Refresh teak - exterior

[skunther]

I'm looking to refresh my teak. It currently has flaking varnish and is overdue. The issue is that some of the slats on the helm seat (see attached) will not come off the fiberglass. It seems the PO likely used adhesive (possibly 5200, who knows) in addition to the mounting screws (which seem fairly stripped). I had intended to remove and varnish them, along with the princess seats and grab rails, but I do not want to damage the slats by forcing their removal and am looking for an alternate solution.

My question: without removing the slats, what is the best way to refinish them? It seems varnish would make a mess out of the fiberglass between the slats and be impossible to clean off. Is there something else I can use that would effectively refresh the slats while allowing for easy cleanup of the fiberglass between them? I saw that Practical Sailor rated Star Brite Tropical Teak Sealer as the most effective oil/sealer. Would this be a viable option without ruining the appearance of the fiberglass between the slats?

Much thanks for any input.

 

[Foswick]

I know you said "without removing", but I just want to put this out there: If you can get to the underside with a heat gun, and you have all of the screws removed, and you had someone up top with a scraper, you might be able to remove the slats without damage. I get that's not what you want to do, but I thought I would suggest it as a possibility.

As far as what to do with them in place, that is tricky, huh? I guess this is what I'd suggest:

First, just sand. No harm in that and, even just sanded and allowed to go silver, it would be an improvement.

Second, I would probably just let it patina, but I gather you want something cheerier. So ...

Third, I would just clean and oil the teak. This is a pretty easy place to clean and oil, periodically. And, I think oiled teak looks better than varnish, as a rule. More routine maintenance, but also better in some ways.

Fourth, if you wanted to do some sort of apply-and-forget coating, what I would consider is pressing butyl tape down in the cracks before applying the coating. This should protect the fiberglass while you are applying and be easier than tape and provide a better seal. Then, just pull the butyl tape out when you are done. Something like that is the only way I can think to coat these in place.

I am over on the GW dock, if you need a hand.

 

[jssailem]

There is a product called DeBond. It is designed to break down the adhesion bond of 5200.

Marine Solvents for Removing 5200 | Boating Mag

Four solvents you can use to remove 5200.

www.boatingmag.com

That and heat are the two methods I have used. I slide a dull putty knife along the fiberglass to assist in seperating the 5200 from the boat. It works fairly well. Be sure to dull the corners otherwise you will be gouging the fiberglass in your efforts.

Alternative idea would be to lay tape down between the slats to stop varnish from dripping on the glass beneath. I use tape for the hand rails on my deck. It mostly works great. There are always soap and water or mineral spirits on a swab to clean up the errant drips.

 

[skunther]

Great ideas, much thanks to you both. One question, how would I reattach the strips to the seat if the screw holes are stripped and that’s why they were adhered in the first place? Wood glue to fill the screw holes and then re-drill for screws to bite? Forgive me if this is a very noob question.

 

[kappykaplan]

Wood glue to fill the screw holes and then re-drill for screws to bite?

I think thickened epoxy would do a better job.

 

[skunther]

There are always soap and water or mineral spirits on a swab to clean up the errant drips.

Would mineral spirits compromise the freshly oiled teak? I’d try to keep it confined to the fiberglass gap of course, but I’m sure I’ll bump the walls at least a few times.

 

[Foswick]

One question, how would I reattach the strips to the seat if the screw holes are stripped and that’s why they were adhered in the first place? Wood glue to fill the screw holes and then re-drill for screws to bite? Forgive me if this is a very noob question.

A good question. How you attach depends on what you are attaching to, somewhat. But, in general, those sorts of things are screwed down. Maybe someone else knows differently, but that's all I have seen. But, I think it is reasonable to only glue them down with the right adhesive. I am not up on the latest goos, but I am sure there is the perfect adhesive that will work great and be removable without damage and which will not require screws. Someone else will know this. I'm not that guy.

What I think I would be tempted to do, actually, is to remove the wood and rebed either the same wood or replacement slats and caulk around them. That way, it will be MUCH easier to clean, without those cracks to deal with. I think your existing slats might be just a tiny bit short to do this without a really wide caulk border at the ends.

Actually, if you were keeping the original slats, then all you really need to do is sand and clean, then caulk - a very simple job, really, and very cheap. I do kind of think there might be too much gap along that curved edge, though. Might not look right.

 

[Foswick]

Would mineral spirits compromise the freshly oiled teak? I’d try to keep it confined to the fiberglass gap of course, but I’m sure I’ll bump the walls at least a few times.

Well, you wouldn't want to varnish AND oil. One or the other.

But, yeah, if you had to try to get in those cracks to try to clean up drips, it would be delicate.

If you oil, you can pretty easily just oil the tops so you don't have cleanup in the cracks. The sides of the slats will just go black anyway, almost no matter what you do, unless you are willing to be very disciplined and meticulous about upkeep.

 

[jssailem]

You can fill the screw holes with thickened epoxy. Then drill in the center of the new plug. Screw the teak down.

Here is a link to a thread from a few years ago.

How to repair worn screw holes in fiberglass?

