Easiest teak treatment???

[lost soul]

I have a 34 foot sailboat with teak toe rails, coamings, and grab rails, and a few other trim items.
I let it weather for the past 20 years and now it is disappearing. I need to cover it with something. I have considered paint, but I am not sure I could bring myslef to do it.
I am seeking the easiest treatment that I can do.

Practical sailor said that Semco is very easy. You coat the wood after a washing. Then it last 3 to six months. Then you wash the wood and coat again. No special teak cleaners or sealers are needed. The coating just wears away and you recoat. What could be simpler? At least that is what PS said.
I like this concept and would choose such a product, if one is available.
Simple is the key here.

Anyone have any input here? Please!!!

 

[jssailem]

I favored teak oil when I had my small boat. Tried varnish and other ideas, but found I prefered rubbing on the teak oil twice a year. At least in the PacNW. In Florida you have more sun. I'd be asking locals how do they treat their teak.

 

[justsomeguy]

I let it weather for the past 20 years and now it is disappearing.

What's disappearing, the teak or the old coating?

What could be simpler?

Just brushing/washing it with saltwater would be simpler, I think.

 

[lost soul]

The teak is disappearing. Lost at least 1/8 to 1/4 inch from each surface..... Maybe more

 

[jssailem]

I suspect your teak has been worn down by drying out/brushing out the open cell soft wood/sanding-abrasion. This type of weathering is normal for teak that is not maintained sealed. If too server you will need to replace.

 

[justsomeguy]

https://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/teak-question-cleaning-with-salt-water.122377/

 

[agprice22]

I dislike maintaining teak, so I tried teak oil several times a year for a while. It looked good and preserved it well. I vote oil.
I eventually replaced most of the teak with Plasteak. That looks very nice and requires no maintenance.

 

[weinie]

I'm a fan of semco. It's easier than varish and weathers without that flaky, un-maintained look. Two coats in the spring and two coats in August if you want. Apply it with a small cloth or rag. I don't even bother to tape it off though it will stain fiberglass so be careful. It helps if the fiberglass has been waxed first. Here's the trick I use:
Keep another rag with 409 spray or the like close by. If the semco does gets on the fiberglass, quickly wipe it off with the towel soaked in 409. Much harder on grip surfaces though, so be a little more careful there.
You can do a lot of teak in a short time this way. It's so much faster and easier than all the prep work and taping you would need to do for varnish. And teak oil just doesn't hold up as well.

 

[Brian S]

There's another guy in FL, Tom Scott, who swears by the Semco. I told my buddy about it, and that's what he puts on his teak deck furniture.

 

[jwing]

I don't know anything about the Semco product. I have used teak oil with good results. The thing with teak oil is that it penetrates, then hardens inside the wood. Therefore, teak oil will require multiple applications, spaced out over a few months between applications, until there's enough build up to get up to the surface of the wood. But applications are easy, just wipe or brush it on. Eventually, you'll have enough teak oil in/on your wood so that you don't need to apply it anymore.

Don't expect miracles if your teak is already too far gone.

 

[TomY]

The teak is disappearing. Lost at least 1/8 to 1/4 inch from each surface..... Maybe more

The teak is disappearing. Lost at least 1/8 to 1/4 inch from each surface..... Maybe more

I'd go with Semco and try to save what wood is left.

Do you have wood coamings and if so, how much thickness is lost? Is it in danger of splitting?

 

[jibes138]

I used Semco for years. it has the viscosity of water so it goes on easy and soaks into the wood. I used to apply it once a year in the spring with a couple coats and it would last a year no problem. A light brush with water and apply a new coat each year. I used Cetol a few years ago and it has lasted but it is recommended a coat each year to maintain it, much harder to apply. The Semco, if you get it on the glass, just use a paper towel to wipe it up and the spill fades in a week or so, I never used a chemical to wipe up spills.

 

[BigEasy]

Another vote for Semco. Easy prep & application. Two coats 2 to 3 times a year in southern climate maintains teak very well.

 

[kampuniform]

"Teak Oil" is a combination of Linseed Oil, Tung Oil, and a number of additives. Cures slowly/needs regular maintenance.

Tung Oil will give the right effect, but because it takes many months to fully cure, will attract dirt, dust, and crap. It also needs regular maintenance, and has little resistance to water.

Boiled Linseed Oil (Boiled = addition of additives to reduce curing time) will have an effect identical to that of "Teak Oil" and Tung Oil, but cures within a week. Double boiled linseed oil cures in days. Because it cures, it is less labour intensive, and needs little maintenance.

 

[reworb]

I'm also in SW Florida specifically Ft Myers Beach. I use Semco it is very easy to use, it lasts about 3 months in the sun down here. It looks pretty good and water beads up on the treated wood. I've tried oil and that lasts a month or two at most in the Florida sun, dry winters and wet summers and at least for me is not much easier to apply than varnish. I've tried varnish, that lasts about 3 months max (if you have multiple coats) a pain to apply in winter because of heavy morning "dew" and a pain in summer because of the afternoon rains.

 

[gettinthere]

Semco.
Sooo easy to apply, even a caveman could do it.

2 coats easily last me 6 months in Fl winter sun. 2 coats last all summer headed north.

 

[LeslieTroyer]

"Easiest" is a pressure washer followed by oil. But that won't help your material loss one bit. Before applying anything you need to get down to good wood. Oiling heavily oxidized teak isn't going to get you much benefit.

Next easiest is harsh chemicals like the power washer you will be left with an uneven surface and material loss.

Finally sanding

Now you can go back up and read about the finish that will help prevent the oxidation.

 

[gettinthere]

Having used Semco for a few years now, I would say my semco treatment is much easier than power washing followed by teak oil. VERY easy. No muss no fuss. And power washing would exacerbate the wood loss.

 

[LeslieTroyer]

The instructions on Semco recommend their cleaner ( read harsh chemicals) on oxidized teak before applying.

The op asked for easy not the best method.

My preference is to sand to good wood then apply a finish. Chemicals or power washing eats away the heart wood leaving ridges that I don't care for.

A oil or worse a varnish/poly over oxidized teak in my opinion looks worse than the weathered wood

 

[jssailem]

will attract dirt, dust, and crap.

All types of coverings or penetrating oils will let this happen to some extent. Some more than others. Teak needs to be regularly cleaned with water to remove the dirt and dust. Cleaning with a bucket of salt water and a soft brush has been the recommend method for the 50 some years I have had anything to do with boats. I got to do the cleaning most of the time as I was the swab like the kid in Capt. Ron. Soft brush so you do not remove the "soft" heart wood from the teak grain. Use a power washer and you can destroy the teak. If really bleached/destroyed you can sand back to good wood.
Goal is to replenish the oil in the wood. Why the recommendation for teak oil (linseed and tung oil), it leaves a natural wood look, as it gets into the cells of the wood an recreates the natural benefits of teak - hard, dense, and oil infused wood. Teak oil can contain UV inhibitors to help protect the wood and prolong the covering properties.
If deep shiny surface it desired then shellac/varnish with UV inhibitors are the way to go. Usually 10 or so thin coats will give you that deep shine you may value on a polished car. This is a high maintenance way to go.