Lazy Man's Teak Treatment

[captainKJ]

Can order it from Florida

Deks Olje: Teak Wood Oils, deksolje Stains & Finish

[sneuman]

Don't use epoxy over teak, at least not in temperate climates!

I did this in Hong Kong (over spruce spars) and it worked wonders (two coats West System special coating and then several layers of Varnish for UV protection). The masts looked great for several years despite the tropic sun.

Then I tried the same thing in Annapolis area and it was a disaster. Apparently there's enough moisture trapped underneath that then freezes and cracks the epoxy layer (at least that's my theory). I will have to do all that over again.

Then I tried Semco on recommendation from friends. Also looks horrible after only one season. Expensive and worthless, IMHO (though, as I say, others report great success with this stuff).

Unfortunately, there are no magic bullets on bright work. So for me, it's back to sealer and varnish.

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by sneuman

Don't use epoxy over teak, at least not in temperate climates!

I saw a 'how to' demo on the website of Mas Epoxies. www.masepoxies.com Very impressive.
He (the ceo) claims his epoxy is ideal as it doesn't produce amine blush. You can then use your UV protection of choice.
He uses automotive urethane and claims it's good for up to 10 years.

Wish I could find someone who has used it apart from the ceo.

Vic

[sneuman]

Originally Posted by VirtualVagabond

I saw a 'how to' demo on the website of Mas Epoxies. www.masepoxies.com Very impressive.
He (the ceo) claims his epoxy is ideal as it doesn't produce amine blush. You can then use your UV protection of choice.
He uses automotive urethane and claims it's good for up to 10 years.

Wish I could find someone who has used it apart from the ceo.

Vic

Like I said, my attempt was West, but I doubt there's a significant difference between the two formulations (although I have heard that Mas is a bit more flexible, which now that I think of it might have an impact on this scenario).

[windtraveler]

Great thread! We are dealing with this same issue...our boat is a beautiful 1975 Hallberg Rassy Rasmus and has quite a bit of teak, the previous owner was meticulous about keeping this up and did a BEAUTIFUL job - she was in bristol condition...however a year later it is starting to go... we are getting ready to depart for a circumnavigation where we will be in a much harsher environment (currently in the Great Lakes) and as such are looking for a way to maintain her beauty....thanks for all the good stuff on here! Lots to look into now...ALSO...for those who don't know, there is a fabulous book on brightwork - it's called "Brightwork: The Art of Finishing Wood" - but me oh my does that take time!

[zeehag]

wow!! if still available, use it--is good stuff!!! i made a cutting board out of regular plywood 6 yrs ago--worked great--made it awesome and it is still good...

a sporty car person i know who also has a boat uses automotive clear coat--says it works really well....

[Feral Cement]

I just found Watco teak oil at Ace Hardware for $10.50 US per quart. Lowes had the same stuff for $7.50 US per pint. If it does as Zeehag says, I'll do it twice a year, wash with salt water in between, and never, ever put a shell coating on it.

Cheers!

John

[zeehag]

i apply with a foam brush--might want to protect your hull--i have proudly been wearing the drips..LOL

[Feral Cement]

The first application will be with the wood OFF the boat! After that, small rags and even Q-tips. The hard part about painting is knowing where NOT to paint.

John

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by Feral Cement

The first application will be with the wood OFF the boat! After that, small rags and even Q-tips. The hard part about painting is knowing where NOT to paint.

John

you are lucky to have that option--i call mine prevention of theft by looking like a have-not!!! works well. doesnt seem to hurt the gelcoat-

[Feral Cement]

Zee, others --

There are some places on my teak where there is some checking, minor cracks, low spots, etc. If I plane or sand these out, I'm going to remove more material than I care to. It is a very light grey in these spots. If I oil with Watco, will these areas darken or still show as grey?

Thanks,

John

[BlueSeas]

Thanks for the great thread. I have a small boat I am redoing and this has been very helpful. Although I checked out the Deks Olje site and at $300 a gal, not sure this is the poorman's way to do it! That is almost a third of the purchase price of my Catalina 22. Guess laziness has it price

[Ocean Girl]

Feral, a good rule of thumb is how it looks wet is how it will look varnished. So if I have a stain in the wood I just rub a wet sponge over the section to see if it blends,(water or denatured alcohol if you are worried about infusing moisture). Many times a stain will blend but the "grey" teak always makes a varnish job look bad (voice of experience). A dremmel tool with a small sanding bit can help you have more control over the amount of teak you sand off of the nooks and corners. BUT some stains can just add character to the wood, so you gotta ask yourself is getting the stain out really worth taking more teak?

Also like zeehag said, a scotchbrite pad and some mild abrasive (salt water) can clean teak really well (grey included). Sunshine is also a great bleacher of teak as long as it is kept clean, Murphy’s oil soap or a harsher detergent Tide with bleach works well too. Never use bristle brushes to clean teak, it digs the soft grain out and that is the life of the teak - remember : healthy soft grain = happy teak

I used semco with success by coating every 4ish months letting it go a bit during the winter. But with semco it is easy to "start over", a good cleaning, possibly light sanding, and you are good to coat. I like this cause it is easy on the teak.

Another thing to always keep in mind is : the more complicated it is to get on, the more complicated it will be to get off, and the "off" process is very hard on the teak!!

Personally would only epoxy teak if I was going to paint it white, and I would put a couple coats of varnish between the paint and the epoxy. This is because when epoxy breaks down (as it would if you don’t keep up with the varnish maintenance) it is very difficult on the teak to get it off (it can really damage your teak). not dis-n epoxy I happen to have a very good luck with smith's epoxy (I swear by it ).

Whew! dang, Varnish lady climbing up on her soap box, sorry.

Cheers,
Erika

PS
Bare teak rocks (says the varnish lady )

[wolfenzee]

One of my first jobs was at a marina, we would charge the customers for this expensive teak treatment, instructions were, scrub till it looks clean then do it three more times. This used alot of expensive teak cleaner and time. Next to the marina was a small charter company, I got talking to the owner of that, he used a little "sudsy ammonia" in water. it was cheap, fast and easier on the teak.

[wolfenzee]

When talking to the skipper of a large schooner near my boat I asked about bright work, his answer was "try it, if you don't like it put a coat of varnish on it and paint it, before you sell the boat strip the paint and re-varnish it". Some people who are going to travel to the tropics paint over their varnish before the leave and strip off the paint when they get back.