Good teak prep guide for a new boat owner?

Ilanortho · May 8, 2016

Can't imagine just doing this with elbow grease given the state it is in other than the port hole trim which I would mask around and do in situ by hand sanding; should clean up nicely and trying to pull it off would probably destroy it. All the rest may best be done pulling it off the boat for the cleanest job possible especially at the deck - wood junction.

Tools: good quality power sander, lots of good quality dry sandpaper (100, 220, 320, 400 grit), chamfer bit, drill bit, plug cutter, power screw driver, drill bit, west epoxy system pump dispensers, chisel razor sharp

1. Remove teak plugs ( use drill bit small center hole, then drive a screw thru hole to pull pug out). Clean out plug holes with correct drill size by hand.
2. Prepare or buy new teak plugs after measuring hole size. Can make using a good plug cutter (not expensive) on scrap teak in a drill press or buy
3. Remove teak from boat
4. Use a good quality power sander and prepare to spend a few hard days sanding down to fresh teak. A real pain even with a strong good sander outdoors. Amazing how even rotten looking teak can be revived
5. Use wood bleach (oxalic acid) several times to brighten it. Buy it OTC, not at expensive woodcraft/ depot etc store. I also used boric acid (roach killer powder) to flood it on the off chance there was any wood rot deep in the screw holes. Wash thoroughly each application of any of the above. I also used something at the end to neutralize any remaining acidity prior to final wash. Dry thoroughly. Any damaged/ rotted defects were filled with a two part wood epoxy which works extremely well and bonds like a rock. Sand these repairs smooth. I used a fine artists brush with some acrylic paint for a faux wood grain so is distinguishable from the teak (actually quite easy to do with minimal effort or ability in small repairs)
6. Use West 2 part epoxy system to coat. Sand. Coat. Sand. Coat. Final smooth sand. No UV protection but very hard protection.
7. Use varnish (Epiphanes my choice) for UV protection over the epoxy. Sand. Varnish. Sand. Varnish. Sand.
Install on boat
8. Put new plugs in, cut with razor sharp chisel or Japanese saw and gently sand. Spot finish with varnish and sand. I use white outdoor wood glue for plug if fit is not quite tight. Do not epoxy in place or you will never be able to remove it again
9. Do touch ups as needed with a small bottle of varnish during the season
10. When I reinstall pieces I chamfer the deck holes lightly with a chamfer bit and then use 3M 4000 UV for a complete teak to deck bond; others use Sika; never use 3M 5000 if you ever intend to remove again without destroying the fiberglass. Do not used silicone
11. Sit back, admire, and realize you've just spent 3-6 months of your life on something for the birds to crap on, passengers to scuff up. take for granted and barf on.
12. Buy covers for whatever can be protected from the sun, especially the handrails (at Hunter Owners store)

Or just sand it a bit, mask the deck and varnish it a few times

Sorry, Ilan

Joe2954 · May 8, 2016

I've had reasonable luck using paint/varnish stripper to remove the old varnish on teak. Use a gel one safe for fiberglass (available at Walmart or Ace). Clean off as much of the old varnish as possible using a stiff brush and the cleaner, then wash as directed. Teak cleaner is just a base - you can buy it at WM or just use what you can find - I've used a Moss Remover from Ace that was just a mild base. I used oven cleaner on a previous boat but it burned my skin pretty bad and yellowed the glass (which cleared with vinegar)
As pointed out above, then just bleach it with wood bleach. sand out any remnants and rough spots.
I've gotten lazy and just use Semco on my teak now, except for my companionway doors which are remove able and look very nice with several coats of varnish.
I used Bristol Finish on a previous boat but they changed the formula several years ago and it was not as good. The old stuff sure looked nice and you could wet on wet multiple coats in short order.
I don't trust my skills enough with something as permanent as epoxy.

Ilanortho · May 8, 2016

Epoxy actually very easy and leaves a super smooth finish after sanding for the varnish; reduces the number of coats of varnish, is tough as nails, tougher as a base than varnish, and sands easily with a sander and a gentle touch. I would only do it off the boat; if some dribbles down and you miss it, good luck removing it from the deck. Cleans up easily with alcohol before it hardens.

