Does all marine varnish darken the wood?

[sailingfarmer]

I have tried 4 types of marine varnish on my outside teak. 25 years ago I think varnish didn't darken the results as they do today. Perhaps that's the UV protectant that is being used now. I remember less darkening in years past. I notice others have darker teak as well... Epiphanes, Schooner, Spar, you name it... they even look darker in the can.

[Celestialsailor]

Not so sure darkening is the correct term as maybe wetting out the wood and bringing the depth and tone of the wood out.

[sailingfarmer]

It definitely is darker...darker than wetting it...almost like there is a little color added to the varnish...

[barnakiel]

Is the wood 25 years older to or are you varnishing new wood?

The dark pigment is also the UV inhibitor. Maybe they added less in the past.

A friend varnished his spars just now with a 2-p Hempel varnish. This one is nearly clear - very light in the can and no coloration to the wood.

b.

[sailingfarmer]

It's (the teak) 30 years old... that may be the problem....

[Schooner Chandlery]

Get some oxylic acid and bleach the teak before varnishing. ☺️


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[sailingfarmer]

Tried that Schooner... it just softens the pith between the hard grain and then needs resounding.... I think it's the UV additive they use these days which tints the wood... with older teak it comes out looking more like black walnut rather than honey colored teak.

[Schooner Chandlery]

Your teak may be rotted. When so it softens and darkens.


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[zeehag]

teak is not a blonde wood.
it is actually a dark wood.
why not rip it all out and replace it with white oak so you have a blonde wood, or maple.
everyone insists on bleaching the wood to within an inch oif its life--but the wood is only light in color when green and freshly cut. as it sits, it darkens to a nice beautiful rich deep tone.
HOWEVER, the yotties dislike this color.
waaah.
they prefer starboard and white plastic.
teak is not a light colored wood. research it.

[sartorst]

I had some old weathered pieces of teak that when sanded looked ok that when varnished it went dark looks good just not the lighter color like some of the new teak I have

[sailingfarmer]

Zeehag...

I was in the timber business in Panama for years... I cut enough teak and 60 other varieties of tropical hardwoods to know... young plantation teak is so light colored you could confuse it for white oak or maple... the older the teak tree gets the more oils the wood retains and hence you get a greenish brown hue. but if you clean the oil off it should be more of the dark honey color which I am used to. Most marine teak comes from Thailand or Burma where the trees are much older...but they don't look like black walnut when varnished... and no my teak isn't rotten...

[picklesandjesse]

I always thought dark teak was better. Some of the plantation teak is pretty light, that's how you can tell. Guess we all have different tastes.

[sailingfarmer]

I think it'd the damned UV additive...AND the age of the wood.... but the UV tinting makes it worse...

[Schooner Chandlery]

Originally Posted by sailingfarmer

I think it'd the damned UV additive...AND the age of the wood.... but the UV tinting makes it worse...

There's a lot of old teak out there and it is light in color if clean. Even if varnished. Our 1930 built boat has a lot of teak from the original build and we have varnished it since 2008. Very much honey colored. The varnishes do have some color to them but nothing like you describe.

The only teak I have seen like you describe is rotted. If yours is not, then perhaps someone dyed it or stained it. The oxylic acid will lighten any iron based discoloration including some dyes and return the wood to its natural color.


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[sailingfarmer]

Interesting.... no the wood was left to grey.... I bought this boat 3 months ago and bringing it up to snuff... It may be that the sun darkened the wood itself being in the Florida sun for a decade or so...even below the surface ... I notice older boats near me with the same hue as well... but boats that have had been regularly varnished lighter...