I went through this process last year. Here's how I handled it.
First, I stripped the floor with a general purpose paint/varnish stripper. From there, I did the sanding with a finishing sander. I worked my way through the various grits. Don't remember what I ended up with...maybe a 180 or 220. Next, I sealed the floor with West epoxy. (You need to use one of their clear coat hardeners, not the regular hardener.) If you follow their directions you see that you have to wash the floor after the epoxy cures. I finished off the floor with two coats of Epifane two-part epoxy gloss varnish (It's expensive!). I like the gloss finish. With boat shoes, we haven't had any slippage on the floor during racing. (Aren't crew suppose to be up on the rail?) What is amazing is how this floor holds up. The main salon floor looks as good today as it did a year ago. I've had several other J/30 owners compliment me on the floor. At the time I thought it was a big project but like most undertakings, if you put the time in, you'll reap the rewards.
Good luck. Contact me if you need more details.
Bob Rude
#352
Mmmmm
