Here at TotalBoat, you already know we absolutely love seeing the incredible DIY projects our sailing ambassadors take on. If you remember catching up with Janaye and Jason, the two ocean-loving Aussies who sail the world aboard their 40-foot monohull, Escapade, during their sweaty boat prep down in Trinidad back in early 2025, you know they aren’t afraid of a little hard work!
In their recent video, "DIY Boat Flooring Replacement (Start to Finish) Ep-208," the duo takes on a massive interior renovation. After demolishing half of their portside saloon to remove rotten wood, they set out to rebuild their cabinetry and install brand-new flooring to make their living space much more functional.
Templating and Cutting the New Floors
Janaye and Jason opted for American-style Teak and Holly flooring, which features slightly wider spacing between the holly lines for a cleaner, more modern look than traditional narrow stripes. With careful planning and a lot of templating, they managed to map out the entire saloon using just three 4x8 sheets of plywood instead of four, saving them both time and money.
After meticulously lining up the wood grain and cutting the panels with a jigsaw and carefully drilling out the finger-pull holes for bilge access, it was time to protect their new investment.
Protecting the Wood with Gleam Marine Spar Varnish
When it came to sealing and finishing their new cabinetry and floors, the couple turned to their trusted favorite: Gleam Marine Spar Varnish. Because the floors will endure daily foot traffic and the occasional dropped item, achieving a durable finish was absolutely critical.
Here is exactly how Janaye and Jason approached their varnishing process:
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Prep and Priming: Instead of buying store-bought painter's pyramids, they made their own little wood chocks (which Janaye compared to licorice cubes!) to elevate the panels and make varnishing the edges easier. They thinned the very first coat of varnish to help it penetrate and seal the porous underside of the wood.
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Gloss for Build, Satin for the Finish: To build up the protective layers, they used Gleam in gloss. Gloss provides the hard, durable build needed for high-traffic areas. However, for the very last coat, they switched to Gleam in satin. As Janaye pointed out, doing too many coats of satin can make the finish look cloudy, but using it just for the final coat ensures maximum clarity with a beautiful, modern sheen.
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The Power of Rapid Recoating: Because they were working on a tight timeline, Gleam was the perfect choice. Janaye highlighted that Gleam dries so quickly in the right temperatures that they could apply up to three coats in a single day. Best of all, as long as they stayed within the recoat window, they didn't even have to sand between those rapid coats, which saved them hours of messy work.
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Building the Layers: In total, they applied two coats to the undersides of the floor panels, three coats to the less-trafficked cabinetry, and a whopping six coats to the top of the floors to ensure long-lasting protection. Before applying their final satin coat, they gave everything a gentle smoothing using 320-grit sanding blocks.
The Final Reveal
The hard work absolutely paid off. After allowing the final coats to cure, the couple installed the gleaming new Teak and Holly panels. The new layout features flush, organized drawers built into the cabinetry and a much brighter, cleaner floor that completely transforms the look of the boat.
As Jason and Janaye reflect on the project, they noted how learning to tackle carpentry and varnishing has added invaluable skills to their cruising resume. They even shared a great maintenance tip they learned along the way: lightly sanding and applying a fresh coat of varnish every year is the secret to keeping your boat's interior looking brand new.
Check out their full video to see the step-by-step transformation, and pick up your own can of Gleam Marine Spar Varnish today to get your own boat's brightwork shining!
2-Part Polyurethane Marine Flotation Foam
