Pressure washing teak decks
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thats a violation! you will wreck the decks. the bleach is a violation too, if you want to know the truth.
mild soap, mellow scrub brush, only scrub across the grain. thats it. nothing else, period!
56 years old, 47th season in the family, and they look like this
mild soap, mellow scrub brush, only scrub across the grain. thats it. nothing else, period!
56 years old, 47th season in the family, and they look like this
do you wash your car once a year? we do a quick wash before every sail. ok , i'm a nut. like a car, wash your boat once a week. sailing a dirty boat ain't fun. a quick scrub and rinse, like a car. is all it takes
Listen to Jon! I’ll say it again...Listen to Jon..I have a good recipe for a teak wash solution but it’s on the boat. Will try and remember to get it next few days..
I agree completely about a pressure washer ruining your teak, any teak.
I like Snappy Teak two part cleaner and brightener, but it must be brushed across the grain and not done often. Use only as directed and with care and if done correctly it leaves teak incredibly clean and bright.
I like Snappy Teak two part cleaner and brightener, but it must be brushed across the grain and not done often. Use only as directed and with care and if done correctly it leaves teak incredibly clean and bright.
i'm talking a serious deck washing to get rid of the black in the teak. It is no quick wash.
I would be interested in your recipe.
OK, I had this discussion several years ago when I needed to get the cap rails and hand rails cleaned in preparation for finish with Cetol. I used a low pressure electric power washer and did a quick and dirty job, followed by Teak Cleaner (West Marine brand) and then 3 coats of Cetol.
My results:
- As noted the power washer did damage to the teak. The softer wood was cleaned away leaving a somewhat rough surface that was hard to cover. It looked nice but i described it as a 10 ft. job. From 10 ft. it looked good but get closer and you can see the poor finish and rough surface.
- The Teak Cleaner did a nicer job but still should have been followed up with some serious sanding.
- 3 coats of Cetol barely lasted 2 years. It flaked off almost completely in those areas exposed to direct sunlight and this year I need to do a complete strip, sand and recoat.
I needed to do something that was quick and dirty and did not have the time or finances to get the job done right. This year I will be stripping the remaining Cetol off, sanding smooth (80/150/220 grit), repairing some major spots, then followed by 3 coats of epoxy, and 5 coats of Cetol. I like the epoxy as a base for the wood but it has no UV strength and so must be covered with Cetol or varnish.
Please listen to the folks on this forum they know what they are talking about and speak from years of experience.
Fair winds,
My results:
- As noted the power washer did damage to the teak. The softer wood was cleaned away leaving a somewhat rough surface that was hard to cover. It looked nice but i described it as a 10 ft. job. From 10 ft. it looked good but get closer and you can see the poor finish and rough surface.
- The Teak Cleaner did a nicer job but still should have been followed up with some serious sanding.
- 3 coats of Cetol barely lasted 2 years. It flaked off almost completely in those areas exposed to direct sunlight and this year I need to do a complete strip, sand and recoat.
I needed to do something that was quick and dirty and did not have the time or finances to get the job done right. This year I will be stripping the remaining Cetol off, sanding smooth (80/150/220 grit), repairing some major spots, then followed by 3 coats of epoxy, and 5 coats of Cetol. I like the epoxy as a base for the wood but it has no UV strength and so must be covered with Cetol or varnish.
Please listen to the folks on this forum they know what they are talking about and speak from years of experience.
Fair winds,
agree 100% with the across the grain. The soft parts of teak are surprisingly soft and brushing with the grain will erode that. Leaving a set of raised hard grain places
I’m one of the few people here who LOVE their pressure washer and use it often BUT it is a tool and any tool can be misused. Do I use mine on my boat? YES! But don’t get carried away. Can you clean wood with a pressure washer? Yes! Do I? Yes! But be cautious. You can ruin the grain. Don’t get too close and don’t use a nozzle that is overly aggressive for the job
Acid-based teak treatments eat away about 0.01 inches of wood every time they are used. It's just the nature of the product. Use them several times a year, and over 10 years or so the teak will get thin. A borax/washing soda blend scrubbed across the grain will do a prtty good job and will also reduce rot. Hallberg Rassy recommends Boracol annually.
Pressure washing is a great way to damamge any wood structure. Bleach too.
Pressure washing is a great way to damamge any wood structure. Bleach too.
What about rock salt? I have no direct experience with teak decking but have talked to a number of racing sailor types over the years who tell me that's what they use. I'm not even sure what technique is used or how often. Any comments would be enlightening to me.
