How to Refinish Boat Flooring
Weather and water take their toll on all parts of your boat, but your boat's floor--its deck--shows that wear more readily than most of the other parts. If you have a "natural" deck, one with planking, rather than a deck covered with vinyl, linoleum, canvas or carpet, refinishing the deck means that you not only refinish the wood, but you may have to renew the caulking between planks as well. As long as the planking is solid and doesn't need replacement, a small boat deck can be refinished in a matter of hours.
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Things You'll Need
- Belt sander
- 80-grit sanding belt
- 330-grit sanding belt
- Mop
- Mop bucket
- Mop wringer
- Paint brush
- Finish coating
- Marine silicone caulk
- Wooden mallet
- Bosun's chisel
- Oakum
- Tar
Instructions
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Remove the old finish so that the new finish will adhere to the wood, not old paint or varnish. Use a lightweight belt sander and an 80-grit sanding belt to sand with the grain of the wood and remove the old finish from the wood. The 80-grit is large enough to take the finish off without becoming clogged by the sanding residue and is the least coarse of the medium grades of sandpaper.
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Use the belt sander and a 330-grit sanding belt to smooth out the surface of the planking by sanding with the grain of the wood. A fine-grade sandpaper, 330-grit is used for polishing the surface of the wood, where the 80-grit sandpaper strips the old finish.
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Use a wet mop to remove any sanding residue from the wood by dipping the mop into the mop bucket, then mopping the deck. Rinse the mop out in the mop bucket and wring the water from the mop. Use the dry mop to dry the water from the deck, then allow the deck to air dry for at least 24 hours.
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Use a paintbrush to apply the chosen finish coating to the dry deck planking, one plank at a time. Apply the finish with the grain, at the thickness specified by the manufacturer. Wooden decks can be refinished with teak oil, varnish or even paint.
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Check the condition of the deck caulking, and replace or repair the caulking if required. Most modern boats use marine silicone caulk between the individual deck planks. A rope caulk, called oakum, is often found between the boards of a deck with thick planks, usually on antique boats. Oakum is a piece of rope that's dipped in a caulking agent like tar. When it was used, the seam between planks was covered with tar.
If oakum was used between the planks, remove the oakum and replace it with marine silicone caulk, or use a wooden mallet and bosun's chisel to drive new oakum between the boards. Cover the oakum with tar (if your aim is restoration) or with a marine silicone caulk.
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Tips & Warnings
Using a belt sander can be tricky. You have to keep the sander moving, or it will dig a trench in the wood.
If you are using a marine varnish to refinish the deck, apply the varnish evenly but lavishly enough that you cover the wood completely. Using two coats of varnish isn't recommended, because water will penetrate the varnish at the edges of a second coat and cause the top layer to delaminate--separate from the bottom layer.
This project involves working with both power tools and chemicals. Appropriate cautions are advised.