In the future if I have to remove it, easily sands down with a power sander (I use a Festool orbital small sander). My teak was really horrible, awful rotten; now has a new life.

Charlie Jones s/v Tehani · May 9, 2016

DO NOT use a stiff brush on teak (or any other wood). The stiff bristles will erode the softer grain, and leave a wash board surface. Rather use a scrubbie pad.

A heat gun and a small scraper will remove a lot of the old finish fairly quickly.

I have stopped using epoxy under varnish. When it fails (and it will) takes LOTS of work to get rid of it. Spar varnish can be repaired, epoxy cannot.

HukilauMike · May 9, 2016

It all depends on how much you care about what the teak looks like. If you want a finished appearance, you don't have to do what Ilan suggests, although that will give you the longest lasting, best result. Its just that most of us don't have that kind of time or energy. I'd rather spend my limited free time sailing, not doing that kind of maintenance work. Some people really like doing the work and/or think the results are worth the effort. I'm not one of them. You have to find your own balance between work/sail/life.

To me, there are four options when dealing with teak, and over the years, I've tried all of them. First, you can let it weather to gray. No real maintenance. You may want to bleach it every so often just to keep it clean, but one of the beauties of teak is that it requires no protective coating. If you live anywhere near an urbanized area, the gray won't be pure; it will get black spots and streaks. But the acid wash will take care of that.

The next option is to oil the teak after you acid wash it and "brighten it". The wash/brighter and oil are often sold as a three-pack. Oiled teak looks awesome. A beautiful golden honey color. And oil is the easiest finish to apply. Just wipe it on with a rag or brush. The downside of oil is that the finish just doesn't last. I've never had an oil finish look good for more than a month. Once, I noticed distinct degradation after only a week. If you don't mind reoiling the finish every couple of weeks, it may be the choice for you.

Illan's choice of varnish is the most durable, and IMHO, the best looking choice. Nothing looks as nautical and as traditional as a finish of high-gloss varnish that appears to be a foot thick. But, as Ilan shows, it is a royal PITA to achieve that look. Some people like to do that kind of work. And, it lasts forever IF YOU KEEP IT UP. But if you let it deteriorate, then you have to go through the whole process again. From scratch. Ugh. And one thing Ilan didn't mention is the skill needed in applying varnish; you can't just slap it on like paint. It requires touch and finesse to get the coating on smoothly.

The final option is Cetol. Cetol is an oil-like product, but it lasts much longer. Three coats of Cetol lasts all season on my boat. Not quite as easy to apply as oil, but close. And they now make a high gloss coating for Cetol that looks like varnish and protects the underlying finish. One downside: Cetol looks a bit "orangy" (kind of like the presumptive Republican nominee). As you maybe can tell, I've chosen Cetol as my go-to finish. I also used the high gloss coating for the first time last summer. So far so good. Let us know what you decide.

Gunni · May 9, 2016

Mask the gelcoat, hand sand starting with 80 grit. Finish with the light Cetol. Study. Go sailing. Stay on top of the gloss finish and you will only need to scuff the Cetol and recoat each season.

Bryan686 · May 9, 2016

Ilan is right, his is the best way to do this to get the very best results. That said, it is time consuming and things WILL go wrong. Also agree on the Epifanes, but I use that below. I have experimented with a number of products, I don't like the "let it grey" look, I really did not like the" used motor oil" technique, varnish and polys will crack and peel and are a pain to remove and renew, and most have very little UV protection and will yellow or darken after a while. Teak oil does not last long. Last year I tried products from Teak Guard. http://www.teakguard.com/index.html It got good reviews, seemed pretty easy to use and was supposed to be simple to keep looking good. I got all of my deck teak prepped with their prep kit materials (cleaner, brushes, bronze wool, etc) and some light sanding with random orbital sander and my hand under the grab rails, etc, and coated with 3 coats of the Teak Guard oil. More coats leave a nicer finish, but it was really cold and windy when I got to this part so I quit. Boat wintered with nothing covered and this spring the teak looks good. The sheen had faded a bit (the more coats the more sheen) and the color had lightened a bit, but all you have to do to renew it is wash it and then reapply. No cleaning with chemicals, no sanding, just reapply more coats. So far I am happy. But time will tell. My suggestion, (As a lawyer I know about no time) is do the best you can with the teak on the boat, use the products that are easiest to use and renew, and go sail the darned boat.

