cabin sole

[Bobg]

just read the archives on refinishing the cabin sole, I read that some use minwax satin or semi gloss polyurethane, I have the piece under the navstation  sanded and ready to finish, do most of you just put the poly or varnish on  the piece or do you apply some kind of stain to it first.  I couldn't find this answer, I am assuming you just sand the piece, or scrape the old finish off and go right to the varnish or Poly?  I realize it is my boat and my choice, but I just want to do what most of you are doing,  Thanks

[Noah]

Depends on how uneven the color, (aged, sun bleached, etc.) the wood is once you remove the old finish and your personal taste, as to whether or not you apply some stain first. For my sole I did not stain and used 5 coats of Epifanse Woodfinish Matte.

[Footloose]

I used two applications of MinWax Natural stain before applying semi-gloss finish.  It darkened the wood slightly, but I am happy with the result.

[Les Luzar]

I left my floor boards natural. Epifanies said that the Mat Finish is a harder finish and that is what they recommend for varnishing the teak and holly sole. They said that the high gloss is softer and not recommended for walking on. However, they told me that you can use high gloss to build up your initial coats, since the mat finish does not recommend cutting with mineral spirits. So I used Epifanes High Gloss for the first four coats. The first three were cut 50%, 25% then 10%. Cutting the initial coats helps the varnish to seep in to the wood better. My final two coats were with the Mat Finish and my sole turned out great. Three years later, my sole still looks great.