Teak and Holly sole

[Jim M.]

I am considering stripping the varnish (a high gloss) off the teak and holly floor on my O'Day 31. It's worn in areas and doesn't look so great. Any ideas on good strippers, wood preparation, staining and recommendations on a new varnish? I'm looking to put a matte finish on it once the wood is prepped.Thanks.

 

[david lewis]

Mine is getting pretty ragged looking as well. Be advised that this is only a veneer on top of plywood so don't sand it too much. I plan to give it a light sanding and then use a polyurethane or equivalent. I also plan on sealing all of the wood with West System epoxy to waterproof it. I have read a few posts that talk about the floorboards rotting out. If they are waterproofed they should last forever. No sense in having them look good while they rot underneath.Dave

 

[Justin - O'day Owners' Web]

Try Heat

I would think using a heat gun and a scraper to break up the varnish would leave more material in the veneer for a light sanding before varnish. The West Epoxy trick is a good one. Did my hatch boards with it this winter and liked the result. Make sure you get the special pumps to go with the clear hardener because the ratios are different. You really need to get them right or the result will have a milky appearance.Justin - O'day Owners' Web

 

[Chris Coutu]

I've done It!

I've stripped my teak & holly floor lastyear. Using 5F5 by sterling clark it produces less fumes that other strippers. Its a gel type liquid that comes in a can.Use plenty of ventilation, and appropriate gloves. Mask off areas you dont want to strip. apply the gel to the wood and it will bubble the varnish right up. Take a putty knife and gently scrap off the waste, using a coffee can to clean off the putty knife.This will take off the heavy stuff.apply another light coat of 5f5 and use a 3m green stripper pad to remove residual varnish (get many of these 3m pads). Use a cotton rag with a little acetone to wipe clean the wood. I used acetone to clean the plasic interior surface near the floor, where years of sloppy varnish jobs splattered. I found a little acetone on a cotton rag cleans the plastic great! Acetone is sold right next to the 5f5.The wood then can be lightly sanded with fine sand paper. Vaccuum up the dust, wipe down the wood, and your ready to varnish. It's not that hard at all. I restored the whole sole of my oday 40 in one weekend.

 

[Robert M.Baldwin, Jr.]

Teak and Holy sole

I refinished my dinette table and the sole looked so bad when I reinstalled the table that I had to refinsh the sole. I stripped the sole with West Marine stripper. I use a furniture scrapper to scrape the old varnish from the wood. If kept sharp, it removes a minimum of the wood, the sole is a thin veneer of teak and holly careful not to scrape through it. There is very little sanding after using a sharp furniture scrapper. I finished the sole with five coats of Epithanes, thinning the first coat 10%. The results are spectacular. and the finish is quite tuff.How is the sole fastened on a O'Day 30? Can it be removed with out a skill saw?