Looking for "how to" advice... The screws holding one of my bimini stainless mount brackets to my cabin top have pulled from the fiberglass. What is the best way to repair so I can reattach the bracket with screws? Should I just fill holes with gel coat then redrill pilot holes and attach again...

forums.sailboatowners.com

Here is another link that may help.

Hardware Bonding

By Tom Pawlak — GBI Technical Advisor My first experience with hardware bonding occurred shortly after starting work at Gougeon Brothers in 1980. Having just been hired into the wind turbine blade plant, I was excited to be part of this interesting company. I was intrigued by the large gluing...

www.epoxyworks.com

The epoxy plug sits beneath the top layer of fiberglass and the lower layer. It stops water from getting into your core. It is strong enough to hold the teak down with a screw. In the old days, this was the way high-end boats were constructed. It takes time to get a craftsman's results. Too many are out for a quick fix. Let the next guy worry about the boat's core.

 

[skunther]

The wood is stripped, not the fiberglass. Sorry I didn’t make that clear. It seems the fix is the same? Fill the holes in the wood with epoxy then drill?

 

[BigEasy]

I would not remove the teak slats, unless they are detaching. Sand to eliminate surface roughness with 120, 180, 220, & finally 320 grit paper.. Apply striping tape in appropriate width between teak slats (May have to order from automotive detailer or paint store). Vacuum or use tack cloth to elinate dust & wipe with acetone to rid surface of oils. Coat with 3 coats Cetol marine coating for gloss, long lasting finish or Semco teak sealer for no gloss, low maintenance finish. Remove striping tape from between slats & you’re done.

 

[jackhart]

I am getting ready to sell our O'Day 22. I found that when I pressure washed the teak, it came back to the golden brown look that we desire! I was quite surprised and pleased!

 

[Davidasailor26]

Be very careful when pressure washing teak. It tends to erode the softer fibers in the grain. Might look nice for a bit, but not good for long term durability. Teak should be scrubbed across the grain rather than with it for the same reason.

 

[dmax]

I'm with BigEasy - try to refinish without removing. If you do remove, I would replace it with synthetic teak so you never have to touch it again: Home - PlasTEAK Inc.

 

[Art12050]

I have the exact same helm seat. Agree there’s no need to remove the slats as some have mentioned previously. They are easily hand sanded, just a bit time consuming to get the edges.
Once it’s sanded, use some teak cleaner to wash it down, then once it dries, give it a few coats of teak oil.
Also, when it’s not being used, we stow it down below.

 

[skunther]

I’m finding a paint scraper for the top surface and a putty knife for the groove facets seems to work fairly well at getting the existing varnish off. Does anyone recommend any specific cleaning/treatment for the wood before applying oil sealer (I plan to use Star Brite Tropical Teak Sealer in Classic (highest recommended oil/sealer by Practical Sailor). Not looking for recommendations on which oil/sealer to use, just on if/how to treat the wood prior to oiling it for best results.

 

[Foswick]

As far as sanding goes, it is probably worth taking a few minutes to cut a strip of plastic sheet, thin sheet metal, or something (even cardboard) the exact width of the gap between the slats. That will make sanding the edges easier because you can lay that strip down to protect your gel coat, and you don't have to sand so carefully.

 

[skunther]

Also, does anyone have any recommendations on how to repair stripped holes in some of the slats? Wood glue and drill? Or should I fill with epoxy and drill?

 

[BigEasy]

Not looking for recommendations on which oil/sealer to use, just on if/how to treat the wood prior to oiling it for best results.

Try Starbrite teak cleaner, comes in one step or two step cleaning solutions.

 

[Foswick]

Also, does anyone have any recommendations on how to repair stripped holes in some of the slats? Wood glue and drill? Or should I fill with epoxy and drill?

I would thicken epoxy with saw dust, preferably of the same type of wood that you are filling. In certain cases, this can produce a barely visible repair. And, if your intent is to simply redrill in the same spot (which would be OK), then the repair should be almost invisible (unless/until the surrounding wood starts to grey, because the thickened epoxy will not). It might be worthwhile to widen some of the holes a bit to ensure you are filling only against healthy wood - just make sure the edges of the hole are not too smooth. You want a certain amount of mechanical "bite" where the epoxy meets the wood, but it doesn't take much.

One additional (but probably unnecessary) step you could take is to wet out the hole with clean epoxy before adding the thickened putty/slurry. This (theoretically) will allow for a better bond, but I have never seen epoxy separate from wood without taking some wood with it, even when greatly thickened. Still, it is something people do and it doesn't hurt.

Note, if you do this, you should probably clean and fill all holes before doing any real sanding, because you will need to sand after the holes are filled. Just make sure the holes and the immediately-surrounding areas are clean wood or you could end up with a thin grey ring around your repair.

Another thing to think about is what is under that wood. Is the fiberglass under there cored? I wouldn't think so, in that exact location, but I can't tell from the photo. If it is, this ups the work, a bit. Since I don't think it is cored there, I won't go into what you would want to do, if it is.

Assuming it is not cored, you can just put a piece of masking tape on the underside and fill everything in one shot - the fiberglass and the wood. Doing that will help prevent the new screw from being a possible leak site, and it makes the repair really simple.