I need to refinish the deck teak (lots of it) on my boat (Cal 28) which I just bought. The polyurethane is worn away or pealing. Is it best to remove the old polyurethane by sanding or with a chemical (paint) stripper before reapplying? Thanks
teak refinishing
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Teak
Cetol is the way to go. Clean the teak (anyway you want to, but remove all polyurethane) put on three coats of Cetol and you are good for at least two years.
Cetol is the way to go. Clean the teak (anyway you want to, but remove all polyurethane) put on three coats of Cetol and you are good for at least two years.
Removing finish
Hi Steph - There are several ways to remove finish - I'd leave sanding as a last resort if you have siginificant layers to remove. Chemical stripping is effective but messy and potential harmful to yourself and the surrounding gelcoat. I prefer using a heat gun and a scraper for most of the heavy lifting and then follow up with sanding as necessary. As for what finish to use, you'll find lots of opinions! Best, Trevor
Hi Steph - There are several ways to remove finish - I'd leave sanding as a last resort if you have siginificant layers to remove. Chemical stripping is effective but messy and potential harmful to yourself and the surrounding gelcoat. I prefer using a heat gun and a scraper for most of the heavy lifting and then follow up with sanding as necessary. As for what finish to use, you'll find lots of opinions! Best, Trevor
Becareful of strippers ....
not knowing what caulk was used you may 'liquify' the caulk or at least soften it permanently .... that can be a 'real mess'. Teak decking is best left bare so that you have the best 'footing', treating a teak deck will destroy the 'grip'. Cetol will make a teak deck a 'skating rink' (and may soften the caulk). If you must coat the deck, some 'successful' coatings (with not too much slippery-ness) can be obtained with a mixture of 1/3 Teak Wonder, 1/3 Semco Natural and 1/3 olympic (carmel) deck stain - applied to freshly sanded or chemically etched and bleached decks. The full 'write-up' on such a sealing job can be found at: www.tognews.com, then 'projects', then ftp files, then "Decks_Long_term_oil_test". The mega yachts seal their teak decks with a mixture similar to the chemicals found in 'stainmaster' carpets -- but no longer available in the USA. ://tognews.com/ftpfiles/Decks_Teak_Oil_Test/Teak%20oil%20test.pdf
not knowing what caulk was used you may 'liquify' the caulk or at least soften it permanently .... that can be a 'real mess'. Teak decking is best left bare so that you have the best 'footing', treating a teak deck will destroy the 'grip'. Cetol will make a teak deck a 'skating rink' (and may soften the caulk). If you must coat the deck, some 'successful' coatings (with not too much slippery-ness) can be obtained with a mixture of 1/3 Teak Wonder, 1/3 Semco Natural and 1/3 olympic (carmel) deck stain - applied to freshly sanded or chemically etched and bleached decks. The full 'write-up' on such a sealing job can be found at: www.tognews.com, then 'projects', then ftp files, then "Decks_Long_term_oil_test". The mega yachts seal their teak decks with a mixture similar to the chemicals found in 'stainmaster' carpets -- but no longer available in the USA. ://tognews.com/ftpfiles/Decks_Teak_Oil_Test/Teak%20oil%20test.pdf
correction ....
Sorry, I didn't mean deck teck! What I meant was the exterior teak (toe and grab rails and companionway) as opposed to that in the cabin. Sorry. I know that one would never polyurethane the deck unless you want a slip and slide! Steph
Sorry, I didn't mean deck teck! What I meant was the exterior teak (toe and grab rails and companionway) as opposed to that in the cabin. Sorry. I know that one would never polyurethane the deck unless you want a slip and slide! Steph
Good looking sailor's curse
Sounds to me like you will need to both use a stripper and do sanding. Whatever teak covering you use, you want to be sure to sand off all gray. When I did this project on my Irwin, I took it down with 80 grit and put on Honey Teak - a covering that is available over the web. I was pleased with the results, though I admit that it showed imperfections at the 2 foot test. It passed the 5 foot test great. Honey Teak has a very natural color and it held up well for the 2 years it was on my boat before I sold it. Bristol Finish is another product to consider. My new (used) boat is a teak queen and it has been done with Bristol. It passes the 3 foot test, but it appears to me the guy who put the finish on tended to put on too much. The teak was in good shape when I got the boat in June, and is still good - I will not have to redo any teak for next spring. All my boats have had a lot of teak. Do not waste your time with oil or with the Starbright covering. Cetol is another option, though I personally do not like its color.
Sounds to me like you will need to both use a stripper and do sanding. Whatever teak covering you use, you want to be sure to sand off all gray. When I did this project on my Irwin, I took it down with 80 grit and put on Honey Teak - a covering that is available over the web. I was pleased with the results, though I admit that it showed imperfections at the 2 foot test. It passed the 5 foot test great. Honey Teak has a very natural color and it held up well for the 2 years it was on my boat before I sold it. Bristol Finish is another product to consider. My new (used) boat is a teak queen and it has been done with Bristol. It passes the 3 foot test, but it appears to me the guy who put the finish on tended to put on too much. The teak was in good shape when I got the boat in June, and is still good - I will not have to redo any teak for next spring. All my boats have had a lot of teak. Do not waste your time with oil or with the Starbright covering. Cetol is another option, though I personally do not like its color.
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