Exterior wood finish/treatment?

[ontherocks83]

I am looking to refinish the exterior teak on my boat. I love the shiny finish on wood that some boats have, but from some finish carpenters I know they tell me that "varnish" type finishes will just end up peeling off in the sun. They recommend just sanding smooth and using teak oil or linseed oil, however the problem with those is you have to reapply them very frequently when the wood is exposed to the sun.

What do you all do/recommend to keep your exterior teak looking good and what do you feel is the best maintenance to good looks ratio option?

 

[justsomeguy]

Lots'a banter on this subject.

I like my teak grey. Why touch it?

Whenever I search the internet for “teak maintenance“, I see a lot of washing, sanding, sealing, oiling... I guess if you want to have your teak dark brown and shiny, that’s okay (if a lot of work). I don’t want that look or that work. if the teak is a nice soft grey, smooth and undamaged, why...

forums.sailboatowners.com

 

[rgranger]

Polyeurethane is a definte NO if exposed to sun. The coating is mostly gas impermiable and any water vapor produced from evaporation in the wood, will lift the surface eurethane. I use spar varnish with a UV additive. But it does need love every now and again. If you give it a light sanding before a new coat, it looks good (to my eye). I have seen finishes that blow my mind and wonder what they are using.

 

[dlochner]

There are 2 threads in the past week or so on this topic. The short story.

Oil only finishes dry out quickly, get dirty, and grow mold. The oil needs frequent application, frequent being 2 or 3 times a season. Cleaning the teak, which is necessary for oil finishes causes the teak to erode.

Pick the right finish for the job. Some jobs, like toe rails present different issues than Hatch Boards or hand rails.

Preparation, preparation and preparation is key. Followed by multiple coats, meaning 6 to 9 coats of a good quality varnish with annual or at least biannual maintenance coats.

Letting it go gray, causes the teak to wear and erode.

There's no quick and easy path to good looking brightwork.

 

[dlochner]

Polyeurethane is a definte NO if exposed to sun. The coating is mostly gas impermiable and any water vapor produced from evaporation in the wood, will lift the surface eurethane. I use spar varnish with a UV additive. But it does need love every now and again. If you give it a light sanding before a new coat, it looks good (to my eye). I have seen finishes that blow my mind and wonder what they are using.

Varnishes designed to be on exterior wood, like spar varnish (a generic term) are flexible in addition to being slightly porous. The flexibility will allow the varnish to expand and contract with the wood.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

This is what you'll have after 12 years without any touch-up, IF you're willing to do the prep work.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

There was a recent thread that mentioned this stuff. I will be giving it a try next season


https://www.allguardproducts.com

 

[dlochner]

There was a recent thread that mentioned this stuff. I will be giving it a try next season


https://www.allguardproducts.com

I am always suspect of the "easy" products. Once I tried Poliglow, it promised to eliminate waxing. Took me years to remove the .

If you are going to try this, might I suggest using it on a small section or item that is in the most exposed location. If it fails to meet your expectations, it will be easier to remove.

 

[ontherocks83]

This is what you'll have after 12 years without any touch-up, IF you're willing to do the prep work.

View attachment 187097

View attachment 187098

And what is this product?

 

[CarlN]

There are many options for this - none perfect. My favorite is Deks Olje. It comes in two parts. The #1 is an oil similar to teak oil but it is much longer lasting. In RI, after you build up the base, one quick coat a year is likely to be enough. But you can then add the #2 which gives the teak a gloss that is hard to tell from real varnish. But unlike varnish, it is easy to repair dings invisibly without sanding everything off. Jamestown Distributors near you carries it. Read the reviews to get an idea if it would work for you: Jamestown Distributors

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

And what is this product?

Most any clear epoxy.

What wood finish to use above deck

On my 2005 Hunter 46 LE I'm refinishing the wood that is on the rear seats. I'm thinking I want to use either a marine varnish or polyurethane. Any recommendations?

forums.sailboatowners.com

The prep work is a 99% of the work and you must be able to remove the woodwork in order to hermetically seal it with the epoxy. Be sure to download the company's application manual.

I would not do this on heavily weathered teak due to the danger of having salt water in the wood which would never allow it to dry out.

 

[Hayden Watson]

This year I started using Semco sealer and so far I am very happy. prepped it with their two-part cleaner and then brushed on two coats in the spring. this fall I used a rag to top coat it after a simple wash. It sill looked just like it did in the spring but didn't want it to go bad during the winter. I is not shiny and looks and feels just like natural teak before it turns gray.

 

[dlochner]

Most any clear epoxy.

Epoxy will degrade with UV exposure. When it does, it turns cloudy and can be more challenging to remove than failing varnish.

If epoxy is used it needs to be coated with varnish to protect it from UV.