cabin sole

[seanmcelligott]

I have started stripping my cabin sole and have found that the wood is stained black (picture below).  Any thoughts about how I can clean these stains?  The holly portion is particularly discolored.  I have been using starbright teak cleaner on other teak in the boat but I am worried about rinsing such a thin piece of wood with water (required for the starbright).  The back of the boards are also very black.

[Ron Hill]

Sean : WOW!! It looks like your flooring has been wet/damp for a long Time.
I'd start anew with the new synthetic teak/holly sole from Loincoin(sp?) or call the factory and get the name of their supplier.

[Jon Schneider]

I suspect Ron's right that your sole is beyond redemption (get it?)  You might try a few taking a few steps.  First, you need to use a paint or varnish remover to strip it.  You could try Formby's Restorer on it after.  You could also try a paste of Oxiclean or perhaps straight hydrogen peroxide.  When you're ready to throw it out, you could try muriatic acid (very dangerous stuff).  I don't think any of this will work, but it may be worth a try.

[David Arnold]

I'm no expert on matters such as this and Ron is probably correct in his assesment.  That said have you tried a strong solution of good old fashioned bleach?   Might be worth trying a small area to see what happens before going after the whole sole - top and bottom to kill any mold and mildew if that is causing the black.   GOOD LUCK!!!

[Ed Shankle]

The black is most likely mildew. A TSP, bleach and water solution should do the job (1/4 cup to 1/2 cup to 1 gallon). Apply it with a sponge, leave it for a few minutes, then sponge off with a clean water rinse. If necessary, you can scrub with a soft brush. Wipe, and let air dry before any other finish work. Better check the underside as well.
Worth a try, before doing a full floor replacement.

Ed

[Stu Jackson]

If you want to redeem your sole (sorry, Jon!), consider the good advice here and then do searches on "teak and holly" and "Ultimate Sole" and "minwax" - using the " - marks for phrases with more than one word to get exact phrase, and you'll come across a wealth of information on refinishing.  You'll also bump into the correct spelling of that word that Ron suggested as a replacement material.

[seanmcelligott]

Thanks all, I will try these suggestions and post the results.  I guess I am not that hopeful, but think it's worth a try.

[Ron Hill]

Sean : The reason that I said to start anew, is mainly because your Teak & Holly sole is a thin veneer on top of 3/8" plywood.  The more you sand the thinner it gets!  Also at some point the vainer and the plywood bonding will deteriorate and delaminate, if they already haven't begun that already! 
Just trying to save you some work that most likely will produce mediocre results!!  Good Luck. 

[JR828]

There is really nothing that you can do to bring the Holly back.  You should replace it.

[lloyd]

I had the same problem on my aft cabin sole.and also started on the galley sole. I stripped with varnish remover,then with bleach/water scrubed many times on the bad part.I then used "teak wonder" cleaner/brightener from west marine.with that i followed the directions(very unusual for me)at least 4-5 times each time i set the sole out in the sun to dry each time and they came out really great. then 5 coats of polyurethane.good luck.also did the underside of each with the bleach treatment and the poly to seal

[seanmcelligott]

Seems like there is a split of authority on this topic.  I am going to try the bleach and teak cleaner approach on the worst part and see what happens.  I am also fully ready to replace if it seems hopeless.  You should have seen the collection of dirt an other nastiness underneath the sole.  I am confident that PO never had the sole out before.

[Ron Hill]

Sean : It's not unusual to get delamination of the Teak & Holly facing after 10+ years on sole that has been taken care of.  I believe that it's the flexing of the flooring.  It's happened to a piece on my 1988 and I'm the original owner!!  The flooring has NEVER been wet!  The separation usually starts on the piece near the head door.  This is especially true if no PO has sealed the cut edges and varnished/sealed the unfinished underside.
I wish you success on your project.   

[seanmcelligott]

So I have cleaned the sole with a variety of cleaners, mostly bleach and sunlight.  What I have now looks like the attached picture.  I need something to restore the color and lustre to the wood.  I was thinking of using teak oil, will that affect my ultimate sole application.   Is there a stain people have used.  The wood doesn't really have black stains anymore but is washed out.   Any thought about treatments before applying ultimate sole?

[Jon Schneider]

A couple of thoughts... Have you really washed the board (e.g., with dishwashing liquid such as Joy) and rinsed it well?  The effect you're seeing could be oxidation or it could simply be a chemical residue from your treatment.  Have you tried lightly sanding it?  Everyone says not to, but after stripping mine, I sanded it and it looks great.  I can't remember the grades I used, but I may have gone as rough as 120 with a very light touch.

[Craig Illman]

Sean - How does it look after a pass with mineral spirits or methyl alcohol? That will give you an idea of what it will look like with a clear finish.

Craig