HMT2 · May 9, 2016

Patrickidd,
If I were you I would buy a couple of good quality sanders one the quarter sheet type and some kind of a mouse sander or detail sander with a variety of attachments, take off any hardware that I can (like the snap, the block and the stainless bar in the last picture) leave the teak in place and go to town with some 80 grit paper and some hand sanding near the fiberglass. None of that looks like veneer. Wash it down, then come back with some 150 grit then 220. Wash it down, use some brightener if you think it needs it. Wipe it down with some mineral spirits or acetone. Tape it off well and come in with three coats of the Cetol natural teak. (The glossy Cetol is pretty but very slick when wet.) Admittedly I don't have teak trim around my ports, but I have done the above to my boat's solid teak parts and it looks pretty darn good and you don't have to re-bed and re-plug everything. If you have any that you think is veneer, its a whole different game.

OS2Dude · May 9, 2016

I second the idea of removing the items that can be for refinishing. Counter-sinking a little to give the sealant some place to be as mentioned above is also recommended. I tend to use Butyl Rubber to seal my deck trim with. If you can't remove the pieces, be sure to mask the surrounding area with a good painting tape. Do not leave the tape on for days or it can be a bear to remove. One idea for curves is to put a wide piece of tape across the curve, then push it down into the joint tightly and take a knife or razor and trim it to fit the curve.

I just used a palm sander, some hand sanding and a razor (to clear the detail) to remove the old finish and then taped and refinished with CETOL.

tootalltony · May 9, 2016

Hi Patrick-----this is not rocket science. like others have said--------sand it down to bear wood--use a 100 grit to start----- any finer and you'll be sanding all day and then go with a finer grit----------tape off the surrounding FG so as not to get varnish on it. Then varnish it -----sand lightly between coats with 150 grit and coat it again. I recommend any least 3 coats-----4 is better. I have used Cetol like others have said. It is part oil so it does soak in to the wood and not just coat it like varnish. but it also doesn't look as great. Teak oil is great down below deck but it doesn't hold up outside. I have used oil before and 3 days later the finish is gone. Have fun & don't fuss over it--------whatever you do, it will only last 1 season

$tingy Sailor · May 9, 2016

Some good tips here. My process is similar to Ilan's (and don't skip the bleach) but I use teak oil under the varnish instead of epoxy. It really brings out the glow.

For the full description, more before and after photos, and more tips (incl. interior teak), see Restore Your Exterior Teak to Better Than New on my blog at stingysailor.com.

zeehag · May 9, 2016

as the teak on production boats is thin and hardly there, sanders do a wonderful job--of ridding yourself of it all. i watched my ex hubby sand off all his teak then wonder why it leaked in rains... ha ha ha ha ha
as my boat has more teak wood than others, i choose to spend 10 hours annually, just before rain season washing it with sea water and a 3m green pad, across grain, then applying a coating of oil finish.
in usa, watco or tung oil finish. here, it is made for me using colorless and color free oil and mineral spirits. it is awesome and easily removed. looks like varnish but is better for the remaining wood .

SFKjeld · May 9, 2016

Ilanortho said:
Can't imagine just doing this with elbow grease given the state it is in other than the port hole trim which I would mask around and do in situ by hand sanding; should clean up nicely and trying to pull it off would probably destroy it. All the rest may best be done pulling it off the boat for the cleanest job possible especially at the deck - wood junction.

Tools: good quality power sander, lots of good quality dry sandpaper (100, 220, 320, 400 grit), chamfer bit, drill bit, plug cutter, power screw driver, drill bit, west epoxy system pump dispensers, chisel razor sharp

