teak refinishing

[lloyd]

Hello All,I have sanded all my trim to bare wood,and it has rained.With temps in the50's how long should I give the wood to dry before I varnish it?A day or so?or longer?Also,I was planning on using a rag w/a small amount of thinner on it to wipe off all the dust before I varnish.Is this a good or bad idea.All the best,LLOYD

 

[Mike]

I'm no expert, but

I am refinishing my teak for the first time this spring, and my research is pretty consistent: you have to wash the teak with a special teak cleaner before you finish the wood with oil, seal or varnish. Even if you have sanded off all of the gray, you need to kill the spores and mold that live in the wood before you lock them in with varnish. Otherwise, the little beggars will sprout underneath your beautiful varnish, making it look black and otherwise icky. The cleaner is also supposedly necessary when you have sanded the wood. Teak oil combines with the sawdust to clog the pores of the wood. Teak cleaner unlocks the pores so that your finish can penetrate and protect. Or so goes the sales literature anyway. I am going to BoatUS this weekend to buy the mildest cleaner I can find (not one of those two-step deals that rely on strong acids that can ruin gelcoat), and then use a sealant like Semco or Cetol. I just don't have the patience for varnish or the time to keep refinishing with oil.

 

[Paul Akers]

Thinner may be OK

Lloyd, I think thinner will be OK to take up the dust. I've used it around the house for that purpose. But if you are at all concerned about thinner, then just buy a couple of tack cloths. A good wiping with them will clean of all the dust.

 

[Justin - O'day Owners' Web]

I'd go with tack cloths

Tack cloths are pretty cheap and are effective at getting the dust out. You're doing a fair bit of work to make your teak look good. Why not go all the way?Justin - O'day Owners' Web