Replacing Cabin Sole / Flooring

[JohnnieBsailing]

Hi,

I've got the 3/4" marine grade plywood all cut and fitted. Now it's time to stain and varnish. My thoughts were a dark stain, then someone recommended a light brushing of "Git Rot" and then 4 or 5 coats of varnish. I have SPAR varnish in clear gloss. The label says for exterior wood but i don't think that will make a difference.

If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions, i would love to hear them. My main question, however, is whether staining the plywood would stop the Git Rot from being effective and whether the Git Rot is truly necessary?

Thanks in advance...

[smurphny]

Hi JohnnieB,
Why would need to Git-Rot? Does the deck get/stay wet? Before you varnish or stain, make sure you seal/fill the surface grain. If you don't, you're liable to get a splotchy result. Even better is a paste filler like Bartley's which comes light or dark and really fills in the grain well. A good sealer is McClosky's or you can just use shellac.