Hope you can help I have the cockpit floor and seats of my boat finished in teak. About 6 months ago a few black spots started to appear cleaned and brightened the teak and all was good for about 4 months but now black spots are coming back with a vengence any suggestions to remove
teak deck black spot
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You don't say what the teak is finished in?
Was it oiled, varnished or cetol or other? In any event the way to get rid of the black spots is to get down to the bare wood and use one or both of the teak treatments (1 part and 2 part). Read the instructions on the bottles of teak cleaner. It sounds like your teak was oiled which will not hold up for long in the elements and will not protect the teak from blackening again. You can re-oil it AND put a protective finish on it like varnish or cetol afterwards which will make it much more durable.
Was it oiled, varnished or cetol or other? In any event the way to get rid of the black spots is to get down to the bare wood and use one or both of the teak treatments (1 part and 2 part). Read the instructions on the bottles of teak cleaner. It sounds like your teak was oiled which will not hold up for long in the elements and will not protect the teak from blackening again. You can re-oil it AND put a protective finish on it like varnish or cetol afterwards which will make it much more durable.
finish
Thanks for the reply the teak was left natural as i quite like the silver effect and just give it a clean once a year
Thanks for the reply the teak was left natural as i quite like the silver effect and just give it a clean once a year
Jimm, if you like the gray look of teak
there is a different kind of teak oil that some people use to enrich the wood but will not make it's color 'pop' like traditional teak oil which makes the teak a brilliant reddish brown. I don't know the brand name of the gray oil stuff and I have been looking for it for some outdoor teak furniture my sister has which is silver gray. I know a boat owner who uses the gray teak oil and swears he only has to re-oil it a couple of times a year which is not really a big deal as it is an easy chore to do. Perhaps you should ask this forum if anyone knows the brand name of the oil used on teak that is left natural (silver/gray)? Check this link on teak care: http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/29.htm Perhaps you can just use a good quality Tung oil (not Tung oil varnish which will leave some sheen) to your cleaned teak. I would think you would need to re-oil it twice a year (at a minimum). The Tung oil should seep into the silver teak and PROTECT it from breaking down into the blotchy black spots. Linseed oil apparently makes the teak look brown (from the Don Casey article linked above). Good luck with your oxalic acid treatments.
there is a different kind of teak oil that some people use to enrich the wood but will not make it's color 'pop' like traditional teak oil which makes the teak a brilliant reddish brown. I don't know the brand name of the gray oil stuff and I have been looking for it for some outdoor teak furniture my sister has which is silver gray. I know a boat owner who uses the gray teak oil and swears he only has to re-oil it a couple of times a year which is not really a big deal as it is an easy chore to do. Perhaps you should ask this forum if anyone knows the brand name of the oil used on teak that is left natural (silver/gray)? Check this link on teak care: http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/29.htm Perhaps you can just use a good quality Tung oil (not Tung oil varnish which will leave some sheen) to your cleaned teak. I would think you would need to re-oil it twice a year (at a minimum). The Tung oil should seep into the silver teak and PROTECT it from breaking down into the blotchy black spots. Linseed oil apparently makes the teak look brown (from the Don Casey article linked above). Good luck with your oxalic acid treatments.
Thanks Caleb
Thanks CalebD really appreciate the feedback If i can be so bold - Oxalic Acid - good for teak??? What is the best application method thanks again
Thanks CalebD really appreciate the feedback If i can be so bold - Oxalic Acid - good for teak??? What is the best application method thanks again
Teak decks
I use a solution of bleach, Spic and Span, and water on my untreated decks and have been quite satisfied with one application per season. If you want more details- mixture etc, let me know as I keep the specifics on board. I got this from a guy who has used it for a number of years. I would not oil surfaces I walk on. Oil can attract dirt and give you those black spots plus you lose the advantage of a teak surface - excellent traction. I also wondered if those black spots could be some type of mold - in which case the above mix would probably take care of it.
