I was all ready to sand and Cetol my totally weathered, gray, and very slightly cracking teak. Then I got to thinking whether it was the right move, or whether I should sand, clean, and oil it to restore some oil to the wood. I would imagine that I could oil it now, then again in the Fall, then hit it with Cetol next spring when the oil had dried back a bit. Would Cetol over dried teak be a bad thing?
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- Thread starter jfrench
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I have cetoled over teak that has just been sanded many times and it has always come out very well. In fact, if you oil it now, that may cause problems down the road. I also am getting ready toredo my teak. It's a lovely collection of grey teak, peeling cetol and some areas that are still fiine. It's all getting sanded and cetoled.
Matt
I cheaped out a little and bought a one-part teak cleaner from West Marine. My teak is perfectly clean from a TSP and bleach wash-down, the one-part claimed to "brighten." If a one-part is not going to do it, please let me know. I'll take it back before I open it.
Anything that is a "combined" product rarely works as well as the individual components. It's like "cleaner and wax" which just pushes the dirt around and traps it.
If you're sure the teak is clean, just return what you have and get the brightener.
Read the labels for the contents and see for yourself.
If you're sure the teak is clean, just return what you have and get the brightener.
Read the labels for the contents and see for yourself.
Some people would faint on reading this but you can pressure wash the blackness out of the teak. (use a fan pattern on the nozzle) Then let it dry, then sand, then thin some cetol let soak in, dry, sand again.. coat unthinned, sand, do this 3-5 times and you will get a really nice finish. the grain needs to be filled is why your sanding the finish. you could use a grain filler if you could find something that looks like teak. Most people don't sand between coats well enough but you really need to, to fill the grain with muitple coats.
We ran the drop boards through a planer to get them back to new.
We ran the drop boards through a planer to get them back to new.
I read something interesting about linseed oil this week. Linseed oil is the major component in "teak" oils and is used because it is thin enough to penetrate into tight-grained woods like teak and mahogany. The interesting part is that it "polymerizes" into a solid as it dries. I was always under the impression that it simply soaked into the wood and remained oily until it mostly evaporated away. Another fun fact is that according to the Wikipedia article, linseed oil does nearly nothing to waterproof wood, although it protects the wood surface from some surface scuffing.
For weathered hatch boards: Random orbit palm sander, 80, 120, 220 grits.
80 grit to level the surface and remove old varnish. Change sandpaper disks often on the 120 and 220. If dirt or debris gets under the disk you'll get swirl marks ground into the teak.
Interlux Interprime to seal the surface, followed by a thinned coat of Interlux varnish then four to five coats of full strength varnish.
Do it in the spring or fall when not too hot or humid. Beer and music make it a pleasant way to spend the day. :dance:
80 grit to level the surface and remove old varnish. Change sandpaper disks often on the 120 and 220. If dirt or debris gets under the disk you'll get swirl marks ground into the teak.
Interlux Interprime to seal the surface, followed by a thinned coat of Interlux varnish then four to five coats of full strength varnish.
Do it in the spring or fall when not too hot or humid. Beer and music make it a pleasant way to spend the day. :dance:
You cheated! Most of us don't have a planer on the dock :naughty:
But the hatch boards look really good.
I agree with all the refinishing advice, except the powerwashing. As a building inspector, I've seen a lot of damage caused by pressure washers. Some are rated up to 3,000 psi. Enough pressure to rip the face off of wood, crack glass, etc. As Stu said, use a teak cleaner & bleach/ brightener. The greyish - black appearance in worn teak is actually a mildew-mold that has grown into the pours of the wood. Bleaching it kills the mold & restores the original color. But without a varnish to slow oxidation it will fade out to grey within a month. Oiling teak only is a waste of time. If its not cleaned & brightened first, then it will turn a black-leather color. I find that refinishing can be zen like. "Show me...sand the floor..."
Amen on avoiding the power washer! Perhaps a power washer can be set up by a knowledgeable owner to prevent damage to the wood, but the reason I have to sand all of my teak is because a boat broker who handled the marketing and sale of my Cat used a power washer on it. The water pressure blew away much of the soft wood, leaving the raised lines of the harder wood at the edges of the annular rings. My hatch boards are dug away in the center also, from the blast of the high-pressure wash.
I found that 2 cups of tri-sodium phosphate (TSP, available at Home Depot in the paint department) and 1 cup of bleach in 2 gallons of water, cleaned the teak of all its black coating without any scrubbing. Just a soft car-washing brush and a few minutes of soak time on the wood was all it took.
I found that 2 cups of tri-sodium phosphate (TSP, available at Home Depot in the paint department) and 1 cup of bleach in 2 gallons of water, cleaned the teak of all its black coating without any scrubbing. Just a soft car-washing brush and a few minutes of soak time on the wood was all it took.
