Cabin Floor Cleaning tricks to share - Teak and Holly

[Warren Kaplan]

Uh Oh!!! Poor Carter as been upside down with his head down in the bilge for too long this time!!! Those fumes are agettin' to 'um!

He left out one of his more common situations.

"Figuring out how to complete a boat project after leaving the specific tool necessary to do it at home under the bed while riding the subway and mentally kicking himself all the way to City Island!"

Cathy,
Fantastic job!! How'd ya' like to take on a refinishing project on SQN. She's much smaller than Realization so it would be a piece of cake for you!!

[Carter Brey]

Cathy, Realization looks like a brand new boat-- really outstanding.

Please don't work for Warren until you've consulted with me!

[Cathy Monaghan]

.....I wonder what preparation you did? I gather you used their cleaner stuff prior to application? You must have done different preps for the table and the ladder? I like your putting the logo on the table top whose glisten stands out from the finish on the bulkhead behind it in the photo.....

Hi Emil,

I purchased the complete package from Ultimate Marine Products, Inc., -- Waterless Cleaner, Sanding Sealer and the High Gloss Finish and I followed their instructions to the letter. The most difficult part of the entire process is keeping the surfaces free of dust -- nearly impossible. What's really nice about this process is that you only need to apply 2-3 coats of the Sanding Sealer (on bare wood) then 2-3 coats of the High Gloss Finish and you can recoat without resanding (within 24 hours) except you do need to sand between the sealer and the gloss.

The ladder had previously been oiled. So it needed to be thoroughly cleaned using ZEP Citrus Cleaner & Degreaser. I was able to use the double-basin in the laundry room in our basement. I scrubbed using a 3M Scotchbrite sponge pad, the ZEP (used full strength) and LOTS of water. After the ladder dried out it was sanded using 220 grit sandpaper and thoroughly cleaned with mineral spirits. Then it was cleaned again with the Ultimate Sole Waterless Cleaner. When it was dry (just a couple of minutes) the first coat of Sanding Sealer was applied with a sponge brush. That was allowed to dry and 12 hours later the next coat was applied. That dried and 12 hours later the 3rd coat was applied. I gave that a full day to dry then the ladder was sanded again with 220 grit sandpaper and cleaned with mineral spirits. Then it was cleaned with the Waterless Cleaner, that was allowed to dry and 3 coats of the High Gloss Finish was applied, each about 12 hours apart. So it actually want pretty quickly -- MUCH faster than the process of applying the urethane to the other wood.

The table and the cabin sole each had some kind of varnish/urethane finish on them so they didn't get the same treatment. I purchased a spray bottle and diluted the ZEP Citrus Cleaner & Degreaser to 20 parts water to 1 part ZEP as directed on the label then cleaned them also using a Scotchbrite sponge pad and rinsed with lots of water. They were then VERY LIGHTLY sanded (as if sanding between coats of varnish) with 220 grit sandpaper. We sanded the table down to bare wood but only LIGHTLY sanded the cabin sole (really just scuffed the surface of the old finish).

Since the table was brought down to bare wood, it was cleaned with the Waterless Cleaner. I stenciled the Cape Dory insignia onto the table using a homemade stencil and paint from a craft shop. When that was dry the table received 3 coats of the Sanding Sealer (12 hours between each coat), sanded, then received 3 coats of the High Gloss Finish.

As mentioned above, the cabin sole was first thoroughly cleaned using the diluted ZEP Citrus Cleaner & Degreaser then VERY LIGHTLY sanded. I did not repair any of the dents, dings or areas that were stained. I figured they'd add "character" to the sole like the lines on your face and the sole wasn't too badly marred. The Sanding Sealer was NOT used on the sole since it is for use on bare wood and our cabin sole had previously been finished with some kind of varnish. So after sanding, the sole was tacked with the Waterless Cleaner, followed by 3 coats of the High Gloss Finish, each coat about 20 hours apart. If you can recoat within 24 hours, there's no need for sanding, so I made sure things were recoated within that time period.

Ultimate Marine Products provides very clear instructions on their web site at: http://www.ultimatesole.com/index.asp?ID=10 so you really can't make a mistake. They have instructions for:

1. FRESHLY STRIPPED CABIN SOLES
2. BRAND NEW UNFINISHED CABIN SOLES
3. OVER EXISTING CABIN SOLE FINISHES
4. PREVIOUSLY OILED CABIN SOLES

So you just pick the appropriate instructions for your wood.

Hope this helps,
Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay

[Steve Bryant]

Cathy,

Your hard work looks as if it has really paid off. Did you use the Satin, Semi-Gloss, or Gloss in the Minwax Helmsman product? We are tired of constantly having to oil our interior and would like to put a hard finish on it. We are definitely going to try the Ultimate Sole product on the cabin sole and companionway steps

You mentioned that the Helmsman was a great deal of work with the sanding between coats and such. Would you use it again, or try something different?

Thanks for the pix and all the good advice.

[Cathy Monaghan]

Hi Steve,

Cathy,

Your hard work looks as if it has really paid off. Did you use the Satin, Semi-Gloss, or Gloss in the Minwax Helmsman product? We are tired of constantly having to oil our interior and would like to put a hard finish on it. We are definitely going to try the Ultimate Sole product on the cabin sole and companionway steps

You mentioned that the Helmsman was a great deal of work with the sanding between coats and such. Would you use it again, or try something different?

Thanks for the pix and all the good advice.

For the rest of Realization's interior teak (everything except the cabin sole, table and compionway ladder), I used Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane Clear Satin.

I'd use the Helmsman again. Most of the problems came from working in less than ideal conditions -- in a cold, damp basement where it took about 4 days for the varnish to cure. So it was a long time between coats. Yes, I disassembled the boat, taking home nearly all of the wood that wasn't glassed to the hull (we had a lumberyard of wood in our basement, garage and living room). If I had left it all in place on the boat, it probably would have been alot easier but I wouldn't have been able to seal the wood on all sides.


-Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay

[Ron M.]

The addition of Japan Dryer, per directions on the can( on oil based varnish and polyurethane) will often improve dry time. Helmsmen should become tack free in 3 or 4 hrs. if not conditions should be adjusted- ie. temp.& humidity. Armada is notorious for taking days to dry, adding JD allowed recoating in 24 hrs. or less.
________
BUY VAPIR ONE

[Cathy Monaghan]

Hi Ron,

The addition of Japan Dryer, per directions on the can( on oil based varnish and polyurethane) will often improve dry time. Helmsmen should become tack free in 3 or 4 hrs. if not conditions should be adjusted- ie. temp.& humidity. Armada is notorious for taking days to dry, adding JD allowed recoating in 24 hrs. or less.

Thanks for the info on the Japan Dryer. This project was the first time I ever used varnish on anything. Since I was using solvents, I had to have the basement window and door open for ventilation. There's only one window and the big door. The basement is unheated. I didn't like the idea of using a space heater while I was using the solvents (thought it was unsafe and really didn't want to blow up the house) but I did turn it on afterwards. We never left it on while we were away from the house or at night while we were sleeping either. With the space heater going, it never got much above 60 degrees then the temp would drop back down when we turned it off. Anyway, now that I'm done I now know about the Japan Dryer -- so maybe next time (I'm gonna have to write that down somewhere, I know I'll forget).

Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay

[Oswego John]

Cathy and all,

Another thing you can do is store the varnish at room temperature. When you go to use it, let the can sit in a pan of warm water.

Warm varnish is easier to work with and flows out smoother than cold varnish. Less brush marks, too.

To eliminate brush marks, some people like to use sponge brushes.

O J