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laundry bleach is never to be used on teak decks. when people talk of 'bleaching their decks' they most likely are talking about a two part cleaner like snappy teak. it cleans for sure. what is it? it's acid, pure acid. then you apply a alkalide to neutralize it. really bad idea. acid on the caulk, acid on the fasteners. acid on metal parts. this is one reason why teak decks go bad. acid on your skin. then what, rinse into the lake? do not acid your decks. looks great short term. not what you want on any vessel you plan on keeping.
i've been caring for a teak deck for a long time.have not had any problems with the deck.
course salt is like washing the decks with course sand, just easier to rinse.
no potato chips allowed aboard, no spray sun tan lotion.
there are allot of bad ideas out there, there are allot of bad teak decks from them. teak decks are the best decks for a sailboat ever.
i've been caring for a teak deck for a long time.have not had any problems with the deck.
course salt is like washing the decks with course sand, just easier to rinse.
no potato chips allowed aboard, no spray sun tan lotion.
there are allot of bad ideas out there, there are allot of bad teak decks from them. teak decks are the best decks for a sailboat ever.
Back when I was a teen working on the old sailing vessels of those days we would use a holy stone or griddle block to "sand" the teak decks once a month. Then we use a mix of linseed oil and turpentine on the wood. Of course those were real teak decks, inches thick, not this esthetic stuff put on boats today.
My first big boat, a Phil Rhodes cutter, had real teak decks and we used snappy teak a couple of times a year. I saw no indication of degradation to the caulking, wood or fastenings (though they were plugged) in the time I owned her.
I've also used it on numerous motor yachts and sport fishing boats w/o any apparent degradation, but as I stated, it must be used according to directions and care taken not to allow it to get on surfaces it shouldn't.
There are a number of products, not the least of which is muriatic acid, that are quite useful for some jobs on a boat, but must be used with care and attention to their danger or negative side affects.
My first big boat, a Phil Rhodes cutter, had real teak decks and we used snappy teak a couple of times a year. I saw no indication of degradation to the caulking, wood or fastenings (though they were plugged) in the time I owned her.
I've also used it on numerous motor yachts and sport fishing boats w/o any apparent degradation, but as I stated, it must be used according to directions and care taken not to allow it to get on surfaces it shouldn't.
There are a number of products, not the least of which is muriatic acid, that are quite useful for some jobs on a boat, but must be used with care and attention to their danger or negative side affects.
I use to use this but kind forgotten about it over time. I'll look for an Amway dear here locally. Great product.
My Bavaria has the aesthetic teak that Capta mentions. I’ve owned the boat 16 years. The teak is fine with occasional washing/rinsing with clean water, ESPECIALLY clean seawater. When anchored out, I try to rinse every morning from buckets of seawater pulled up. When brushing, it’s lightly across the grain as others have said. The chemicals (which you should not use) might actually be harder on the teak caulking than on the teak itself. Once the caulking begins to deteriorate, you have to recaulk or allow water to penetrate the underlying wood that the teak is mounted upon (for aesthetic teak), eventually destroying it. Facing the expense to repair that damage, I’ve known owners pull up the teak and replace with deck non-skid, etc. My caulk is starting to deteriorate and I’m patching it up along the way to put off the big $$ recaulking job ahead. This is to prevent damage to the underlying wood as much as I can so I don’t have to pull it all up, etc.
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1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup bleach
couple drops dishwashing liquid ie Dawn
bucket of seawater
use bronze wool -med for cleaning
well, i respect capta's opinions allot. truth told, i have never used acid as i was warned not to by the old timers at the PJ's yard many years ago. i also have befriended many on the great lakes and when i see another teak deck in great shape i'll inquire as to how the maintain them. everyone used plain water or mild soap and water, nothing else. they also would wash every day. a clean boat is so much nicer to sail.
aeolus's decks are real. 1 1/4 thick, still today.
the captain of the 75' sq meter , bacchant, was a good friend and teacher for me. bacchant was the sweetest vessel on the great lakes for many decades. every detail was tended to. the captain had been the head of service at PJ's before captaining bacchant.
i capta says it's ok, then i'd try it. get your decks looking good and then just keep them there.
to you power washer guys, your bad, very bad. need to be pushed off a dock
aeolus's decks are real. 1 1/4 thick, still today.
the captain of the 75' sq meter , bacchant, was a good friend and teacher for me. bacchant was the sweetest vessel on the great lakes for many decades. every detail was tended to. the captain had been the head of service at PJ's before captaining bacchant.
i capta says it's ok, then i'd try it. get your decks looking good and then just keep them there.
to you power washer guys, your bad, very bad. need to be pushed off a dock