Teak Care

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Newbie509

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I took the teak planks off my swim platform. They were gray and after sanding them some of the color came out. My question is do I stain them and then varnish? Is cetol a stain in a varnish? What's the deal with teak oil? Thanks in advance.
 
I removed my teak and lightly sanded some old poly off. Then I used a two part cleaner that was very strong and required very litle scrubbing. I used the Cetal Light (5 coats / light sand between) because it lets the natural teak color come through more than the other flavors of Cetal. No varnish is needed. I did it two years ago and it still looks fine.
Jim
 
I second the Cetol.

But I've found after you sand the teak smooth, you can put 3 coats of Cetol on one right after the other with no sanding between coats, with about an hour or less between coats, dry over night, then sand with a scuffy pad and put 3 more coats on and your done.

The key to longevity is sanding the teak smooth before you start putting coats of Cetol on.

Here is my recipe for home made 2 part teak cleaner:

Just mix 1 cup TSP (trisodium phosphate, available at most hardware stores in white powder form) and 1-3 cups ammonia with 3-4 gallons of fresh water. That is your part 1.
Wet the teak and scrub with the part 1. Keep teak and surrounding areas wet but do NOT wash off part 1.

Mix 2-3 cups muratic acid with 3-4 gallons fresh water. That is your part 2.
Spread the part 2 on to the teak and lightly scrub. The teak will go blond.
Be sure to get the part 2 on all the teak that has been scrubbed with the part 1.

After you have lightly scrubbed down all the teak with the part 2 rinse everything off very, very well.

Since you mix this yourself you can delute it down to any strength you wish and it costs
about one tenth or less of the permixed kits.

It should go without saying you should use hand, eye and body protection when using this
or any other harsh cleaner. And it should not be used to clean the teak on a regular basis.
 
For the 6 years that I had teak on my boat....I cleaned with 50/50 ammonia/water. To lighten, we used 50/50 laundry bleach/water. Some times left without oil for natural look. Still had to keep clean or it would look really bad.
 
Teak oil definately looks the best but takes alot of time and effort to keep nice. When I used to do that I had to clean and oil my teak 4 or 5 times per summer.
Jim
 
Wow, Jim, I'm not sure why the difference, but I only need to clean and oil my teak once a year. Some areas with more exposure may need an additional light coating. I love oiled teak and would never varnish it!
 
Is there some reason why I should not do a nice high gloss sealing varnish if that is the look that I want?
 
It is a personal choice. Varnish is much higher maintenance in time and cost. Also so surfaces such as swim platforms it is slipperier when wet. Do whatever floats your boat! And if you need any advice about varnishing, check with Yzer. He has about 10 yrs experience maintaining his wooden boat and does I've beautiful job. I've seen it in person and it is a beauty!
 
Varnish doesn't always react well to being wet a lot. Like on a swim platform.

If I was to finish a swim platform in high gloss, I would clear epoxy coat it and then clear Awlgrip it.
 
Another vote for Cetol. Holds up well to UV and water and doesn't get too slick when wet.
 
A good option for a teak SWIM STEP is to strip it with an agressive 2 part teak cleaner such as Te-Ka. Then, get out a random orbital and flatten the grain back to nice looking teak. Then....let it go grey. Do NOT put teak oil on external teak unless you are trying to turn it black.

Grey natural teak is one of the best natural non skid surfaces. You will need to then follow up with less agresive single part teak cleaners every few weeks as part of your boat washing chores. It is high maintenance, but will look amazing.
 
Oil is the best for a rich look but requires the most work to maintain.

I used TeaQua on my last boat. It has a more brown color but you treat it once a season.
 
I vote for cetol. I did my swim platform 3 years ago and it still looks good. No worries about slipping... I sold the boat to a friend and he still likes the look and has not re-coated. One finished next season you should take care of newly formed rough spots as they happen don't wait.... I applied about four coats but I kept 24 hours between coats and did not sand between coats.

I am happy to be out of the teak business...It was enjoyable seeing nice teak but after years of the spring teak ritual I have some free time again.
 
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