I would like to put a clear high gloss finish on the outside teak trim and hatch boards. How do I prepare the wood and what kind of finish should I use? I want something that will last a few years. Thanks Lee
Finish for teak
- Thread starter Lee Y
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Cetol Marine
I took all my teak off a couple of years ago and took it home to work on it. I actually fabricated all new components in my wood shop from solid teak. I used Cetol Marine on it and it is holding up very well. Before acquiring my H23 I owned an O'Day 20. Her teak was in pretty sad shape when I acquired her too. That time around I used a teak cleaner and scrubbed the hell out if it to get the crap out of the pores and followed that with a light sanding to even out the coloring before applying four coats of Cetol Marine. I stopped at four coats because I couldn't see how another coat would have made it look any better. That held up nicely too. I don't know how many coats are recommended but sand with a fine wet/dry paper between coats to keep her smooth and eventually it looks like pretty good. From there on: Watch for scuffs and wear and use that wet/dry paper as needed to touch up the minor stuff before your bare wood gets discolored again. I keep a little sand paper and a baby jar full of Cetol Marine on board with some disposable brushes. That part might be a little over the top!
I took all my teak off a couple of years ago and took it home to work on it. I actually fabricated all new components in my wood shop from solid teak. I used Cetol Marine on it and it is holding up very well. Before acquiring my H23 I owned an O'Day 20. Her teak was in pretty sad shape when I acquired her too. That time around I used a teak cleaner and scrubbed the hell out if it to get the crap out of the pores and followed that with a light sanding to even out the coloring before applying four coats of Cetol Marine. I stopped at four coats because I couldn't see how another coat would have made it look any better. That held up nicely too. I don't know how many coats are recommended but sand with a fine wet/dry paper between coats to keep her smooth and eventually it looks like pretty good. From there on: Watch for scuffs and wear and use that wet/dry paper as needed to touch up the minor stuff before your bare wood gets discolored again. I keep a little sand paper and a baby jar full of Cetol Marine on board with some disposable brushes. That part might be a little over the top!
Don't think you are going to get a few years
Lee: I do not think you are going to get a "Few Years" out of anything unless you use some type of canvas to cover it. Cetol Gloss (clear finish) is not the best finish to use alone. I would suggest that you try Cetol Light (2 coats) and the Cetol Gloss for 2-3 coats. Drying time between coats is 24 hrs, so planning is in order. Just remember, Cetol is not going to look like high quality varnish. It is also not going to take the same maintenance as varnish either. Whatever you decide on, you should have canvas covers when you are away.
Lee: I do not think you are going to get a "Few Years" out of anything unless you use some type of canvas to cover it. Cetol Gloss (clear finish) is not the best finish to use alone. I would suggest that you try Cetol Light (2 coats) and the Cetol Gloss for 2-3 coats. Drying time between coats is 24 hrs, so planning is in order. Just remember, Cetol is not going to look like high quality varnish. It is also not going to take the same maintenance as varnish either. Whatever you decide on, you should have canvas covers when you are away.
This worked better than Cetol
Two years after application, the Cetol began to look crummy and pracatically disappeared in the Florida sun. My neighbor, a retired Master Chief Bosun with a power boat (you could eat off the bilge floor,) (fastideiously kept) advised me try MINWAX Helmsman Spar Urethane. After sanding down to the bare teak, and following directions for three coats of spar ureghane, I've got beautiful lookin teak. It hasn't been exposed to the sun long enough to make a fair comparison with Cetol, so I will wait and see. Has anyone tried this particular MINWAX product?
Two years after application, the Cetol began to look crummy and pracatically disappeared in the Florida sun. My neighbor, a retired Master Chief Bosun with a power boat (you could eat off the bilge floor,) (fastideiously kept) advised me try MINWAX Helmsman Spar Urethane. After sanding down to the bare teak, and following directions for three coats of spar ureghane, I've got beautiful lookin teak. It hasn't been exposed to the sun long enough to make a fair comparison with Cetol, so I will wait and see. Has anyone tried this particular MINWAX product?
Helmsman Spar Urethane
Hi Arturo - I used the Helmsman Spar urethane last year, but only two coats, and had to do it again this season. Used 4 or 5 coats this year, but got a somewhat "milky" appearance. The Admiral has charged me with not allowing enough dry time between coats, and as always, she is probably correct.
Hi Arturo - I used the Helmsman Spar urethane last year, but only two coats, and had to do it again this season. Used 4 or 5 coats this year, but got a somewhat "milky" appearance. The Admiral has charged me with not allowing enough dry time between coats, and as always, she is probably correct.
Cetol has been good to me
I have a Shark that I sail on Lake Ontario. A Number of years ago (4+), I re-did the hand rails, and various other trim with Cetol (~3-4 coat of the Light, and then 1-2 of the gloss). Since then I've had to touch up some rope burns and scratches, and also have applied a single touch up coat of the gloss on the top surfaces (not really needed except to blend the other touch-ups). Anyway ... so far, there is NO sign at all of UV breakdown, and the seasonal follow-up effort in minimal. I then re-did the coamings with cetol (previously Teak Oil) because it was so successful. Touch-ups take minutes, and a top coat only an hour or so. It seems like regular attention will make Cetol last a very long time. Chris
I have a Shark that I sail on Lake Ontario. A Number of years ago (4+), I re-did the hand rails, and various other trim with Cetol (~3-4 coat of the Light, and then 1-2 of the gloss). Since then I've had to touch up some rope burns and scratches, and also have applied a single touch up coat of the gloss on the top surfaces (not really needed except to blend the other touch-ups). Anyway ... so far, there is NO sign at all of UV breakdown, and the seasonal follow-up effort in minimal. I then re-did the coamings with cetol (previously Teak Oil) because it was so successful. Touch-ups take minutes, and a top coat only an hour or so. It seems like regular attention will make Cetol last a very long time. Chris
Refinishing
I have used the Helmsman Spar Varnish on my wood front door. Unfortunately the six coats looked great but only lasted eight months in this intense sun here in Florida. I also used "Bristol Finish" which is a two part finish. Looked great but only lasted about eight months. (also on my front door). On the teak on the boat I used a high quality varnish from Epiphanes. The finish was beautiful and the wood still looked great at the end of a year. I should have redone it then. By the end of the second year it looked pretty bad and Michael who just bought my boat I'm sure will have to refinish it. I've never used Cetol so I don't know how it compares but my experience with varnish is that the finish looks great but count on refinishing it every year.
I have used the Helmsman Spar Varnish on my wood front door. Unfortunately the six coats looked great but only lasted eight months in this intense sun here in Florida. I also used "Bristol Finish" which is a two part finish. Looked great but only lasted about eight months. (also on my front door). On the teak on the boat I used a high quality varnish from Epiphanes. The finish was beautiful and the wood still looked great at the end of a year. I should have redone it then. By the end of the second year it looked pretty bad and Michael who just bought my boat I'm sure will have to refinish it. I've never used Cetol so I don't know how it compares but my experience with varnish is that the finish looks great but count on refinishing it every year.
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