Help with teak

[maxxx]

I'm doing research but have found yall to be such a good resource, hear goes! I'm starting to both refinish and replace some exterior teak on my Oday 28. There is one piece that is old and Cetol covered that will be in close proximity to new teak. All will be done in Cetol light. Any suggestions on how to best remove and clean the old to match the new???
Also, my interior bulkheads are dark and discolored after multiple coats of Teak oil. How would you go about cleaning them to reoil?? This is my second season with the boat and nows the time to do what I put off last year. As always, thanks to everyone in advance for your help !!

max

 

[Tim R.]

For the exterior teak you will have to strip it down to bare wood. A good citrus based paint stripper should work well although I have never stripped Cetol.

For the interior, take a look at my interior refinish project on my previous boat. It was heavily oiled and we stripped, bleached and varnished for a lighter, lower maintenance finish.

http://www.tkronaboat.com/Projects/Ericson%2035%20Projects/Refinish%20Interior%20Teak/index.html

 

[Prime Time]

Cetol Removal

It sands off very easily.

 

[rardiH36]

Here's something a bit different. ZEP Industrial Purple Degreaser. Available at Home Depot.

http://www.homedepot.com/ZEP/h_d1/N...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Upon my purchase several years ago of my 1980 Hunter H36, it also had dark and stained interior teak from many coats of teak oil and just age. Otherwise the wood in general was in great shape. Previous owners did very little damage by picture hangings and the like.

Just on a whim, I found that Industrial Purple, which I had previously only used to clean brake dust and road dirt from the wire wheels and tires on my (no longer owned) 1989 Jaguar XJ6, also very effectively removed surface oil finish and grunge from the interior teak my sailboat. I was left with very clean wood. It was ready to take on whatever finish you finally settle on.

For stripping Teak Oil from wood, Industrial Purple must be used very strong. Either full strength or slightly diluted (its water based). I found that carefully applying the solution with a sponge worked well. Be very sure that nothing splashes around. In this respect a sponge is better than a brush. Industrial Purple will cause splotches and damage to almost any surface that it falls on. However, fiberglass/gelcoat will remain unaffected.

Also, protect your body. At full strength, it easily causes severe detergent burn. Rubber gloves, long sleeves and eye protection are a must.

Experiment in an inconspicuous area before going full out. What worked for me: Apply it with the sponge. Then let sit for only a few minutes. On vertical surfaces, be sure that you don't over-apply so that the product doesn't run down onto the cabin sole or other surfaces. Then wash/clean with fresh water -- several times.

I refinished the clean wood only with a couple of coats of a satin sheen polyurethane rub-on oil by Min-Wax. The final outcome wasn't as perfect as Tim R has posted in his pic. But it was easy to do and to my eye anyway my interior looks very nice.

Industrial Purple also completely removed all the surface grunge and stains from the vinyl bulkhead faux straw wall paper on my boat. The surface now looks as good as new.

But just to repeat. While I found Industrial Purple to be absolutely amazing ... Be Careful and BE Safe with It!

 

[maxxx]

Thanks for the help! Tim, your boat is beautiful. Rardi, I'll give it a whirl! Thanks again and wish me luck !! max

 

[philwsailz]

Regardless removal method, once you have the stripper neutralized, (if any) and you have sanded to your proper smoothness to start the Cetol refinish, consider that the teak is an oily wood. You need to remove the natural oils from the newly exposed surface to get a good bond. Otherwise, any finish you put on will not really bond to the wood, but rather will just sort of sit on the surface. As a result your hard work refinishing will not last as long.

I have had good results by using Acetone and several clean rags to remove surface oils prior to finish coats. Use a clean rag soaked in acetone and scrub the surface of the wood. Turn or change the rag(s) often until you cease to see your rag turning orange from the wood's oils. After the acetone is done flashing off, QUICKLY get your first coat of Cetol on. The lack of the wood's natural oils in the surface-most depths of the wood will allow the Cetol to penetrate and bond down in the wood, rather than just on the surface. Subsequent coats can be applied at any time period thereafter without sanding. That being said, I like to lightly sand Cetol after 4 coats, applying a few more after. The sanding allows you to knock down the high spots for a more level and glass-like finish.

 

[Steve Dion]

Max:

Regardless of the exterior finish that you select, you should consider covers for any wood surface that can be covered (companionway, hand rails etc.). This will extend the life of the finish for several year beyond what it would be otherwise.

Because you are using Cetol, you can just lightly sand and apply more finish prior to the entire surface needing stripping again.

 

[jibes138]

For interior teak you should use Formby's Tung Oil that you can get at home depot or Lowes. This stuff is by far the easiest and best for interior wood. It wipes on with a rag and dries to a beautiful finish. It doesn't darken with age just keeps on looking great. A new coat every five years keeps it looking great.

 

[Bad Obsession]

The Formby's Tun Oil......Will it go over teak oil that is already on the wood or do you have to strip the wood?

 

[maxxx]

Again , thanks to all. Last year I used Watco teak oil, applied per the directions and so far have been pleased. The interior teak on my bpat had not been oiled in a while and as a new owner I was in a hurry to shine her up and enjoy. Now this year she's getting a deeper cleaning and polishing. I have been toying with the idea of varnish on the interior......thoughts ??

 

[RichH]

Make sure that what you have is actually TEAK. Many boats of that era such a Pearsons, Odays, etc. didnt use teak but used IROKO ... a brazilian 'moderately hard softwood' that looks like teak.

Iroko in exterior applications does not 'hold' varnish and very well, and if left bare will quickly erode leaving very proud grain. Iroko's chief vulnerability is water absorption -- so for exterior applications it should be totally 'spit coated' with epoxy and then only coated with coatings that contain lots of UV filters. It is probably THE most beautiful of woods to use on a boat, especially when varnished and then 'finished'. If the removed wood seems to be somewhat 'light' in weight, bare wood is somewhat eroded, then it might possibly be IROKO, not teak.
IROKO is now an endangered species and is almost impossible to obtain.