Dreaded project...

[Stephen K]

Its getting colder down here and that translates to fewer days out sailing... so this time of year is conducive to projects. My teak is looking bad and I have decided to remove it and refinish it the comfort of my garage.

I have had good luck with Cetol and plan to use either the new Cetol natural teak or Semco for the protective coating, but that got me thinking...why is there no mention of people using a top quality semi tranparent stains like Cabot's or Behr? You would think these companies have lots of product engineers and big R&D budgets?... their products also have to hold up to U.V. and water. What do you think?

 

[Ed Schenck]

Do you have access to Practical Sailor? Maybe your local library(if you live in Mystic or near Maine Sail)? They are continually testing teak finishes, both marine and other commercial finishes. If you "Search" for "teak finish" on their website you will see many articles. You could order the issues that look interesting.

 

[woodster]

i amjust sitting here wondering if i may going the wrong direction on my teak work.....i plane to just scrub it all and then resand it with some 180 grit paper and use teak oil as a finish ....prolly 3 coats min....letting them set between each coat ....i just got some new teak sheet goods last week to replace some bulkheads and cabinet faces and am plannig the same for the new parts as well ....any thoughts on why i should or should not do it this way ....i have used spar varnish in the past and really didnt like the glossy finish as it look to plastic to me

 

[higgs]

My experience with oil is that it did not last a full season and that was up north. IWhen using oil, I had to sand every spring as it greyed in storage over the winter, even when the boat was covered. I don't even consider oil anymore.

 

[kenn]

... actually, an easy project.

When we bought our little boat, the teak was mostly intact but dry and grayed. I replaced the hatch slides and companionway boards with new teak. I considered using teak-oil or spar varnish, but I opted for Cetol deck stain, mainly because I had half a gallon of it left over. We have their "Natural" colour, which has an orange-y cast.

For the old teak, I lightly sanded to get the gray and any old finish off, then put on 2 or 3 coats of Cetol, and it came up very nicely - a very rich brown. After a season, the finish was still quite good, with only a few places showing wear or drying. The Cetol didn't last as long on the new teak, probably because of the oiliness of the new wood.

The Cetol gives us a fairly durable and water-shedding finish. It's not as glossy or as hard as spar varnish, but it appears to stand up better to sun and wear. After doing the initial refinish, I've just done touch-ups every spring to the worn or dull bits. This year (season #4) I'll probably do a light overall sand and put a complete coat on, just to even it out.

As I mentioned, Cetol seems to work especially well on old dry teak, so I think it's a great choice for the older boat. Note that we're on the Great Lakes, and the boat is covered for the winter, so a southern boat that's in use all year may of course see different results.

 

[JIM B]

Check Out Teaqua

Stephen,
You may want to check out a product called TEAQUA. I have used it for 3 years in Southern Arizona and am pleased with it. This is a link to their website: http://www.teaqua.com/

My observations are that it dosen't protect the wood as well as properly maintained varnish or cetol. But maintaince and application is much easier. It is much better than teak oil. Mine seems to last about 9 - 10 months. Prep and application on my C30 MKII takes about 1 hour. It cleans up with just soap and water. For my purposes, it is the best product I have found.

Good Luck

 

[zeehag]

i use teak oil--i do NOT sand nor do i abrade harshly my teak--at replacement prices of over 80 dollars per board foot i respect the wood---i use a 3m green scrub pad and sea water to preserve the grains and clean the wood then after it dries i place teak oil with a foam brush---it lasts---beads up fresh water---for a year, then i brush it off with a soft brush then repeat the wash and oil --works great.....i get my teak oil from home depot or leows or such places rather than marine stores--has a thicker quality to it......

 

[Stephen K]

Re: Check Out Teaqua

Jim,

The Teagua looks interesting. It seems to be like a penetrating stain. I woud rather use this type of product (even if I have to do it every 9 months) if it is that easy. I may give it a go....

 

[philwsailz]

For any teak finishing, consider a very thorough wash-down with actone prior to your finish application. The natural oil in the teak is wha gives it its natural weather resistance, but it also prevents things from sticking to it. Old teak or new, it all still has oil in it.