I am prepping to experiment with linseed oil products around our old home. I'm going to give it a whirl on the boat wood as well.jfrench said:
Here's a link for more info on a Swedish product that is used on boats as well:
http://www.solventfreepaint.com/info/case_study_teakCockpit.htm
Anyone else try it yet?
I've been posting and reading about teak care for some time, because I have no experience with the process and because I got various and often conflicting information most everywhere I looked. Caring for teak seemed like religion, there were many systems and folks held strongly to their beliefs!
Well, I got started yesterday by accident and made a few interesting discoveries along the way that I thought I'd share. I intended only to wash down the deck in preparation for pulling the teak trim this weekend. Last year, I followed advice from this forum and cleaned the boat with TSP and bleach as outlined above. At that time, the teak was uniformly black. The bleach and TSP solution cleaned the black away, which showed itself to be a green algae as it washed away. I was left with uniformly gray teak (see "before" pix below).
This year I thought I'd forgo the bleach to avoid the personal safety issues and clothing destruction, but I noticed that the undersides of the teak grab rails still had some black algae from where the scrub brush didn't reach last year. I figured I'd put some full strength bleach in a Home Depot spray bottle in case I needed it to spot clean those areas.
My first discovery happened as I was setting up to work. The beige plastic rub rail insert had retained black mold stains after last year's cleaning. For the heck of it, I walked along the rail spraying it lightly with the 100% bleach solution. When I got to the stern, I started up the other side. By the time I got 'round the boat and back to the first side, I was surprised to see that the entire length of the rub rail showed no sign of the mold staining. I hadn't yet scrubbed or rinsed, just the sprayed-on bleach sent it elsewhere in about one minute! I brushed on some scrub water and rinsed the rail, deciding that this was turning into a good day. :dance:
I began cleaning the deck at the bow with the TSP solution, then took a moment and sprayed some more bleach, trying to get it on last year's remaining algae under the grab rails. Deciding to let it work for a minute, I returned to scrubbing the bow and got involved in cleaning the inside of the anchor locker, forgetting about the bleach on the rails. About 15 minutes later I happened to look at the grab rails and was pleasantly surprised to see that the bleach-sprayed areas were losing their gray color and were beginning to show some indication of clean teak. I wet down both grab rails and both pieces of eyebrow trim with the full-strength bleach and let them sit until almost dry. By the time I had deck-scrubbed my way back to them, the gray color had turned into a slimy, milky clear coating that was sitting almost loosely on the wood's surface. Scrubbing with a brush loosened most of it and I had nearly clean teak (see the "after photos). :dance:
Once the wood had time to dry, it was apparent that there was still a trace of gray in the low-lying spots of the grain. At that point I decided to lift out the hatch boards and try the $15.00 dollar bottle of West Marine 1-Step teak cleaner I had bought for this job. Since the bleach and TSP had removed 95% of the gray coating. I figured the teak cleaner would make short work of the little that remained. It didn't help at all!
I applied it twice according to instructions, letting it sit 3 minutes the first time and longer the second. When I compared the hatch boards to the other teak that got only the bleach treatment, there is no difference. The dollar-an-ounce cleaner is going back!
I also experimented on the teak step at the top of the stern ladder and applied some of the Meguiers teak oil I bought. As of this morning, the step looks good where it had been free of left over gray, but an area near the center shows the residual gray stains. Teak oil won't soak into the grey stains and disappear them, even if they're minor.
So, I've learned that 100% bleach will clean up the rub rails nicely. It will also do a 95% job of cleaning teak with some help from TSP. About midway through the deck cleaning, I found that TSP alone doesn't get stains out of the weathered gelcoat, I added a cup of bleach to the bucket and the deck is perfectly cleaned. And before I try a 2-step teak cleaner, I'm going to try bleach and TSP again on the teak, but I'm going to look for a better brush. I had one that was too stiff and I worried about it damaging the grain, and I had one that was too soft to get down in the deep areas. Most of this wood needs to be sanded anyway, so one way or another the gray staining is headed elsewhere!
Finally, speaking of damaged grain. We spoke about power washing teak. I've also included a picture of my eyebrow trim near one of its attaching screws. You can see that under the head of the screw the wood is about 3/16" thicker than the rest of the trim. It is this way under all the mounting screws. I'm thinking this is evidence of power washer use on the wood. The head of the screw likely protected the wood from the blast, keeping it from being blown away. Had the trim simply rotted away with time, I would imagine that rot would have happened faster under the head of the screw where it would have been protected from UV radiation.
Well, I got started yesterday by accident and made a few interesting discoveries along the way that I thought I'd share. I intended only to wash down the deck in preparation for pulling the teak trim this weekend. Last year, I followed advice from this forum and cleaned the boat with TSP and bleach as outlined above. At that time, the teak was uniformly black. The bleach and TSP solution cleaned the black away, which showed itself to be a green algae as it washed away. I was left with uniformly gray teak (see "before" pix below).
