Removal of old Cetol

[JT6554]

I'm in the process of refinishing my exterior teak, which currently has an orange looking finish that is flaking off of the wood. I assume from the orange appearance that this is Cetol (the boat is relatively new to me). I'd like to refinish the teak with Cetol light and I have just begun the process of removing the old finish. My question is this: how much sanding do I need to do to prep for the new finish? I have started sanding using an orbital sander with 100 grit paper and I'm able to take off most of the visible finish (down to what appears to be bare wood) but the wood still appears to be stained orange. Do I need to sand past all of the orange stain or is it enough to just sand the old finish off notwithstanding the orangish color of the wood? It looks like I'd have to remove quite a bit of the wood to get past the orange stain. The Cetol instructions just say "sand to bare wood" which is not really helpful. Any advice on this issue (or any other issues relating to removing old Cetol) would be greatly appreciated. Also, what is the best way to sand in the grooves in the stern rail seats (I have an H31 if it matters)?Thanks in advance!

 

[william]

sand stain

One possible solution might be to use a stain after you sand to slightly darken the wood then varnish/cetol over the stain. It worked ok with my varnish, I'm not sure how cetol will work over a stain. There are discolorations in the wood here from old varnish, but with the darker color the imperfections are hard to notice.

 

[Warren M.]

Removing Cetol

When I bought my Hunter 28.5 a few years ago, the teak had been finished with Cetol that had not been maintained and was breaking up in places. I sanded with an orbital sander using 80-grit disks first (and that took off the old Cetol and a minimum of wood) very quickly. I then switched to 220-grit disks to smooth the surface and fine sand some of the stained spots. Lastly, I used a standard oxalic acid teak brightener. Then I applied three coats of Cetol. This was actually an easier, and faster, job than I thought it would be. Remember to apply a maintenance coat of Cetol and you'll never have to do this again.

 

[steven f.]

give this a whirl

I've been using 3M's Paint and Varnish removing pads for years with GREAT results. They attach to a drill and are a wheel. If it hits the gel it doesnt grind off the gelcoat, just the paint and cetol/varnish. They are a bit costly but I can do all my wood work in a single day (prep only). Shop around for them but the West Marine catalogue number is 148366. Like most things, there are lots of ways to do it, this system works great for me and it just might work for you as well. If you desire a different color than once the old material is gone than maybe a bit of light sanding.

 

[Jeff]

Did mine last weekend

on my 322. Sanded the old off and just put 3 coats back on. In the past I have used a weak bleach solution to scrub down the teak. This also would lighten the wood alittle.I would be careful of a maintenance coat more then a couple of years. When Cetol gets built up it is VERY hard to remove, IMHO.Good Luck, Jeff