If you plan on using a varnish-type product, sand to 220 grit, then flood a rag with acetone. Change rag faces often or get new rags and wipe your work until the rag quits picking up the orangy-brown color of the wood. At that point you have removed enough oil from your surface that you can get a good bite with your finish.

I use Cetol for teak exclusively now. Actually I use Cetol for just about every exposed wood surface, on the boat or otherwise. I have an outdoor bar that has a cedar wood top on it that was finished with Cetol 5 years ago. Today the finish still looks as good as the day I put it on there. If someone was to ask me about a product recommendation for this application, I would whole-heartedly recommend Cetol, both for the results I have witnessed, and for the ease of application. It goes on with a foam roller or foam brush, it requires no sanding between coats, and can be re-coated without sanding, even a year later.

That is my $.02

 

[bffatcat]

finishing teak

My experience with cetol which lasts longer than oil sealer is, It has a skin thats why it lasts longer. Sooner or later your going to have to sand or scrape it off. Its a messy job.
This is a no win situation. Ive found Oil sealer dosent last the season and the teak gets mold on it. In order to re apply the sealer I had to remove the old first either by sanding or using that 2 part acid. Everybody got a different system. I found as I get older the best system
for me is do nothing , just let the teak go gray.

 

[zeehag]

teak going gray is not that good for it--it needs to be nourished with oil and kept brown rather than gray----is why i wash mine with sea water and then use teak oil---easiest way to keep it nice and not waste the wood with sanding and bleaching chenmicals that do the wood harm. gray means no oil readily available for keeping the wood from cracks and splits and rot. keeping oil on it is easy , cleans up easily and applies well in less than an hours time and lasts functionally for one year..lol ... for a 41 foot boat with approximately 100 ft of teak rail --i use sea water and oil......go figger--you guys have plastic fantastics with minimal teak and chemically destroy the teak wood and try to make it blonde when it is not a blonde wood...goood luck. at 80 dollars per board foot i prefer to not waste my teak wood by using harsh chemicals on it or sanding it away......i used cetol and cetol light on my ericson with very unsatisfactory results--i donot like the color--is NOT a teak wood color...peels also-----have to be very careful in applying it

 

[Stephen K]

Z-
I don't have seawater nearby. I am afraid if I go the teak oil route that my teak will turn black from mold...I would think that sewater helps kill and prevent that mold. What do you think?

 

[zeehag]

the sea water cleans the teak the black is from dirt being on the teak when oil is applied--the teak wont mold with oil on it....any blackness is from either dirt or old rot--oops---happens even when we dont want it to----i have black around where a restorer -HA- placed household finishing NAILS into my caprail---yes. i got a boat someone had already jeeked up in restoration--but is still a fine boat.....but that is why the black comes----the oil protects it from fresh water penetration which makes teak rot. if ye dont has salt water handy, make some with rock salt and water and wash the teak and let dry then oil ----works well for my boat for a year--but i slather the oil on with a foam brush and it soaks into the wood and lasts for a yr----it wont be shiny for a yr but will repel fresh water invasion for a yr--and when i got home from my trip of this past summer i only had to brush with a soft brush and the dirt went gone and looked gorgeous again.......

 

[rickmorel]

Got this from a New Zealand guy and it seems to work well.

When we bought 'Valkyrie' the teak had no trace of varnish, Cetol or anything. Well, it had a few spots. Sanded it to bare wood and cleaned with wood bleach.

The "mix" is 2 qts of _Boiled_ Linseed Oil and 1 qt of Turpentine. Find some Kiwi Clear Shoe Polish. We got ours at a big shoe store. Melt a can of it in the microwave and pour into the mix. Shake the heck out of it and it'll emulsify.

Our teak took two coats and a few spots that really soaked it up took more. It does darken the teak quite a bit, which looks very good to us. You opiniion may vary, so try a little and see.

The great part is that after a year in the South all I had to do was wash it and apply one coat - no sanding, no scrubbing, no chemicals. I really should have done it after about 8 months, but...

One caveat. Be very careful of spills. If you don't wipe them up with mineral spirits right off the stains are very difficult to remove.

Rick