Wood stain or varnish

[zinahewitt]

Hi All,

Noob question.
I have a companion way, I was going to replace the worn out sound proof bit of it so I took it out.

I planed the "dark" area of the step which was damaged, I assume that is the color of the wood.
The light area is what the wood looks like in the boat. I did not sand/plane it.

So my question,
1. Do I have to "stain" the wood to get to that blonde ?
2. What are my chances of matching ?
3. Should I just F&34 it put some varnish and call it a day.

The sailboat is a 1975 Dufour 34 so I am not looking for museum quality here.


Thank you

 

[MikeHoncho]

Sand it all off. Multiple coats of de-waxed blonde shellac then varnish. Make sure to use de-waxed shellac. Best way to get what you want is to buy it in flakes, dissolve it in alcohol to the tint that will best match what you are looking for.

 

[Will Gilmore]

You have a little extra wood, so try a couple of samples first to hone in on the best mix.

What you are looking at are weathered wood, sun and grease stains. Try cleaning it up with lacquer thinner or acetone, then sand sand sand.

New wood takes awhile to catch up with old wood, but it should eventually blend right in.

Of course, the varnish will also darken the wood a little.

-Will

 

[jssailem]

Teak turns grey when left exposed to UV and marine weather. If you seek that golden yellow and want it "mostly" even in color, then you need to clean the teak to get the grey, dirt, stains and crap out.
Here is a link to all types of cleaning methods. It is long. Read about ammonia as a cleaner of teak. There is also a section on sanding.

The Definitive Teak Care and Cleaning Guide

Discover top tips, and proven methods to clean and maintain the most beautiful tropical hardwood on the planet. Teak (Tectona grandis)! We've also uncovered the biggest myth about teak care. Why a mere dusting will preserve your teak for decades. Why sunshine is the perfect medicine for teak...

www.teakculture.com

In reality you need to decide how you want it to look. Then use the method that gets you there.

 

[zinahewitt]

Teak turns grey when left exposed to UV and marine weather. If you seek that golden yellow and want it "mostly" even in color, then you need to clean the teak to get the grey, dirt, stains and crap out.
Here is a link to all types of cleaning methods. It is long. Read about ammonia as a cleaner of teak. There is also a section on sanding.

The Definitive Teak Care and Cleaning Guide

Discover top tips, and proven methods to clean and maintain the most beautiful tropical hardwood on the planet. Teak (Tectona grandis)! We've also uncovered the biggest myth about teak care. Why a mere dusting will preserve your teak for decades. Why sunshine is the perfect medicine for teak...

www.teakculture.com

In reality you need to decide how you want it to look. Then use the method that gets you there.

Teak turns grey when left exposed to UV and marine weather. If you seek that golden yellow and want it "mostly" even in color, then you need to clean the teak to get the grey, dirt, stains and crap out.
Here is a link to all types of cleaning methods. It is long. Read about ammonia as a cleaner of teak. There is also a section on sanding.

The Definitive Teak Care and Cleaning Guide

Discover top tips, and proven methods to clean and maintain the most beautiful tropical hardwood on the planet. Teak (Tectona grandis)! We've also uncovered the biggest myth about teak care. Why a mere dusting will preserve your teak for decades. Why sunshine is the perfect medicine for teak...

www.teakculture.com

In reality you need to decide how you want it to look. Then use the method that gets you there.

so out of interest.
unrelated to this companionway step.

I have a teak hand rail.
Based on your article. I can just not touch it and it will be fine ?
What is your experience with all of the options ?

 

[jssailem]

I cleaned up my hand rails that were victims of years of abuse. I was not looking for perfection just cleaned and protected. Soap and water helped. Sanding smoothed the surface, the use of TotalBoats Gleam2 gave the rails a clean look and ok results. There are still dark spots from the damage of 50 years but they are sound and smooth to grip as the deck moves beneath my feet.

I have not used the Bleach or Ammonia methods. I am testing the oxalic acid ( Bar Keepers) option. I’ll let you know the results.

 

[dLj]

so out of interest.
unrelated to this companionway step.

I have a teak hand rail.
Based on your article. I can just not touch it and it will be fine ?
What is your experience with all of the options ?

I have had teak on boats for many decades. I'm of the "don't touch and it is fine" camp. It does develop a greyish kind of finish that over many years can look on the surface like it's not doing well. That is usually not the case. (There are always exceptions.) Case in point, i just altered a teak life raft structure on my boat and i actually thought the peaks (there were pointy ends on the structure) might have been degrading. I needed to cut the structure down to fit my new life raft and there wasn't much more than about a millimeter of surface oxidation anywhere on that structure. I was very impressed!

The teak on my boat is 23 years old. The previous owner was also of the "don't touch it" mind set. Direct observation tells me it is all in excellent condition.

Cleaning slowly wears away the teak. I was talking to a Scandinavian sailor (one that was about 80 years old) who told me there is no need to do anything with teak to preserve it. If you do want to not have the grey color, and want the non-oxidized surface to always show, then you just have to be careful how you clean and treat it. Done aggressively and you can damage your teak more than help preserve it. If you do it correctly, it will last as long as untreated teak.

In summary - pick your desired finish. If you don't mind the grey color (I personally prefer it) then you need do nothing and it will last as long as well cared for teak kept in the non-oxidized finish.

dj

 

[zinahewitt]

Sand it all off. Multiple coats of de-waxed blonde shellac then varnish. Make sure to use de-waxed shellac. Best way to get what you want is to buy it in flakes, dissolve it in alcohol to the tint that will best match what you are looking for.

Thanks for the Shellac tip.
Looks super nice.

 

[jon hansen]

tradition and design: the raised teak slates are for traction. they also help remove sand from your feet/shoes so to keep sand out of the cabin. you can easily wipe up the sand on the step. you do not varnish the tops of the slats. they always stay natural for best traction when going below. the tops of the slats stay fresh looking from the friction caused by your shoes.
if you do varnish the slates they will lose a bunch of traction. varnish on their sides is fine. helps keep fine sand from getting underneath.


yeah, i'm old school

 

[zinahewitt]

tradition and design: the raised teak slates are for traction. they also help remove sand from your feet/shoes so to keep sand out of the cabin. you can easily wipe up the sand on the step. you do not varnish the tops of the slats. they always stay natural for best traction when going below. the tops of the slats stay fresh looking from the friction caused by your shoes.
if you do varnish the slates they will lose a bunch of traction. varnish on their sides is fine. helps keep fine sand from getting underneath.


yeah, i'm old school

Thanks, haven't gotten to the Varnish yet, it was just shellac.
Good thing you came in time.

 

[MikeHoncho]

Thanks for the Shellac tip.
Looks super nice.

Glad to help. You have to top coat it with something compatible like poly. The shellac won’t hold up