Teak wood swim plateform restore help

[hivoltg]

I know how to turn a wrench with the best of them but I admit I don't do well at all at carpentry and could sure use some help



Im working on a 1977 Wellcraft Suncruiser. She runs great after all the maintenance and mechanical restoration I have done. Im now focusing my attention on making her pretty. What should I do to make the teak swim plateform look like new again? Is staining teak ok on a boat? I would really like a cherry wood look if possible.

If it was just a piece of furniture I would lean toward even a urethane sealant after staining but i'm afraid this will make it slick when wet and cause a kiddo to fall.

Any advise to restore teak would be greatly appreciated.

 

[zool]

Re: Teak wood swim plateform restore help

If the teak is in good shape, which yours looks to be, its best to use a 3 step process, clean/brighten/oil....you can get a 3 step kit most anywhere, or buy the oil and some home remedy cleaners....
this needs to be maintained regularly.

If you chose to stain it (not sure how cherry stain looks on teak), then a spar varnish is whats generally used, like Helmsman or Epifanes, or the like. This is slippery when wet, but has less maintenance.
I like Epifanes, but its a long slow application process, and a little tricky..

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Teak wood swim plateform restore help

This will be a good read for you...

Teak Care

 

[83mulligan]

Re: Teak wood swim plateform restore help

I'll be following this one closely as I have a whole pile of teak to use on my boat. In the link woody posted it says to use a stiff bristle brush with the grain. In a lot of stuff I've read it says to never use a stiff bristle brush and to clean across the grain

I have one piece that cleaned up really nice just by hitting it with a da sander lightly and brushing on some poly that I had laying around.



So, I'm not sure where to go with this either

 

[robert graham]

Re: Teak wood swim plateform restore help

Home Depot sells a granular Oxalic Acid for cleaning and bleaching discolored or stained wood, then a good application of teak oil and it should look like new!....

 

[kahuna123]

Re: Teak wood swim plateform restore help

You live in Austin so your boat is probably in the sun most of the time. Do NOT varnish it unless you love every couple of years of sanding and starting over. Yea its got cracks and splits. Pressure wash from a distance. Get alllllllll the dirt out. Then you can oil it. Or what we staring using on our spearguns down here is epoxy mixed thin. Here's a picture

 

[hivoltg]

Re: Teak wood swim plateform restore help

I think im going to try just sanding, cleaning, and teak oil. If im not happy with the results I may try the spar varnish or something but you are correct kahuna123 the varnish will need a very good uv protectant or it wont last long in Texas.

What grit sandpaper should I use on teak?

BTW that speargun looks great. It reminds me of a finish I have seen before on a beautiful wooden canoe.

I will take pictures and post them with the results. My first picture above was after I used a cheap home wood cleaner on it a few times. It looked ashy like the left side of 83mulligan's teak before I started.

I really appreciate the info so far. Thanks guys.

 

[Live-liner]

Re: Teak wood swim plateform restore help

Careful if using a pressure washer, it will raise the grain and pull the softer pulp from the valleys. After cleaning and light sanding, I use Cetol Sikkens and have never had a problem. 2 or 3 caots initially, then every Spring, clean and give a maintenence coat. It's simple, looks beautiful, takes the sun well, and I don't spend my summer maintaining it like you would with oil.
I'm sure there are many different opinions, but that works for me.
Good luck!

 

[Bayou Dave]

Re: Teak wood swim plateform restore help

I think im going to try just sanding, cleaning, and teak oil. If im not happy with the results I may try the spar varnish or something but you are correct kahuna123 the varnish will need a very good uv protectant or it wont last long in Texas.

What grit sandpaper should I use on teak?

BTW that speargun looks great. It reminds me of a finish I have seen before on a beautiful wooden canoe.

I will take pictures and post them with the results. My first picture above was after I used a cheap home wood cleaner on it a few times. It looked ashy like the left side of 83mulligan's teak before I started.

I really appreciate the info so far. Thanks guys.

