cleaning up my teak swim platform

[yfzjim]

I am getting ready to redo the teak on my new to me boat. the wood is very weathered but it is solid. i boughtthe teak resto kit from my local marine supply store. it has a cleaner, a brightener and oil. is it ok to sand it all down smooth first? or should it not be sanded? any other tips?
Thanks
jimmy

 

[F.O.R.C.E.]

Re: cleaning up my teak swim platform

I have worked for Mainship in the 70,s and my best guess would be , if it looks ok , but just weathered .---use the kit. If the surface is rough. sand it till you like the way it feels -- then use the kit from step one-- JMO

 

[yfzjim]

Re: cleaning up my teak swim platform

just wanted to make sure sanding wouldnt do any damage. didnt know if there were some type of sealer I would have to worry about sanding through.

 

[jdlough]

Re: cleaning up my teak swim platform

F.O.R.C.E.S's reply is right on.

Here's the long, babbling version of what he was saying....

Unless some previous owner was a knucklehead, your teak will not have any nasty poly or varnish coating to worry about. Take a close look at it. If it was previously coated by a knucklehead, it should be obvious. If so, sand ALL the poly/varnish off the teak.

If the wood feels rough, sand it a bit to smooth it out. Don't be too aggressive - teak doesn't need it, unless it's been neglected for many years. Even then, sand it less than you think it should be sanded. The oil you'll be adding later will smooth it out nice. If there's some big splinters - Do what you have to do, but don't patch with any 'wood filler' crap. It won't stick. Relax. The rejuvinator kit will be bring it back to wood-color (Actually, a strong power wash, or the deck cleaner from Home Depot would do the same thing). Teak naturally grays as it weathers. It's still fine, though. Grey teak park benches are considered to have a nice 'patina' after 50 or so years.

For sealing, Tung oil or some other wood oil will keep it looking nice.

My own opinion (and I'm sure some folks here who like to do maintenance would disagree) - I would never coat teak with polyurethane or any other varnish. First, Teak is a rather dense, oily-rubbery wood. Poly or varnish doesn't stick to it well. Teak, with the occasional oil treatment, will last for more decades than you. Once you coat it with poly, you have to sand off the poly to restore the teak and get rid of the poly chips.

If you want to replace with new teak. Be aware that 'true teak' is getting harder to find (like 'true mahogany'). Just google any site that sells very expensive true teak garden benches. They'll set you straight. A lot of what is now called 'teak' is not teak. So, preserve what you have.

Jim

 

[yfzjim]

Re: cleaning up my teak swim platform

it doesnt look to have any poly or anything on it. The restore kit I bought comes with the teak oil I plan to use. Why do you suggest not sanding too much? Is there a reason to not get it too smooth?
Yhanks

 

[jdlough]

Re: cleaning up my teak swim platform

Feel free to sand it to smooth. It won't hurt anything. If your boards are not twisted, consider yourself lucky, after years of previous owner neglect. After years of neglect, teak can twist, but will not rot. Just to be clear, you CAN'T hurt it, you can just make it thinner. Sanding and oiling will just bring out its fine grained, dense, nautical beauty. Go ahead! (Kinda like polishing your own teeth with abrasives - don't do it TOO often!) (Just to be safe, if you're sanding, you might want to sand ALL sides - top, bottom, sides - so that later all sides will be exposed to the same amount of moisture - to reduce twisting. And also oil ALL sides - same reason.)

The main thing is that true teak is expensive and rare, and modern teak is often counterfeit. I would say to go ahead and sand it down to a smoothness that you are happy with, then try to maintain it at that level, using oils from then on.

Old teak often looks like something that you should just tear out and replace. That would usually be a mistake.

I've had a couple of truly neglected boats, with warped teak benches. Instead of replacing the warped teak, I devised frames with clamps (kind of like the old-days tennis racket frames) to slowly bend the benches back to a straight shape. Took a couple of months, but worth it.

When you DO sand it, you'll find it surprisingly hard as a rock (or kind of rubbery-resistant against your sander). The gray patina will sand off ok, but you may find that it's hard to sand it totally smooth, and may look mottled. If you are incredibly nit-picky, use a hand sponge sander at this point. Don't worry about it. At this stage, you just want to get it feeling smooth.

The next stage of cleaning with the chemicals (or power washing) will bring back the wood-tone. (I know you are using the chem cleaners, but for anyone using the power-washers, AFTER the wood dries, you may want to light sand again, to knock down the wood-fuzz)

Then, after it dries, wipe it down with Tung oil (or whatever oil for teak they sold you), every leap year re-oil, and let your grand kids's kids worry about it!

Jim

 

[RickJ6956]

Re: cleaning up my teak swim platform

I was just quoted $47 a linear foot for 5/4 teak -- three inches wide.

I've never needed to use anything heavier than 120 grit to smooth the feel of teak after power washing. It also responds to a surprisingly light touch.

Tung oil is my preference also for the finish. A swim platform takes a lot of abuse. If you oil it every month you shouldn't have to sand or power wash it again. Just wash it like you do the rest of the boat. (Then apply more oil!)

 

[jdlough]

Re: cleaning up my teak swim platform

Yeah, see, Rick knows...

47$ per foot? For a skinny little piece? DANG!

While it IS just wood, be aware when you're sanding that you're sanding Gold.

But then again, it IS just wood. Sand it to the way you like it. Then OIL it!

Every year or so...

Jim

 

[yfzjim]

Re: cleaning up my teak swim platform

ok guys thanks for all the info. I will be working on it later this week. I have it in clamps right now, I just had to reglue ther rearmost piece where the ladder bolts on. the pressure from the ladder twited it loose. I had no idea that 5/4 teak would be that high. I just got done putting in 3/4 teak hardwood in my home and while it was expensive it wasnt that high. and of course it has poly on it. cant wait to bring the life back to it!

 

[yfzjim]

Re: cleaning up my teak swim platform

just a update. I got the swin platform done. I sanded, used Starbrite teak cleaner and teal brightener, and then applied several coats of teak oil. I think it turned out good. Heres a couple before and after shots.

The gelcoat has since been fully buffed and waxed too, so it looks completely different than these first two pics

 

[baggersteve]

Re: cleaning up my teak swim platform

The new version looks great. In the future, sand to your hearts content, and put on some Tung oil. I use Formby's in my shop, but any brand will do. Save your money and don't buy a kit from a marine shop. Go to a Ace Hardware or a big box store to get tung oil. I oil all my teak on a yearly basis, a couple of hours in the spring will make a huge difference.
Don't use varnish, unless it's on a surface that stays above water (railings and such). All flooring and swim platforms should use either tung oil or a teak oil, like Watco, or any penetrating oil. I'm not sure I would use a linseed oil though, not sure how it would do in very wet conditions.

 

[yfzjim]

Re: cleaning up my teak swim platform

Thanks! I actually had to glue up a couple of pieces on it. After I removed it from the boat I realized it had a couple loose boards. I reglued it and put some stainless screws in it. After the glue was all dried I gave it a very good sanding to smooth and even it all out. I am very happy with the result.

 

[skargo]

Re: cleaning up my teak swim platform

The platform, and the boat look great!