teak cleaning

[wannabewakeboarder]

I plan on trying it. I like the link evil suggested but it seems time consuming.

[Domsz06]

yeah but it will look good, I just want to know about the sealer. I heard it's bad.....

[chpthril]

yeah but it will look good, I just want to know about the sealer. I heard it's bad.....

Like I said, I sealed mine when I restored it. It looked good when I got done, but by the end of the season it was peeling and cracking.

It was more work to get the sealer off than it was the first time to restore it.

[Tequilasun]

Here's my take on the Teak Cleaning/Sealing.

There is an old guy around town that I talk with a lot, he's a wealth of info on wooden boats (kind of a hobby of mine too) He has told me on more than one occasion that you should not seal Teak. He says that teak can actually rot from the inside out when sealed. I suspect that he is talking on a time line that is much longer than anyone here is working with.

He also says to never use a belt sander or fine grit on Teak. He says the oils in the wood will burn with the belt sander, and that you don't want to get the surface too smooth. His opinion is that you should only lightly sand Teak in order to open up the grain so that Teak oil will penetrate better.

I tend to agree, as if you sand the teak too much, less oil will penetrate, and it also leads to a very slick platform. He actually uses a stone to rough up the boats he is restoring...It feels like pumice to me.

To me this really isn't rocket science. I take the platform off 2-3 times a year (if I remember) Sand with whatever sandpaper I have around, usually some fairly aggressive grit, then oil like heck. I usually give it a liberal coat the first time, and then hit it again a couple times. My teak looks brand new (it is only 3 seasons old though)

[chpthril]

Here's my take on the Teak Cleaning/Sealing.

There is an old guy around town that I talk with a lot, he's a wealth of info on wooden boats (kind of a hobby of mine too) He has told me on more than one occasion that you should not seal Teak. He says that teak can actually rot from the inside out when sealed. I suspect that he is talking on a time line that is much longer than anyone here is working with.

He also says to never use a belt sander or fine grit on Teak. He says the oils in the wood will burn with the belt sander, and that you don't want to get the surface too smooth. His opinion is that you should only lightly sand Teak in order to open up the grain so that Teak oil will penetrate better.

I tend to agree, as if you sand the teak too much, less oil will penetrate, and it also leads to a very slick platform. He actually uses a stone to rough up the boats he is restoring...It feels like pumice to me.

To me this really isn't rocket science. I take the platform off 2-3 times a year (if I remember) Sand with whatever sandpaper I have around, usually some fairly aggressive grit, then oil like heck. I usually give it a liberal coat the first time, and then hit it again a couple times. My teak looks brand new (it is only 3 seasons old though)

Makes sense to me

[Domsz06]

thanks guys! I'll post some pics. Think I may do some of it tonight and this weekend. No sealer, lots of cleaner/oil and a little elbow greese!

[Domsz06]

so, here is the before pics of my teak.

[Domsz06]

And after. My question is how do I keep it looking like this? oil it like every week? or what? I don't feel like sanding it down again, no power sander made for a long day. It really still needs some more, but I'll wait till I get tired of working on my stereo.

[Domsz06]

Also, I'm sure you can see some of the lighter spots, how do I get those to go away?

[lee]

Also, I'm sure you can see some of the lighter spots, how do I get those to go away?

If they are white and fuzzy, sand them off.

[Domsz06]

not sure they are too "Fuzzy" but will investigate.

It sure does look better, glad I did it finally. Need to keep it this way now!

[yellowlenz]

Your's looks good.
I used the meguiar's marine.rv 46 Gold teak oil and after 3 coats it looks like I used mop and glow.

[Domsz06]

i need to try the Meguiars then.