Varnish or natural ?
- Thread starter boblufkin
- Start date
Mine came weathered gray also..I sanded a few times to get down to meat, then 5 coats of Watco teak oil[ did not want the yellow color of some other products.W orks for me Brush on wipe off..
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Opinions are all over the map on this one. You have three basic camps: varnish, natural (with teak oil), and Cetol. I'm a Cetol fan myself. It's easy to apply and easy to touch up. I've heard it called yellow, and I've heard it called orange, but I only see that on woods other than teak. (Then again, there are more than one kinds of Cetol; I use the one called "Cetol Marine"). All my wood is done this way inside and out.
Once and then whenever you need to again. 
Seriously, it depends on the # of coats, whether you use just the basic or top it with the gloss. I've gone three years without the gloss.
Seriously, it depends on the # of coats, whether you use just the basic or top it with the gloss. I've gone three years without the gloss.
With oil, I'm getting about a season. That's with 3 coats. After winter, it's scrubbing and oil again. Seems that with the oil, it does fade pretty uniformly. This is on a fresh water lake too.
I've always wondered about the cetol. The PO left the teak oil so I'm just using it up.
I've always wondered about the cetol. The PO left the teak oil so I'm just using it up.
Nice job on the wood, your new eye brow trim looks great close up. I'm with you all the way on the Cetol Marine. It's all I've ever used and after establishing 5-8 base coats, the most I've had to do is a light sanding and re coat to get the gloss back again after a couple of seasons.
Opinions are all over the map on this one. You have three basic camps: varnish, natural (with teak oil), and Cetol. I'm a Cetol fan myself. It's easy to apply and easy to touch up. I've heard it called yellow, and I've heard it called orange, but I only see that on woods other than teak. (Then again, there are more than one kinds of Cetol; I use the one called "Cetol Marine"). All my wood is done this way inside and out.
Besides the obvious steps of stripping, sanding, scraping, you might want to consider bleaching if yours has inconsistent coloring from damage or abused finish. I'm going to publish a post on my blog this weekend of the steps that I went through for my refinish project this past winter. You'll be able to see the difference that each product makes to the wood: bleach, teak oil, and varnish (Epifanes, in my case). There's also a few tips thrown in to help make the job go faster and last longer. So stay tuned. I'll tack a link onto this thread too.
Actually, there's a 4th "camp"; leave it alone. Teak is on the boats b/c it is a tough, durable, low maintenance wood. Think about it. If the boats are where they are supposed to be (at sea), then there would be no varnishing or much oiling going on to maintain the wood. It takes care of itself.
Same thing here...several base coats when I first put it on....Just did a single top coat after two seasons to freshen it up...
Why let a beautiful wood like teak turn grey and nasty? Sure, teak can be left alone and survive many years. All woods need to be maintained to have it look it's best. I prefer cetol marine on exterior teak and oil on the interior teak. I used to oil my exterior but only looked good for a short time. Cetol seems to protect it better and stays looking good for a long time.
As promised, here's a link to my exterior teak restoration blog post, published this morning.
Hope it helps,
$tingy
Hope it helps,
$tingy
Stingy, That is top notch craftsmanship.
Thr results speak for your method but I dont understand the varnish over oil. Seems counterproductive. I always thought folks went with one or the other?
A PO of my boat had also used 5200 on the trim. I sharpened a 1" puddy knife on the bench grinder and hammerd it under the trim to release. My weatherboar also ripped gell coat off much like yours.
Not that it needs to be said as you know every time you look at your boat but verry god gob.
Thr results speak for your method but I dont understand the varnish over oil. Seems counterproductive. I always thought folks went with one or the other?
A PO of my boat had also used 5200 on the trim. I sharpened a 1" puddy knife on the bench grinder and hammerd it under the trim to release. My weatherboar also ripped gell coat off much like yours.
Not that it needs to be said as you know every time you look at your boat but verry god gob.
Cope,
Yes, many folks use one or the other but both looks best to me, particularly after bleaching which removes some of the resins on the surface. For general woodworking, one of my favorite finishes is boiled linseed oil or tung oil under polyurethane. The oil gives any wood that warm, foot-deep look and the varnish protects it kinda like wax on your hull. I use only teak oil on my inside woodwork and build up 4-6 coats for a glossy, hard finish too but it's not as tough as varnish so I added that to the exterior and high-wear areas.
Yes, many folks use one or the other but both looks best to me, particularly after bleaching which removes some of the resins on the surface. For general woodworking, one of my favorite finishes is boiled linseed oil or tung oil under polyurethane. The oil gives any wood that warm, foot-deep look and the varnish protects it kinda like wax on your hull. I use only teak oil on my inside woodwork and build up 4-6 coats for a glossy, hard finish too but it's not as tough as varnish so I added that to the exterior and high-wear areas.