Depending on how bad it is use a palm sander with 80 grit, then 100 grit. After sanding it take a wet cloth and wipe it down to raise the loose grain. Sand it one more time with 150 or 200. I did that on my swim platform. Then I used Watco Teak Oil. Applied it every day for a week, then once a week for a month and now apply it once a month. Here is how mine came out.

 

[hivoltg]

Re: Teak wood swim plateform restore help

If mine turns out half as good as yours did DRS4164 I will be happy.

One other question. A small piece of the platform on the corner has alittle play in it. Will GorillaGlue work? Its says it's a Type II water resistance glue. I was just going to glue and c-clamp it. I really dont want to screw it from the bottom if possible. I might as well fix alittle play in the piece before it becomes a problem.

 

[Bayou Dave]

Re: Teak wood swim plateform restore help

Thanks hivoltg.... For any wood gluing (I have done a lot of wood gluing over the years) I always use Titebond III Ultimate. It really holds and sets up pretty quickly. It cleans up with water but becomes waterproof when cured. It is available at Lowes:

Shop Titebond 16 oz Wood Glue at Lowes.com

 

[83mulligan]

Re: Teak wood swim plateform restore help

Very nice work DRS!!

 

[Bayou Dave]

Re: Teak wood swim plateform restore help

Very nice work DRS!!

Thanks Steve... it actually was pretty easy. Luckily the teak was in good shape after I sended it down to bare wood. I totally saturated the wood with teak oil twice so it soaked all the way in. After that it was just wiping another coat on many times. Now, at once a month, I only spend 5 minutes putting a coat on.

 

[hivoltg]

Re: Teak wood swim plateform restore help

I was able to run by the store and get some sanding supplies and I found a Helmsman Teak Oil with a UV protectant.


I took the swim plateform off.


Like any small project on a boat it leads to another project you never intended.
The transom was dirty behind and under the swim plateform. Might as well use some rubbing compound, wax, and reseal the stainless struts.


I sanded the swim plateform with some 220


Some more sanding with some 320

 

[hivoltg]

Re: Teak wood swim plateform restore help

I made a mixture of laundry detergant and a cap full of bleach. I used a stiff plastic brissle brush and scrubbed it a few times and washed it off.


While the swim plateform was drying I finished up the transom cleanup.


Swim plateform got a few more sandings with 400 grit and reattached.


This is after one coat of Teak Oil. Long day, getting late and I called it a day. More Teak Oiling tomorrow. I plan on doing the rest of the teak the same way on the rest of the boat. Im happy with the results. I want to thank all of you for the help and I hope this thread helps others in the same "boat". :lol:
This stuff is a little messy. Use gloves and don't use your wife's kitchen towels to apply it.

 

[83mulligan]

Re: Teak wood swim plateform restore help

That's looking very nice! I've read that initially you want to really load up the wood with alot of teak oil to help replenish what's been lost. From there, mainenance coats periodically. This was a helpful thread to me. You should see the pile of stuff I have to bring back to life. I salvaged a bunch of it over the years for basically free, from a local boat yard.

 

[Bayou Dave]

Re: Teak wood swim plateform restore help

hivoltg.... make sure you get zero teak oil on the transom. I left mine off for the first week as I added a coat every day. Now I am very careful when adding a coat every month.

 

[britisher]

Re: Teak wood swim plateform restore help

Well done on the refurb of the swim platform. Have you checked out how much teak stuff is for boats these days? It's no wonder they do swim platforms in fibreglass now.

 

[83mulligan]

Re: Teak wood swim plateform restore help

hivoltg.... make sure you get zero teak oil on the transom. I left mine off for the first week as I added a coat every day. Now I am very careful when adding a coat every month.

just curious, what happens if you get teak oil on other stuff like painted aluminum or fiberglass gel coat?

 

[Bayou Dave]

Re: Teak wood swim plateform restore help

just curious, what happens if you get teak oil on other stuff like painted aluminum or fiberglass gel coat?

It sticks like glue. Take a look at this:
Teak Oil stained the deck - SailNet Community