1. Remove teak plugs ( use drill bit small center hole, then drive a screw thru hole to pull pug out). Clean out plug holes with correct drill size by hand.
2. Prepare or buy new teak plugs after measuring hole size. Can make using a good plug cutter (not expensive) on scrap teak in a drill press or buy
3. Remove teak from boat
4. Use a good quality power sander and prepare to spend a few hard days sanding down to fresh teak. A real pain even with a strong good sander outdoors. Amazing how even rotten looking teak can be revived
5. Use wood bleach (oxalic acid) several times to brighten it. Buy it OTC, not at expensive woodcraft/ depot etc store. I also used boric acid (roach killer powder) to flood it on the off chance there was any wood rot deep in the screw holes. Wash thoroughly each application of any of the above. I also used something at the end to neutralize any remaining acidity prior to final wash. Dry thoroughly. Any damaged/ rotted defects were filled with a two part wood epoxy which works extremely well and bonds like a rock. Sand these repairs smooth. I used a fine artists brush with some acrylic paint for a faux wood grain so is distinguishable from the teak (actually quite easy to do with minimal effort or ability in small repairs)
6. Use West 2 part epoxy system to coat. Sand. Coat. Sand. Coat. Final smooth sand. No UV protection but very hard protection.
7. Use varnish (Epiphanes my choice) for UV protection over the epoxy. Sand. Varnish. Sand. Varnish. Sand.
Install on boat
8. Put new plugs in, cut with razor sharp chisel or Japanese saw and gently sand. Spot finish with varnish and sand. I use white outdoor wood glue for plug if fit is not quite tight. Do not epoxy in place or you will never be able to remove it again
9. Do touch ups as needed with a small bottle of varnish during the season
10. When I reinstall pieces I chamfer the deck holes lightly with a chamfer bit and then use 3M 4000 UV for a complete teak to deck bond; others use Sika; never use 3M 5000 if you ever intend to remove again without destroying the fiberglass. Do not used silicone
11. Sit back, admire, and realize you've just spent 3-6 months of your life on something for the birds to crap on, passengers to scuff up. take for granted and barf on.
12. Buy covers for whatever can be protected from the sun, especially the handrails (at Hunter Owners store)

Or just sand it a bit, mask the deck and varnish it a few times

Sorry, Ilan

Lol, love #11.

IH82BL8 · May 9, 2016

Your sander should be a random-obital sander.

Also, thin the first coat of varnish 50%, then 40%, etc. Coats 6-12 will be straight varnish. Sand lightly by hand between each coat just enough the take off any pinpoint imperfections. Vacuum. Tack cloth. If there's any chance of any moisture on the surface, go over it lightly with a heat gun to dry it before varnishing. Actually a hair dryer would be even better because it will provide less heat and more air movement.

If you really want it to be stunning, on large areas like hatchboards, after 9 coats sand the entire surface so no gloss remains. This will make the surface as flat as glass. Then apply your last three coats of varnish.

sailcrazy1 · May 9, 2016

We sail a Tiawan-made boat, with lots of teak both exterior and interior. After putting a new teak deck on her in 2011, we decided to let it go grey naturally, and use minn maintenance to preserve the wood. We even tried Boracol, the stuff Halberg-Rassey recommends for their teak decks. The "grey" look just didn't get it, and the deck looked very dry and in need of help. After alot of internet searching and talking to other cruisers, we elected to use Semco. We cleaned the deck with soap and water, and then with the 2--part Semco Cleaner(really easy to use). We applied 2 coats of Semco to not only the deck, but also all the other exterior teak(caprails, handrails, on-deck seachest, etc). Yes, it does not last, especially in the hi sun angles of the Caribbean where we sail, and you need to redo it 1-2 times per year. But redoing is also easy.....wash with soap and water, then reapply. It goes on easy, the wood looks protected, it looks really good(we get lots of compliments, and no one can believe the boat is 28 years old!), and it is not slippery. We're very happy with the Semco product. But...the wood must be clean to start with, so your initial effort will be a little more involved.

kenackerman · May 9, 2016

The only thing I would add to these excellent replies is to make sure you restore the deck surfaces immediately around the teak. There appears to be a fair amount of slop from previous attempts at varnishing (except for the first pic of the port under the winch). Once you get rid of this, you'll remember to use high quality masking tape to protect the white deck surfaces in the future.

jackever · May 9, 2016

The picture in the email is way inappropriate, I do not think one would want to use that sander with that coarse grit on sail boat teak.

Wind Quest · May 9, 2016

For many years I have used LeTonkinois No. 1 on my teak. The website for this varnish is www.tarsmell.com.