Cetol and Varnish - What's the Difference?

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robertsapp

robertsapp

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May 28, 2009
764
Hunter 376 Pensacola, FL
I know there are a lot of threads that debate the virtues of each product, but my question is what exactly is Cetol and how does it differ from varnish? I thought I knew that Cetol gave wood an unpleasant orange tint, but I just redid the teak on our sternrail seats with three coats of Cetol natural teak, and it looks absolutely beautiful, with no alteration of the teak's color. So it Cetol natural just another type of varnish? A polyurethane? Something else entirely?
 
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Eddie7045

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Aug 16, 2006
281
Ericson 32 Oregon coast
Cetol is not clear like varnish. It has a staining effect

that covers some of the beauty of the wood. It is, however, more durable to weathering than the best marine spar and will last longer if it is exposed to the weather.
 
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Steve L22188

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Apr 28, 2005
267
Oday 302 Lake Perry, KS
Here's the difference:

Half the people on the forum will tell you Cetol is the work of the devil.

The other half will tell you they cuss like the devil as they apply numerous coats of varnish.

I'm partial to the newer Cetol - would rather sail than apply another coat of varnish.
 
RAD

RAD

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Jun 3, 2004
2,330
Catalina 30 Bay Shore, N.Y.
It took me 8 years of scrubbing,paint remover,light sanding & teak cleaners to remove the orange tint from the original Cetol that came with the boat......I admit that it looked great (other than that orange tint) for the first few years but I wanted to have a more natural look so the 2 qts of Natural Cetol I bought still sit on the shelf cause I'm afraid if I don't like it I'll have to go thru hell getting it off. just this weed end I did the handrails on the coach roof with Starbright tropical teak sealer/oil and that stuff has the same orange tint to it too so I put in on light, looks OK and should last a season but I'm still on the fence
OBTW....my dock neighbor is on his 3rd season with a 2 part epoxy varnish and it looks like the day he put it on.....6 coats in 2 days so thats another thought
 
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ralphbell

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Oct 10, 2008
6
Sovereign Adventure 23 Ghost Lake
Re: Cetol is not clear like varnish. It has a staining effec

Can you put cetol over varnish or do you have to sand/strip down to the bare wood?
 
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Eddie7045

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Aug 16, 2006
281
Ericson 32 Oregon coast
Ralphbell, you would have to decide first which

situation you wanted to live with. If you wanted to go with Cetol, sand or peel the varnish to bare wood. Small remnants of varnish would be OK. Remember that the orangish tinge made by the Cetol is harder to remove if you do not like it. You might want want to test it first on a scrap piece or on one area to see how you like it. I will be harder to go back if you do not like it.
 
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Steve Dion

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Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
There are some different types with the newer Cetol. I have used the clear and there is also the Natural Teak. It no longer needs to have the "orange" color.
 
Maine Sail

Maine Sail

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Feb 6, 1998
11,674
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
"Cetol and Varnish - What's the Difference?"


- About eight coats:D
 
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sandpiper10471

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May 31, 2007
758
Hunter 37 cutter Blind River
Maine Sail is right. A proper varnish job required about 10 coats. A Cetol job at least 3. I have often used original Cetol for a first coat in order to even out the color and black stains of old teak which would not bleach or sand out, then finish with varnish. Varnish will go over a thin coat of Cetol but not the other way around. Varnish is much harder and more abrasion resistant. For a really good Cetol job, all the same prep work as required for varnish is needed.
 
DanM

DanM

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Mar 28, 2011
155
Catalina 30 Galveston Bay
As to the original question of what is the difference between Cetol and varnish I would only say that varnish is varnish and Cetol is something else.

Last year I stripped off the original orangy looking Cetol that I've had on the boat for about six years and started over with the new version of Cetol. I used two coats of Cetol Natural Teak and three coats of Cetol Gloss. this year I just scuffed it up a bit with a scotch brite pad and added a maintenance coat of Cetol Gloss.

The picture of my companionway shows the trim done in the new stuff and the hatch boards done with the orginal orangy stuff for comparison. The bow sprit is Cetol Natural Teak with three coats of Cetol Gloss.

DanM.
 

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kenn

kenn

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Apr 18, 2009
1,271
CL Sandpiper 565 Toronto
Another angle: Cetol is probably the easiest way to make "crappy" woodwork look better, as well as being longer-lasting.

Our little boat has some nice touches in teak: companionway and hatch slides, cabintop railings, and a 2" rubrail along the sides. However they get pretty beat up on a 30 yr old trailer-sailor. Our boat's woodwork was all grey, with a few small cracks and dings, but otherwise was completely intact. I just gave it a light sand to remove a bit of the gray or any old varnish traces, put on two coats of natural Cetol, and it looked fantastic (relatively speaking). And it lasts 3 seasons usually. The older and drier the teak, the better it penetrates and stays, i think.

If I had a newer boat with immaculate woodwork, I might go the distance with extra-special prep and several coats of a top-quality varnish or epoxy. But for old wood trim on an inexpensive boat... Cetol gives great results with less effort.
 
robertsapp

robertsapp

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May 28, 2009
764
Hunter 376 Pensacola, FL
Well, I'm still not any closer to knowing what it IS, but that's probably OK. For the posters who complained of orange tint, I'm here to tell you, that's what I was expecting as well. But after sanding my gray teak to restore the original color, and then application of three coats of Cetol natural teak, the wood is a beautiful honey color with no apparant discoloration or opaqueness to the coating. I'll try to see if I can get some decent pictures, but with results like I've seen, I'm not really understanding why I'd want to go with a hundred coats of varnish, except maybe for the tradition of it.
 
shemandr

shemandr

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Jan 1, 2006
7,076
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
One of the sail mags - either Sail or GOB - had a recent article on the differences in composition between Varnish, Cetol or polyurethane.
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
22,776
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
robertsapp said:
For the posters who complained of orange tint, I'm here to tell you, that's what I was expecting as well. But after sanding my gray teak to restore the original color, and then application of three coats of Cetol natural teak, the wood is a beautiful honey color with no apparant discoloration or opaqueness to the coating.
Click to expand
The reason is that that is not the "original" Cetol, it's a newer blend that did away with the orange tint that many didn't like. I've used the original stuff for years and have no complaints. Your boat, your choice.
 
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