This year I thought I'd forgo the bleach to avoid the personal safety issues and clothing destruction, but I noticed that the undersides of the teak grab rails still had some black algae from where the scrub brush didn't reach last year. I figured I'd put some full strength bleach in a Home Depot spray bottle in case I needed it to spot clean those areas.
My first discovery happened as I was setting up to work. The beige plastic rub rail insert had retained black mold stains after last year's cleaning. For the heck of it, I walked along the rail spraying it lightly with the 100% bleach solution. When I got to the stern, I started up the other side. By the time I got 'round the boat and back to the first side, I was surprised to see that the entire length of the rub rail showed no sign of the mold staining. I hadn't yet scrubbed or rinsed, just the sprayed-on bleach sent it elsewhere in about one minute! I brushed on some scrub water and rinsed the rail, deciding that this was turning into a good day. :dance:
I began cleaning the deck at the bow with the TSP solution, then took a moment and sprayed some more bleach, trying to get it on last year's remaining algae under the grab rails. Deciding to let it work for a minute, I returned to scrubbing the bow and got involved in cleaning the inside of the anchor locker, forgetting about the bleach on the rails. About 15 minutes later I happened to look at the grab rails and was pleasantly surprised to see that the bleach-sprayed areas were losing their gray color and were beginning to show some indication of clean teak. I wet down both grab rails and both pieces of eyebrow trim with the full-strength bleach and let them sit until almost dry. By the time I had deck-scrubbed my way back to them, the gray color had turned into a slimy, milky clear coating that was sitting almost loosely on the wood's surface. Scrubbing with a brush loosened most of it and I had nearly clean teak (see the "after photos). :dance:
Once the wood had time to dry, it was apparent that there was still a trace of gray in the low-lying spots of the grain. At that point I decided to lift out the hatch boards and try the $15.00 dollar bottle of West Marine 1-Step teak cleaner I had bought for this job. Since the bleach and TSP had removed 95% of the gray coating. I figured the teak cleaner would make short work of the little that remained. It didn't help at all!
I applied it twice according to instructions, letting it sit 3 minutes the first time and longer the second. When I compared the hatch boards to the other teak that got only the bleach treatment, there is no difference. The dollar-an-ounce cleaner is going back! I also experimented on the teak step at the top of the stern ladder and applied some of the Meguiers teak oil I bought. As of this morning, the step looks good where it had been free of left over gray, but an area near the center shows the residual gray stains. Teak oil won't soak into the grey stains and disappear them, even if they're minor.
So, I've learned that 100% bleach will clean up the rub rails nicely. It will also do a 95% job of cleaning teak with some help from TSP. About midway through the deck cleaning, I found that TSP alone doesn't get stains out of the weathered gelcoat, I added a cup of bleach to the bucket and the deck is perfectly cleaned. And before I try a 2-step teak cleaner, I'm going to try bleach and TSP again on the teak, but I'm going to look for a better brush. I had one that was too stiff and I worried about it damaging the grain, and I had one that was too soft to get down in the deep areas. Most of this wood needs to be sanded anyway, so one way or another the gray staining is headed elsewhere!
Finally, speaking of damaged grain. We spoke about power washing teak. I've also included a picture of my eyebrow trim near one of its attaching screws. You can see that under the head of the screw the wood is about 3/16" thicker than the rest of the trim. It is this way under all the mounting screws. I'm thinking this is evidence of power washer use on the wood. The head of the screw likely protected the wood from the blast, keeping it from being blown away. Had the trim simply rotted away with time, I would imagine that rot would have happened faster under the head of the screw where it would have been protected from UV radiation.
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That is groovy man. I've stayed out of this discussion completely, because as you said, to argue is tantamount to declaring there is no God.
However, like you, I have had amazing results with just pure bleach. I hesitated to say this openly because it can be dangerous/unhealthy. And I didn't want to hear the "save the planet" spiel, etc. I don't care if every baby seal on the icecap lays dead, I want a clean boat. Calm down, just kidding.
But it kills mung. Mold. Mildew. People. I actually care more about the seals, but that's another story. On the inside of the boat, if you'll recall my mold issue, I threw everything I had at it. Meager results at best. Was even advised AGAINST bleach. But it killed it. But man, it was tough down below with the fumes. Fans everywhere. Eyes watering, and 40 dollar Wrangler shirts layed to waste. But it cleaned the gel coat, and teak, and mahogany alike.
By the way, as suspected, I got better results out of Clorox bleach, as apposed to the cheap dollar store variety. You get what you pay for is the general operative term, as usual.
And don't forget, your government puts it in the drinking water as well..
