Brighten my brights

Boondoggle30 · #1 (**permalink**) 07-04-2010

Our teak needs TLC. It previously was finished with some sort of clear coat. The finish has since begun to peel off and needs to be redone. An adjacent slip just sanded his down and reapplied. Ours is not showing too much damage but some black is surfacing. I read one system that had stripper then cleaner the neutalizer then sand then reapply. Wow. I'm not too thrilled about stripper around the deck... Suggestions? Looking for a straight forward system with results minimal chemicals. - not open heart surgery.

mitiempo · #2 (**permalink**) 07-04-2010

If the wood is black in place the coating has let water in. The only alternative to chemicals is sanding down to remove the coating and a cleaner if necessary after that. Then it will be ready for your new coating of choice. The easiest to maintain is Cetol and the natural finish is probably the best choice, with or without gloss on top. It doesn't require the high maintenance to maintain that varnish does.

chuck53 · #3 (**permalink**) 07-05-2010

I've done varnish before. Love the results but as everyone knows, varnish on teak has a short life span.
Has anyone coated teak with epoxy? I would think it should hold up a pretty long time.
Anyone? Results? Would you do it again? Love to get feedback on this.

speciald · #4 (**permalink**) 07-05-2010

Clean, wipe with acetone, then apply West epoxy, followed by varnish. Cetol looks like paint but lasts longer than varnish.

mitiempo · #5 (**permalink**) 07-05-2010

The older Cetol does look like paint after a while, with an orange tint. But the natural is not too bad at all from what I've seen on other people's boats.
Why not my boat? No teak outside on a CS.

bljones · #6 (**permalink**) 07-05-2010

I have had varying results with epoxying teak. Teak is oily, so adherence is iffy. Sand it, clean it with acetone, and then put on at least a couple of coats of epoxy, sanding in between coats, and THEN, because epoxy needs UV protection, you are still going to have to lay on the usual varnish schedule, ie: 5 coats or better, 8 coats is really minimum. Look, damn few people do a full 8 coats (hell, few do 5) and then they bitch about how often they have to touch up their brightwork. Frankly, I don't think the epoxy buys you anything as far as saving time or money, and it certainly does the wood no favours.

If you care about how your boat looks and admire a job well done, bite the bullet, and do a proper job of sanding and varnishing. With the right materials and weather you can "hot coat" your brightwork and get 8 coats on in a long weekend. Done properly, it will last you a couple of years with occasional touch ups.
Or, slap on some Cetol. (*shudder*)

IMOPO, Cetol is nautical pancake makeup, and it makes your boat look like the anchor of your local newscast. It looks great in pictures but up close it's orangey, fake, and hides more than it illuminates.

chuck53 · #7 (**permalink**) 07-06-2010

Thanks guys.
I've done varnish and more than just a few coats. Just looking for something that will last longer.
I've seen some boats with Cetol that look pretty good and have held up well.
I'll probably do varnish again and I don't mind doing 6-8 coats, maybe even more.

poopdeckpappy · #8 (**permalink**) 07-07-2010

Cetol, when appiled correctly, looks great and will last mutli seasons, I used traditional on our last boat and I'm now using it on our current boat

I would recommend their newer natural teak if you have a issue with the orange tint, natural teak has a honey oak flavor.

I don't get the "fake" comment above, it's about as real of a synthetic ( which is why ya buy it in the first place ) as you can get