DIY ARTICLE

Captain Blast Off · Post by **Captain Blast Off** » Fri Mar 18, 2011 12:02 am

First Class!

The PO of my boat put in banboo flooring and did an average job. Now I want to redo it.

alexander38 · Post by **alexander38** » Fri Mar 18, 2011 3:07 am

Was your verneer paper backed ? If so it can be had for around $50 online for a 2'x8' roll. There's a Woodmill store in Norfolk Va. Great place for it.
I'm laying Allure vinyl now the v berth and galley were ez but the salon, but the salon is a p.i.t.a. with 7 engine hatches in it.

Paul did you use 1/4 round ?

randyp · Post by **randyp** » Fri Mar 18, 2011 9:49 am

I did a similar job to the floor of our F-26 but used teak-holly plywood, 1/2" thick. Took up the old floor and used it for a template. That was 8 years ago and it's held up very well. This year I'm going to refinish the floors. I used satin varnish on the floors and it was not slippery when wet. I have a area of bulkhead under the v-berth that was covered in carpet and padded vinyl. I removed all that and will most likely paint that area an off-white. Paul, your job is beautiful!

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Fri Mar 18, 2011 12:52 pm

Tony,

The veneer was 2'x 8' rolls but was not paper backed. The grain on this stuff was coarse which made it break apart unless it was handled carefully. 1/4 round was used around the perimeter of the floors and held in place with #6 brass screws. When the 1/4 round is removed from the main floor, it exposes the screws that hold down the 1 piece floor. (easy removal for access to the bilge)

This picture shows how the steps were assembled. 3/4" marine ply with 1/4" teak & holly laminated to it then capped with angle molding.

In this picture you can see the grooves routered in the front of the step for traction. It also shows the top step, riser and bulkhead door removed for direct access to the Racor fuel filter, water pump, etc. No tools are required to remove these access pieces. The bottom step is screwed in and is where I store most of my spare parts and a few tools.

The risers are 1/2" marine with veneer on the front and 1/4 round teak bonded to the side edges for a nice finished look.

The two floor hatches are 1/2" marine ply with 1/4" teak & holly and the edges are capped with angle moldings which are copped where they meet.

Lastly, this is a picture of the false floor under the V berth hatch.(hatch removed) It gives me about 8" depth of storage and the three bottom panels lift out for access to the bilge pumps.

ready123 · Post by **ready123** » Fri Mar 18, 2011 1:03 pm

Man that is some sweet skilled woodworking

randyp · Post by **randyp** » Fri Mar 18, 2011 1:55 pm

My hat's off to you Paul. Excellent workmanship. Hey, here's an idea.....come down our way for a nice visit.....bring your tools......!!

summer storm · Post by **summer storm** » Fri Mar 18, 2011 1:56 pm

Paul, I was wondering how you prepped the walls for the white paint. Mine is both wood, wall paper, and formica, I think. Great job on the flooring!

larglo · Post by **larglo** » Fri Mar 18, 2011 2:42 pm

Paul,

Your last picture gave me a great idea of how to cover the false floor between the v bunk. Now, I just have the carpet laying over the floor and m remove screws to get the carpet up in order to lift the floor up, to inspect the bilge pump, etc.

I will now modify mine to attach the carpet directly to each floor side and add the latch, making access much more easy. I could also do that to the false floor between bath room and dinette.

Thanks,

Larry[/u]

alexander38 · Post by **alexander38** » Fri Mar 18, 2011 4:48 pm

The work you did real sweet. And far beyond me.

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Sat Mar 19, 2011 8:32 pm

Thanks for the positive replies gents. My wife and I are very happy with the results. I cant take credit for the finish though, I built it and prepped it and my wife applied the Cetol.

In the original post, Larry referred to the DIY article that covered the assembly and installation of this floor. The idea behind the article was to show that this type of job could be accomplished by a "do it your selfer" and to give some basic guidance on how to do it. My wood working experience going into this project was fence & deck building, framing and my personal favorite stringer replacement.

There were also really no tools involved in this project that weren't basic wood working tools. I believe that the trick is to visualize how you want the finished job to look when complete, then find out what materials are available to you to make it happen. Then talk to people who do work with wood about your project, you'll find that they can be very helpful with suggestions and guidance. Especially if your purchasing the wood or other materials from them.

I also found that working with teak trim was a joy. It did not chip or splinter and allowed me to create tight joints from a rough cut with a file and drum sander and a little patience.

Someone looking to do a similar project might look at the big picture and feel overwhelmed. The best way to tackle it is one piece at a time. You may be surprised at how straight forward a project like this actually is.

I hope I've inspired someone else to attempt a project like this. You'll find the effort very rewarding.

Larry, my V berth hatch also had carpet across it before I did this job and it was a PIA to get to the bilge pumps. Your idea of splitting the carpet at the hatch is a good one. You might even want to use some wood or aluminum edging at the hatch.

Doug, the walls and the trim around the windows in the cabin were all done in that dark walnut Formica from the '70s. I didn't paint them, I refaced them with a new layer of white Formica.

Hope this helps.

DOUGNASH · Post by **DOUGNASH** » Sat Mar 19, 2011 9:32 pm

WoW!! Very nice job and classy!

Is the new floor easily scratched with people moving around the cabin?

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Sat Mar 19, 2011 10:34 pm

I have a few scratches under the dinette from the bottom of duffel bags but the main floor shows no ill effects from foot traffic. Although 80% of the time the foot traffic is without shoes.