However, like you, I have had amazing results with just pure bleach. I hesitated to say this openly because it can be dangerous/unhealthy. And I didn't want to hear the "save the planet" spiel, etc. I don't care if every baby seal on the icecap lays dead, I want a clean boat. Calm down, just kidding.
But it kills mung. Mold. Mildew. People. I actually care more about the seals, but that's another story. On the inside of the boat, if you'll recall my mold issue, I threw everything I had at it. Meager results at best. Was even advised AGAINST bleach. But it killed it. But man, it was tough down below with the fumes. Fans everywhere. Eyes watering, and 40 dollar Wrangler shirts layed to waste. But it cleaned the gel coat, and teak, and mahogany alike.
By the way, as suspected, I got better results out of Clorox bleach, as apposed to the cheap dollar store variety. You get what you pay for is the general operative term, as usual.
And don't forget, your government puts it in the drinking water as well..
I am in the process of redoing my teak. I went ahead and dove in head first as I was getting confused by all the solutions. I wanted to start as fresh as I could since it was my first time working with this wood and there is no kidding about a Captain and his ship, there's only one way here, mate!
Anyways, I pulled the companion way slides, inside and out as well as the hand rails first. That way I could keep the boat somewhat secured and protected because I knew it would take some time for the first 7 pieces.
I started with 150 grit on palm sander but then moved to electric as I wanted to finish within the spring. I sanded away all traces of mildew and grey until I had a consistant color across an entire piece. Remember this is not new wood and looking for perfection is well, it isn't gonna happen. I then went over the piece with 220 grit to get a nice smooth surface.
I use Mineral Spirits (MS) often when working on wood as it seems to clear the surface well, dry quickly (and completely) without leaving any residue.
I used Cetol Sikkens in a three coat process.
Lay on the first coat liberally and going over it several times to ensure that all deeper grains/cracks are filled. Wipe away excess with a NEW t-shirt. Yes, donate a Fruit of the Loom from your drawer, the boat is worth it. I let that dry for at least 24 hours in a space that will not have moving air caring dust in it. This is usually my garage, the only time someone is there is my wife leaving for work in the morning. I cover the project with a tented sheet as well.
After dry time, sand stained piece with 220 grit to prep for the next coat. Clean agin with MS and use tacky cloth to pull any remaining dust off.
Apply second coat, not quite so liberally since it will shed most excess product.
Repeat this process one more time on the third coat and viola you'll have a nice piece of teak. I had the first run of seven pieces completed in about a week.
I now have the hatch slides and hatch trim in my shop getting sanded.
The pics are a during the sanding, done staining and slides and trim (before)
Anyways, I pulled the companion way slides, inside and out as well as the hand rails first. That way I could keep the boat somewhat secured and protected because I knew it would take some time for the first 7 pieces.
I started with 150 grit on palm sander but then moved to electric as I wanted to finish within the spring. I sanded away all traces of mildew and grey until I had a consistant color across an entire piece. Remember this is not new wood and looking for perfection is well, it isn't gonna happen. I then went over the piece with 220 grit to get a nice smooth surface.
I use Mineral Spirits (MS) often when working on wood as it seems to clear the surface well, dry quickly (and completely) without leaving any residue.
I used Cetol Sikkens in a three coat process.
Lay on the first coat liberally and going over it several times to ensure that all deeper grains/cracks are filled. Wipe away excess with a NEW t-shirt. Yes, donate a Fruit of the Loom from your drawer, the boat is worth it. I let that dry for at least 24 hours in a space that will not have moving air caring dust in it. This is usually my garage, the only time someone is there is my wife leaving for work in the morning. I cover the project with a tented sheet as well.
After dry time, sand stained piece with 220 grit to prep for the next coat. Clean agin with MS and use tacky cloth to pull any remaining dust off.
Apply second coat, not quite so liberally since it will shed most excess product.
Repeat this process one more time on the third coat and viola you'll have a nice piece of teak. I had the first run of seven pieces completed in about a week.
I now have the hatch slides and hatch trim in my shop getting sanded.
The pics are a during the sanding, done staining and slides and trim (before)
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I tried a trick I saw on "This Old House." My teak has very deep grooves where it seems pressure washing has blown out the soft wood. I sanded about 1/16" off of my first hatch board and still had a few grooves that went deeper. I collected some of the sanding dust in an old plastic container and mixed in Elmer's permanent wood glue until I had a paste. I applied it with a putty knife as a filler over the grooves. The deeper ones needed a second application because it shrank back as it dried. Today when I sanded the filler down, I had a (mostly) smooth wood surface without having to take off the extra 1/32" of wood thickness. The filler dried darker than the teak dust that made it (that one baffles me), but it looks like some of the other dark areas of grain on the wood. According to the TV show, it should stain (or in this case accept oil) pretty much like the surrounding wood. This is because sanding exposes clean edges of the wood dust. We'll see how that goes in a few days.
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