Teak Oil?

[greenminnow]

removehtml]Hello to All, From reading past posts, I am wondering if anyone still uses teak oil, or is everyone pretty much varnish fans? I am redoing the wood on my boat, which I did 2 years ago with helmsman varnish. The boat sits outside all summer and the wood which catches the most sun didn't fair to well. I am thinking of using teak oil. Any comments? BrianError: Error: expected [/URL], but found [/removehtml] instead[/removehtml]

 

[paphman]

Teak Guard

Look into a product call Teak Guard. You can find it on the net. I have used it for three years now and it is great. It is water clean up and dries in a few minutes. It says to use three or four coats, but every one that used it puts on eight or nine coats. Thats sould like alot but when you think that it dries in minutes that is nothing at all. It does not peel and you can add a coat or two if you need to during the season. It will not stain the gelcoat. The owner of the company said that their main business is in the outdoor teak furniture trade. Great stuff and I would not use anything other product. There is fellow a few slips down from us that used teak oil last year. It looked ok for a few weeks, then it went south fast. Buy the end of the summer it looked real bad. He is going to give teak guard a try. He really liked the way our boat looked. I would say keep away from the oil. That is my story and I am sticking to it.Dale

 

[RichH]

Teak oils ....

There are many and various forms of teak oil. Teak oil can be applied in such a way that it is thicker and glossier than VARNISH. The ultimate downside with all teak oils is that they continually oxidize and eventually turn 'dark'; and, if you leave them on long enough will turn black .... thats not black paint on those old sailing ships, its oil. When exposed to the sun oil will eventually over the years turn BLACK, oil over teak in a boats interior will eventually over the years darken and the interior will end up looking like the inside of a tomb. Just like most coatings, teak oil should be applied thick and heavy. Those that simply "lay-on and wipe off" usually are frustrated with a short 'service life' of the oil. If you want long lasting oil finish, lay it on but dont wipe it off. (Caution, Linseed based oil doesnt cure to a hard finish but remains 'sticky' for a long time.) The good news with oil is that it is easily removed by soaking the old oil finish with TSP trisodium phosphate... but the wood also ages underneath and usually needs to be bleached (oxalic acid) to bring back color and 'hue'. To gain a high gloss oil finish: apply MANY thick coats of oil, letting each coat dry and 'cure'. Typically 5-10 thick coats are needed. Then FLAT sand the next to final coat and carefully apply the final coat and let cure for about one month. Then flatten the surface with 600 wet and dry paper and then use rottenstone and water (just a few drops of water to make a thin paste) and hand-rub until the surface looks like glass. You can expedite the 'fill' by mixing up to 25% oil-based varnish into the oil OR you can buy 'resinated' teak oil .... "NuTeak" by MaryKate, etc. Resinated oil can be hand-rubbed and power-buffed to a MOST brilliant shine/gloss. Again, the 'good' thing about oils is that they are *easily* 'stripped' with TSP. The downside is that oils in exterior service usually have to be stripped every two years. Gelcoat is chemically compatible with TSP. There are many 'modern' coating that remove the 'hassle' of both oil finishes and varnish ....Bristol Finish, Smith & Co. "5 year clear", Honey Teak, etc. All look like prime varnish and are loooon lasting .... able to hand-rubbed and/or power-buffed too. In ALL finishes its the 'finish' work of flat sanding then polishing that make the distinct difference. There is NO finish that you can just 'slop on', although prime varnish has the best 'flow-out' and least need to be 'polished'. For exterior teak my preference is to simply 'seal' it with a mix of SEMCO & Teak Wonder - longer lasting and better looking than 'oil' ..... OR apply one of the very long lasting 'moderns'. hope this helps.

 

[Paul4414]

Teak Oil

I gave up on using teak oil inside the cabin years ago. Too much work as far as I am concerned.Since them I have used nothing but Scotts Liquid Gold. I apply it each spring to start the season, again during the summer, and a final time when I winterize so that the wood is protected during layup.It take me about one hour to do the entire inside. I spray and wipe on starting in the V berth and work way back to the rear stateroom. Then I go back and wipe off the excess from V berth on back. This keep the wood looking new and keeps it from drying out. Just make sure you ventilate well after you finish.Pauls/v Lady SaraHunter Legend 37

 

[Dave Groshong]

I love teak oil

I'll never waste time varnishing again. I apply teak oil liberally twice a year, let it soak for 30 minutes and then totally soak up the excess. I like the matte finish and only spend 1 hr./twice a year, beats the heck out of varnishing half your summer away!

 

[SAM P.]

TEAK

I found using teak oil was difficult to work with. Finish would turn dark and Teak oil in can would turn gummy. I found the best way to treat exterior teak was to use a solution of Spic & Span in water with a little TSP. Scrub teak with a Scotch Brite pad.Wash off with hose. When dry apply Scotts Liquid Gold as suggested by Paul. Do this in Spring, mid season and again in Fall. Each treatment takes about an hour and keeps the teak looking golden & new. This also keeps teak from drying out and cracking.

 

[Brian D]

I took all the varnish off my boat...

The maintenance of varnish is just way to intensive. I am using Teak Oil now for my bright work.

