Refinishing Saloon Table

[jsetser]

This week has been devoted to the Teak. The Hatch Boards are complete; the handrail atop the slider is gleaming, now comes the hard part. The previous owner left a couple of glasses at some point on the table. The unattended liquid followed the roll of the boat and wound up on the Teak Veneer. The result is two discolored areas on the surface.What is the best way to go about refinishing the table surface?I fear sanding the top, as the veneer may be thinner than it appears. Has anyone undertaken this repair? What is the best way to remove the existing finish, and the best way to apply the new? Any help would be appreciated; it's almost time to take the kids sailing on Spring Break. TIA, J. R. Setser

 

[Richard Marble]

What I did

My table had a zillion coats of teak oil on it and dirt and stains. I cleaned it with teak cleaner. I sanded it being careful to watch that I did not go through the vaneer. The side rails were no longer tight so I also took them off cleaned and reglued them in place. Replaced the teak plugs. Sanded the rails some more and then put on four coats of minwax spar urithane. There is still a small round stain that is very light but it just gives the table a little aged look and the table looks great. Don't worry about using regular Polyurethane on the interior of the boat. This stuff has been on for a while and still looks great. Its also a whole lot cheaper than any marine finsh you can buy (some of which don't work as well). I also used it on all the other teak inside and the differents between this and teak oil has to been seen to be be appreciated, its like night and day.

 

[Don Rice]

Epiphane Varnish

I used a random orbital sander and some very fine grit to take mine down and had no problems. It took about 6 coats to get it smooth and I still have flecks from the dust. If I were doing it over I would likely use a satin finish versus a gloss. The gloss looks really great but it was a lot of work to get it right and I am still not finished. I need to sand it lightly once more clean everything and wait a day until all the dust is settled before I apply the final coat.

 

[jsetser]

Thanks for the help

Thanks all for the tips. I will be starting to sand tomorrow morning, with any luck, I should be able to complete a coat a day and be finished by next weekend. Richard, I also used a Minwax product on the top slider handrail and hatchboards. Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane, A friend who works with exterior wood recommended it and claims it works very well outdoors. I have a companionway cover, so hopefully it won’t have to take a lot of direct sunlight. I'll be happy to post the outcome in 6 months or so.Once again, Thanks.J. R.

 

[Richard Marble]

I'd use Cital on the outside not minwax

Practical sailor has done a lot of tests on what holds up well on exterior wood. While I have had excelent luck with minwax spar urithane on the interior of my boat I use cital on the outside.