Restoring old teak wood.

[bacafrog]

The wife and I have acquired our first useable boat. It is a 1987 Four Winns 190 Horizon that will need a little bit of help. My main concern right now is the condition of all the teak wood on the boat. It has a teak swim platform and a bunch of teak accent pieces. I have searched on here for others view on teak and I must say I am confused. The teak is very gray in color, and looks like dried up old wood. From what I have read most people here usually sand it down and then just coat it with oil. Then I have read some use a stain and a sealer to seal the wood from the water. I want to get the teak back to a deep dark color like it was when it was new. I also dont want to put anything on it that will make it slippery. My question is what way would you restore your teak wood? I want to know everyones opinion on what is good and what is bad.

 

[JB]

Re: Restoring old teak wood.

Star Brite teak cleaning kit includes cleaner, brightener and oil (the oil will not make it slippery). That is what I used on all my Boston Whalers.

If the wood has weathered too much it should be sanded relatively smooth before treatment.

 

[bacafrog]

Re: Restoring old teak wood.

What would be the best grit to get for sanding it? I dont want to take to much off of it.

 

[salty87]

Re: Restoring old teak wood.

teak is an oily wood which is why it's good in a marine environment. sanding can clog the grain which can slow oil penetration and get dirty looking early. if there aren't any gouges that need to be smoothed out, i'd start with the kit first. if the results aren't good enough, then go further with sanding before you oil it.

the kits work really good, almost no effort.

 

[werthert]

Re: Restoring old teak wood.

Soak up it's weight in oil if you let it, lol.

 

[RICHARD5]

Re: Restoring old teak wood.

I scrape, not sand. But usually won't need that.

 

[yfzjim]

Re: Restoring old teak wood.

heres mine before and after. not slippery at all.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=355691

 

[Grumman59]

Re: Restoring old teak wood.

I'll second the two stage treatment. My '86 Doral has a lot of teak trim and it all came back looking almost like new when I treated it.

The stuff I used came from the local chandlery store in two quart bottles. I guess they had it re-packaged so I can't give a name.

The only part that required re-doing after a few years was the swim platform, probably because it's the only part that isn't covered during storage.

 

[bacafrog]

Re: Restoring old teak wood.

Well I picked up the teak restore kit that Academy sells, and I will post up a new thread about its progress from start to finish. After examing the teak again there are some trim pieces that have small grooves in them. I might have to sand that done to get it smooth again, we will see. Thanks to everyone wo responded about it, and hopefully soon I will have the pics up.

 

[MRS]

Re: Restoring old teak wood.

heres mine before and after. not slippery at all.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=355691

If you do what yfzjim did it will be sweet I am going to do what he did to all my teak. Nice job yfzjim.

 

[Les Robb]

Re: Restoring old teak wood.

Teak is a beautiful wood and never looks better than right after you finish cleaning and oiling it. Don't go overboard on the chemical cleaners as they tend to eat away the softer segments of the wood.

If you can find it in your area, bronze wool is great for light touch up of the teak after a month of weathering. Just use a mild solution of water and cleaner and scrub until the grayed teak is removed and then re-oil. The natural rough grain of the wood will keep it from being slippery and you'll be real proud of the looks.

PS: Don't try steel wool (Rust) and start off as mentioned in previous posts with sanding. Better if you can, for first time, to remove fasteners prior to sanding.

Luck and enjoy the final results

 

[bacafrog]

Re: Restoring old teak wood.

Well I just used the cleaner and the brightner the kit came with. I am trying it out on 2 very small trim pieces to see how it goes. So far it has made a tremendous differnce between the gray it use to look like. Now it looks more like wood. I am waiting for it to dry then I will add the oil. If the trim pieces turn out all right then I will redo everything and will document it all with pics. So far I think it is much easier removing all the teak from the boat and then restore it. I have removed all but one piece of trim that is on the top of the transom. It will take me awhile to get it apart, so for right now I will leave it there till I am ready to redo it as well. Everything else, including the swim deck has been removed form the boat. I will not sand it right now and we will see how everything turns out this season. Maybe next season I will have to sand it down, only time will tell.

 

[bacafrog]

Re: Restoring old teak wood.

Well it didnt turn out all right. After I used 2 kits of the Starbrite stuff I ended up going bac and sanding everything down. When I was done I had a layer of wood hair every where. I tried recoating everything with oil, but the thin layer that looked like hair would not go away. I just got done sanding and cleaning everything down. This time arounf I used regular soap, and bought a galoon of oil. Just as soon as the wood dries I will oil it down and see what happens.

 

[Grand Larsony]

Re: Restoring old teak wood.

If you're down to bare wood use Cetol a product made by Sikkens.

Follow directions. I did this and it worked AWESOME.

Do NOT try to remove the wood from the boat by pulling the wooden little screw plugs... you'll never get it right again. Instead, mask it off and sand carefully, applying the finish to the mounted teak.

Three coats should give you 2-4 years of perfect finish. Apply one additional coat every 2-3 years after minimal sanding with 400#.

Select the Cetol color carefully as there are three to choose from. The darker one can look orange-ish.

 

[Les Robb]

Re: Restoring old teak wood.

I think your on the right track now. As mentioned, the chemical cleaners are really rough on the softer grain and can eat it away fast. Teak is a naturally oily wood and if it has been oiled before it can really be tough to dry it all out. The fibers you describe will not be noticed after the oil coating but a stiff brush and lot of fresh water (plus elbow grease) will remove most of them anyway.

Again best of luck

 

[archbuilder]

Re: Restoring old teak wood.

Hey Frog, if you run into issues, let me know.....when I'm not covered in foam I am a pretty good wood worker!

 

[marlboro180]

Re: Restoring old teak wood.

Looks like you are on the right track- Oxalic acid is the key,rinse, neutralize with vinegar.....rinse again then oil to you hearts content!

 

[bacafrog]

Re: Restoring old teak wood.

Looks like it is coming together finally. I have most of the small trim pieces done, and I am waiting on the weather to work with me on getting the swim deck and larger pieces finished up. When I sanded everything down I did it in the kitchen, and the wife still hasnt forgiven me. I would of used the garage, but it was full of her crap at the moment. Oh well, you live and learn. Thanks everyone for the advice. Right now I am oiling it down and going that route since I already ahd teh oil.