 

[sailortonyb]

Your first problem is.......

Helmsman (Spar Urethane?) is probably the worst junk you could have used. Any good poly/varnish will cost about $25 TO $35 PER QUART. A good varnish is a good product. Generally speaking, anything that is sold in Home Depot should not be used on boats. Of course you could break this rule and use Helmsman inside your boat.That being said, I am a varnish/poly person person. Oils do not offer the protection that a hard finish offers. As for asthetics....we all have a different eye for beauty. My suggestuion would be ...rather than listen to my rant in favor of varnish, walk the marinas and look at the different finishes. Find the ones you really like and ask the owner what he used.Oils are old technology. If the old ways were better, we would still be doing it that way. Ever wonder why new boats dont have oil on their exterior woodwork?BTW, this is definately a highly debated item.Tony B

 

[Rob Hessenius]

Teak Oil

Teak Oil works for me too. I use a product from Starbright called Tropical Teak Oil Sealer Classic Teak. It has the consistancy of yogurt. I apply using a foam brush. Cover the wood for about five minutes and wipe dry. It really is a nice golden brown and last a season up here in the Tundra. I have handrails, companionway boards and trim not a lot of brightwork. It takes me an hour a year to bring them back. I enjoyed this type better than the liquid oils. All I can say is that I like it. There might be better products out there, but this works for me.Regards, Rob Hessenius

 

[sand sailor]

linseed oil here

good teak oil is too expensive.it will gloss if you use enough and it does'nt coat it seals the wood.see the results

 

[Ross]

Boiled linseed oil , pine tar , turpentine,

and japan driers. Better than some, worse than others, dependable with a long track record. Now watch the flames. ;D

 

[greenminnow]

Thanks for all the input!

Thanks, after reading your posts, I think I'll be happier with teak oil, linseed oil, or Scott's Liq. Gold. If the oils wear away instead of needing to strip or sand them off, that would be a big plus to me. The matt finish as Capt. Dave said is also fine with me as high gloss tends to show more water spots. Also in the posting above about varnishing I think I would need a doctorate degree in varnish to figure it all out. I'd rather be sailing! Thanks again, Brian

 

[Mike B]

Teak guard too

I also use teak guard and love it. It's easy to prep the teak, applies with a foam brush, as already mentioned cleans up with a damp rag, provides a very nice golden tone, doesn't turn black like teak oil does and lasts the entire season here on Chesapeake Bay. Keep a damp rag handy while you're applying it and wipe up any that migrates to the fiberglass. Throw away the foam brushes and you're done your clean up. It's a water based product so you need to take the bottle off the boat in cold weather to keep it from freezing which will ruin it. I apply 2 or 3 coats and am very happy with the results and highly recommend it.

 

[John Howitt]

Linseed oil

is food to mildew and algae.Most oil products contain an amount of a varnishor a variatin of the resin that is why they buff up and don't feel sticky.These are sometimes refered to as hard oils. I am not familiar with some of the products that have been mentioned so I can't say anything, if it work for you it is the best choice .I am a big fan of flagship varnish but have Bristol on my boat now .It looks good but I am reserving judgement.There is not much brightwork to do on our Hunter anyway.I will often use 3 or 4 coats of de-waxed shellac as a primer coat under varnish interior or exterior, it is easy to flatten and protects the varnish from the oil that can potentialy cause it to fail.Best to put on a coat in the fall, to seal up all the little nicks that occur while sailing in the summer, moisture intrusion is the killer.

 

[Warren Milberg]

Teak Oil? Nada...

Years ago, I had an Alberg Sea Sprite affectionately known as the "Teak Farm." It had miles of teak. The PO had let it go gray. I decided to clean it up ... and oil it. After a lot of work to bring the teak grain back up to its natural color, I put on a couple of coats of premium teak oil. The boat looked wonderful! But no later than 2 weeks later, while sitting the Chesapeake summer sun, I began to notice the oil was beginning to turn black. I cleaned up those spots and re-oiled them. The boat again looked great -- but only for a short while. You know how this story goes. I wound up stripping the teak again and then applied Cetol. I hardly ever had to worry about the teak again. I've been using Cetol ever since on every boat I've owned. The bonus is that I have a lot more time to sail....

 

[Rich (P303)]

Holy Cr*p Mikado...

that is a lot of teak! I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. I am glad I have a plastic classic.Very Nice.

 

[Mikado55k]

Yes, a lot of teak

but I only spend about a week every two years with all the teak maintenance. It's a nice feeling when I pull into a marina and almost everyone stops what they are doing to check out my boat.

 

[steve rainey]

britework finish

After trying several solutions to this, what I'm doing now is sanding my deck teak. Cleaning with Acetone between each coat of WM epoxy with the 205 hardner which has UV protection. It puts on a glass like hard finish. Put on about 7 coats. Then 2 coats of Poly with UV protection. It couldn't have turned out better. I keep a cover over all the teak when the boat is not in use. When the poly starts to show signs of ware, I lightly sand it, and reapply a new coat. The epoxy keeps the beautiful look and protects the wood from turning grey. don't know about anyone else but I'm sold on this process. Very little work to keep it looking great all year round..