church, where a new oak floor over 300-yr-old floor joists resulted in beautiful varnished cupped planks. Every longitudinal seam in the place is too high. When the light hits them just right, it's deplorable. JC 2
Teak sole cleaning
Hi JC II -- thank you very much for your thoughts and suggestions. Is there any particular brand or kind of solvent that I should use after the scraping process? If I don't seal the top of the teak sole after scraping, do you suggest that I continue using oil or would I leave the top surface untreated? Steve
Hi JC II -- thank you very much for your thoughts and suggestions. Is there any particular brand or kind of solvent that I should use after the scraping process? If I don't seal the top of the teak sole after scraping, do you suggest that I continue using oil or would I leave the top surface untreated? Steve
teak sole
I'll put in a plug for a product I love here...Ultimate Sole finish....no connection with them just think it is a wonderful product. It is a thin laquer like coating that provides a mirror like gloss to cabin sole AND is NON-Skid...pretty amazing. To use, you sand down surface with 200 grit...(can be applied over varnish)then with a FOAM brush you put on a coat. You then put on as many more coats as you like without any sanding between coats. I saw it at boat show in 2003 and it has held up extremely well in a live aboard boat for 18 months now. Costs about 30 bucks a quart and you'll use about the same amount as if using regular varnish.
I'll put in a plug for a product I love here...Ultimate Sole finish....no connection with them just think it is a wonderful product. It is a thin laquer like coating that provides a mirror like gloss to cabin sole AND is NON-Skid...pretty amazing. To use, you sand down surface with 200 grit...(can be applied over varnish)then with a FOAM brush you put on a coat. You then put on as many more coats as you like without any sanding between coats. I saw it at boat show in 2003 and it has held up extremely well in a live aboard boat for 18 months now. Costs about 30 bucks a quart and you'll use about the same amount as if using regular varnish.
Teak Sole
Hi George -- I am hoping to be able to use the Ultimate Sole finish after I figure out how to clean my teak sole and appreciate learning of your positive experience. How worn was your teak, how much sanding did you do, did you use any chemical cleaners or washes before or after sanding, and did you bleach or lighten the teak before applying the Ultimate Sole? Thanks very much for your help. Steve
Hi George -- I am hoping to be able to use the Ultimate Sole finish after I figure out how to clean my teak sole and appreciate learning of your positive experience. How worn was your teak, how much sanding did you do, did you use any chemical cleaners or washes before or after sanding, and did you bleach or lighten the teak before applying the Ultimate Sole? Thanks very much for your help. Steve
Thanks George. I'll look for it. Does anyone know
the name of the dent removing spray product? I read about it here but can't find mention of it in the achives. I want to lift some minor dents out of my sole before refinishing.
the name of the dent removing spray product? I read about it here but can't find mention of it in the achives. I want to lift some minor dents out of my sole before refinishing.
Patrick and Gary, thanks.
and a sole mate is a good woman, right? But then who cares about some little dent in the floor?
and a sole mate is a good woman, right? But then who cares about some little dent in the floor?
Mike
That link doesn't work for me even if I correct the spelling. I also come up blank doing a web search. Any help would be appreciated.
That link doesn't work for me even if I correct the spelling. I also come up blank doing a web search. Any help would be appreciated.
sorry about the spelling, my bday yesterday......
out too late last night, i noticed if you google it you need to add the www thanks, mike
out too late last night, i noticed if you google it you need to add the www thanks, mike
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