I use a solution of bleach, Spic and Span, and water on my untreated decks and have been quite satisfied with one application per season. If you want more details- mixture etc, let me know as I keep the specifics on board. I got this from a guy who has used it for a number of years. I would not oil surfaces I walk on. Oil can attract dirt and give you those black spots plus you lose the advantage of a teak surface - excellent traction. I also wondered if those black spots could be some type of mold - in which case the above mix would probably take care of it.
I believe that Oxalic acid is the main component
of the commercially available teak cleaner. If you buy this stuff the application directions are on the bottle but it is basiically this: manually clean teak (sand paper), apply solution, let sit for a period of time, rinse off, let dry, repeat, etc. Both Don Casey and Higgs recommend using a bleach solution and is probably something you would have easily on hand so why not try that first? Here are some of Don Casey's comments from the link above (in case you did not read it): Cleaning Before teak can be given any coating, it must be completely clean. Your expensive teak is literally dissolved by strong cleaners, so always use the mildest cleaner that does the job. A 75/25 mixture of liquid laundry detergent (such as Wisk) and chlorine bleach may be adequate, perhaps boosted with TSP (trisodium phosphate). Apply this mixture with a stiff brush, scrubbing lightly with the grain. Leave it on the wood for several minutes to give the detergent time to suspend the dirt and the bleach time to lighten the wood, then rinse the wood thoroughly, brushing it to clear the grain. If the teak is still dark or stained when it dries, a cleaner with oxalic acid is required. This is the active ingredient in most single-part teak cleaners. Wet the teak and sprinkle on the cleaner. Spread it evenly with a Scotchbrite or bronze wool pad, then give it a few minutes to work. While the wood is still wet, scrub it with the Scotchbrite pad or bronze wool. (Never, ever, ever use steel wool aboard your boat-it will leave a trail of rust freckles that will be impossible to remove.) Oxalic acid will dull paint and fiberglass and damage anodized aluminum, so wet down surrounding surfaces before you start and keep them free of the cleaner. Rinse the scrubbed wood thoroughly-brushing is required-and let it dry completely. There is a lot of information on teak finishing/restoring out on the web if you have the patience to do a Google search or two and sift through the results. Good luck.
of the commercially available teak cleaner. If you buy this stuff the application directions are on the bottle but it is basiically this: manually clean teak (sand paper), apply solution, let sit for a period of time, rinse off, let dry, repeat, etc. Both Don Casey and Higgs recommend using a bleach solution and is probably something you would have easily on hand so why not try that first? Here are some of Don Casey's comments from the link above (in case you did not read it): Cleaning Before teak can be given any coating, it must be completely clean. Your expensive teak is literally dissolved by strong cleaners, so always use the mildest cleaner that does the job. A 75/25 mixture of liquid laundry detergent (such as Wisk) and chlorine bleach may be adequate, perhaps boosted with TSP (trisodium phosphate). Apply this mixture with a stiff brush, scrubbing lightly with the grain. Leave it on the wood for several minutes to give the detergent time to suspend the dirt and the bleach time to lighten the wood, then rinse the wood thoroughly, brushing it to clear the grain. If the teak is still dark or stained when it dries, a cleaner with oxalic acid is required. This is the active ingredient in most single-part teak cleaners. Wet the teak and sprinkle on the cleaner. Spread it evenly with a Scotchbrite or bronze wool pad, then give it a few minutes to work. While the wood is still wet, scrub it with the Scotchbrite pad or bronze wool. (Never, ever, ever use steel wool aboard your boat-it will leave a trail of rust freckles that will be impossible to remove.) Oxalic acid will dull paint and fiberglass and damage anodized aluminum, so wet down surrounding surfaces before you start and keep them free of the cleaner. Rinse the scrubbed wood thoroughly-brushing is required-and let it dry completely. There is a lot of information on teak finishing/restoring out on the web if you have the patience to do a Google search or two and sift through the results. Good luck.
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