What is the best interior Teak Oil?

[Petar]

Never mind the price, looking for the best quality and protection. Heard that Watco Danish teak oil from Home Depot is pretty good? Any suggestions on brand and best application method?

[blt2ski]

All of my interior teak is varnished. Frankly, not sure I would want it oiled. On deck is not too bad. I redid my interior with "Top Secrete" spar varnish, I would assume any other brand would work just as well. This brand did not have the yellow tint like some brands of spar varnish has.

marty

[sailingfool]

Watco is a brand...

[jlenox]

Not sure if it is technically appropriate or not, but I used lemon oil on the cabin teak. It gave the cabin a nice smell and seemed to refresh the wood.

[blackjenner]

So this may seem silly and I'm all ears when it comes to alternatives but, when I owned my last boat I treated my teak with Johnsons Paste Wax. Yes, the stuff that comes in the yellow can that you can buy anywhere.

I'd put a glob in my hand, or on a non-absorbent fabric, and rub it into the bare teak until it was smooth. It conditioned the teak, made it repel water and moisture, kept it smelling nice and made the teak grippy, especially on your hands.

I did it for three years. The teak always looked great and an application lasted quite a while.

Did I mention I could buy it at almost any store and it was tres' cheap?

[nk235]

I just use regular old orange oil and it comes out looking and smelling great. I tried buying expensive special teak oil at the marine store and it doesn't work half as good. Also I don't know about your boat but sometimes on mine I get a little whiteish in color mold that forms on the interior teak and makes the wood look dry and worn out. I go over the entire surface of the interior cabin with a cleaning solution containing bleach to kill the mold and to clean the wood. I then follow up with the orange oil and it really transforms the boat, makes it smell great and keeps the teak in good shape.

I have also heard simple lemon oil works great as well. Save your money on the expensive stuff.

Nick

[Sabreman]

Teak is a naturally oily wood that resists decay. This is why is is used in marine applications and why it must be wiped with acetone or laquer thinner prior to varnishing to remove the surface oils and allow the film finish to dry. There is no reason to put oil on an oily wood. Even if that wood is a veneer. The only reason to put any finish on teak at all is to protect it and keep it clean. Oils that are applied to teak act to trap dirt and grease.

On both our boats, I had to strip years of grime and Murphy's Oil with acteone followed by a light sanding and 6 coats of satin urethane. High traffic or UV areas received gloss urethane. The result is a finish that needs no maintenance other than a wipe of a mild soap from time to time.

VICTORIA (and her mistress)

[tomwatt]

Watco wood oil is primarily a furniture-quality finish. I don't think it would fare well on outdoor teak. And in-cabin teak would probably fare better being varnished. Just my opinion, but I spent a few years in the paint industry and sold and used quite a bit of that stuff.
A boat interior is generally about the same environment as occasional-use patio furniture... fair amount of moisture, etc. And varnish is mfr'd. from the same kinds of oils that are used as wood finishing oils... I would be concerned that oiling the wood wouldn't hold up as well as several coats of varnish, especially if you've got a moist boat interior (some are better than others - mine tends to get a bit wet inside).

[JimsCAL]

On my previous boat the spring routine was to wash all the interior teak with Murphys Oil Soap and then apply teak oil. Teak looked great. I used West Marine and other brands. Didn't see much difference between brands.

My new boat has varnished interior teak. I love the look but hope it doesn't take a lot of time to keep it up. If it was oiled, I would continue my old routine, not bother varnishing it.

[nk235]

While your opinion may certainly be good advice it does not mean it is the only way to do things. Teak is a great type of wood for the marine environment and while it does resist decay better than other woods it also doesn't mean it is permanatly immune to decay/drying out. I have been on plenty of boats where the teak looked like crap both on the inside and outside due to lack of care. Varnish in the cabin is also great but takes a lot of time and precision to do a whole cabin especially one with a lot of teak such as the boat I have. I feel a twice a season application of rubbing in a light oil after thoughrough cleaning makes the interior teak loo and smell amazing as well as keeps it fresh looking.

I am not saying this way is the only way to do things but I do know it works for me as well as many other boat owners I know. I don't mean to come off as confrontational especially on something as simple as teak oil discussion but I didn't agree with your post that there is only one right way to go about it.

Regards
Nick

A couple of Pics of the cabin of Capricorn, my Morgan 323

Originally Posted by Sabreman

Teak is a naturally oily wood that resists decay. This is why is is used in marine applications and why it must be wiped with acetone or laquer thinner prior to varnishing to remove the surface oils and allow the film finish to dry. There is no reason to put oil on an oily wood. Even if that wood is a veneer. The only reason to put any finish on teak at all is to protect it and keep it clean. Oils that are applied to teak act to trap dirt and grease.

On both our boats, I had to strip years of grime and Murphy's Oil with acteone followed by a light sanding and 6 coats of satin urethane. High traffic or UV areas received gloss urethane. The result is a finish that needs no maintenance other than a wipe of a mild soap from time to time.

VICTORIA (and her mistress)