Cheap alternative to teak restorer.

basic

basic

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Try this cheap alternative to teak restorer. Really restores original colour to grey and faded teak. Mix up a fairly strong solution of any oxi-action soap powder with hot water and gently scrub across the grain with a medium scrubbing brush then rinse well. Repeat if necessary. Allow teak to dry thoroughly then apply teak oil. The teak in my cockpit is 35years old.
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Looks lovely ... but I wouldn't want oil on a cockpit teak cos [UK] it's somewhat more slippery than raw teak in rough sea and (more likely) a load of rain [/UK] [med] likely to stain women's posh clothes [/med] [carib] bit sticky on bare skin [/carib] , surely??
 
tcm said:
Looks lovely ... but I wouldn't want oil on a cockpit teak cos [UK] it's somewhat more slippery than raw teak in rough sea and (more likely) a load of rain [/UK] [med] likely to stain women's posh clothes [/med] [carib] bit sticky on bare skin [/carib] , surely??
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My M-i-Law lovingly teak-oiled our cockpit one year ... with teak oil from homebase .... except it wasn't normal teak-oil - it was teakoil with teflon or silicone ... made sailing quite interesting that season!! :o
 
tcm said:
Looks lovely ... but I wouldn't want oil on a cockpit teak cos [UK] it's somewhat more slippery than raw teak in rough sea and (more likely) a load of rain [/UK] [med] likely to stain women's posh clothes [/med] [carib] bit sticky on bare skin [/carib] , surely??
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I use Deks Olye (D1). You use just enough so that is soaks into the wood and wipe off surplus with a lint free rag. Safe to sit on after 24hrs. No stains on clothes and totally non slip.
I should have taken photos before but did not think about putting it on here until I saw results. Teak was weathered and grey, and as I said 35 years old although I do look after it.
 
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Use dishwasher liquid, lightly brushed and rinsed of with fresh water. Works quickly and efficiently BUT don't get bare feet any where near the stuff - it eats meat.
 
No the seats aren't varnished. There is a slight gloss because I had just applied the last coat of Deks Olye (D1) and it had not fully dried.
 
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Using a brush, especially a scrubbing brush which has stiff bristles, is a very good way of pulling out the soft fibres in teak and destroying the deck within a very short time. Pressure washer is pretty good too.

Ideally clean the deck with washing up liquid and a sponge, rince it, let it dry, then apply whatever you want. Boracol, teak restorer etc etc.
 
Daedelus said:
Using a brush, especially a scrubbing brush which has stiff bristles, is a very good way of pulling out the soft fibres in teak and destroying the deck within a very short time. Pressure washer is pretty good too.

Ideally clean the deck with washing up liquid and a sponge, rince it, let it dry, then apply whatever you want. Boracol, teak restorer etc etc.
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That is why I said in my OP that you should scrub gently across the grain with a brush which does not have stiff bristles. Hard scrubbing along the grain pulls out the fibers as you can see in any marina. I have used this system for 40 years and as you can see from the photos there is no loss of grain on my teak.
 
basic said:
That is why I said in my OP that you should scrub gently across the grain with a brush which does not have stiff bristles. Hard scrubbing along the grain pulls out the fibers as you can see in any marina. I have used this system for 40 years and as you can see from the photos there is no loss of grain on my teak.
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Completely agree.
For 40 years, that's doing really well and does indeed look solid.

I mention the varnish not for the gloss so much, but the leading edge of picture no 3 (the one with product) there is certainly a coating on the teak that is of a more permanent nature, is it just me?

Never the less, they look great. Would show up teak that was a tenth of that age.
 
Marine Reflections said:
Completely agree.
For 40 years, that's doing really well and does indeed look solid.

I mention the varnish not for the gloss so much, but the leading edge of picture no 3 (the one with product) there is certainly a coating on the teak that is of a more permanent nature, is it just me?

Never the less, they look great. Would show up teak that was a tenth of that age.
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Yes you are quite right. On the edges of the seats I didn't quite get off all of the old Deks Olye which had accumulated along that edge. it was quite hard and I don't like to scrub too hard. I will get it off with a scraper when I have half an hour to spare on the next sunny day.
I used to be a perfectionist but as I have got older I find I am more content if I accept a 95% finish on a job. Perfectionists are never happy people because no matter how good the job is they are never happy with it. A psychiatrist I once sailed with told me that and it changed my life.
 
basic said:
Yes you are quite right. On the edges of the seats I didn't quite get off all of the old Deks Olye which had accumulated along that edge. it was quite hard and I don't like to scrub too hard. I will get it off with a scraper when I have half an hour to spare on the next sunny day.
I used to be a perfectionist but as I have got older I find I am more content if I accept a 95% finish on a job. Perfectionists are never happy people because no matter how good the job is they are never happy with it. A psychiatrist I once sailed with told me that and it changed my life.
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You could be right, joke or not there's probably some truth to it.

I'm only happy when it's perfect, but I think this may be due to thinking that it could bite me in the backside further down the line.

Can assure you though, speaking as a perfectionist who is probably inflicted more than most, I'm quite a happy person at heart, I think? :)

And..I think your seats look great! So hat's off to you, it is 40 years old and doesn't look weathered.

Personally, I agree with tcm on the concerns with oil, but Deks Olje has never really been just an oil, more of an internal (grain) varnish. Happy to be corrected, but thought that D1 was more of an oil that penetrated into the grain, yet still a sealer of sorts by design and D2 was also more of a varnish?

Anyhow, it certainly seems to be working.

Just regarding the build up on the surface, as all these types should be in grain and not above due to slip potential, as you say a scraper may work and you don't want to get too aggressive with the scrubbing - may I suggest a closer tool for the use with the cleaning product, say a medium / soft scrub pad.
This won't dig into the grain as is your same concern with the hard brush bristles, it will however allow you to clean close and remove any buildup sitting on top.

Obviously this is where the 2 part cleaners rule as a cleaner as they remove most previous coatings and oils, this allows the teak to breath once in a while, shake its feathers and get ready for the next season of maintaining a condition.

Think of it like changing the teaks clothing once a season or every few years, if you allow it to build up too much, it will become darker and darker where the organic side of the treatment will attract more than it will reject.

A good clean and brighten with a 2 part, will kind of reset the clock, also resetting the colour, follow with some more Deks Olje to be compatible with what is in the deeper grain.

If you didn't want to do a 2 part then using the closer cleaning tool (pad) as a means of maintenance cleaning, will really help keep things in the grain and not on top where it is slippery, or may become sticky.

If (as is sometimes the case) the sealant is indeed more of a varnish as apposed to an oil or sealer, then of course you are into using harsher in order to replenish the protection that is either on the surface or within the grain.


My point:
The effectiveness of the oxi action cleaner isn't having success at cleaning teak, it is having success at cleaning a build up of Deks Olje.

Now there's nothing wrong with that of course, it is just others may not have the same degree of success on open grained teak.
 
All i do is at the beginning of the season is go round the boat with a bucket of sea water & a bit of grey scotchbrite. Rinse it off, Thats it. No potions & no cost.
 
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