Exterior wood - what oil?

[l'escargot]

I have wooden toe rails and rubbing strake' presumably teak. They have been neglected long enough now that I can remove any remaining varnish back to the wood. I quite like the idea of treating the wood with oil - occasional rub over with an oily rag as opposed to the varnishing, rubbing down and all that entails.

What oil should I use? I want to keep it simple...

 

[oldvarnish]

I

What oil should I use? I want to keep it simple...

Someone on this forum recommended International Woodskin when I asked a similar question. I applied it this weekend. Halfway between oil and varnish with a promise that it won't flake or peel.
I'm liking it so far. It leaves a nice satin sheen.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I have wooden toe rails and rubbing strake' presumably teak. They have been neglected long enough now that I can remove any remaining varnish back to the wood. I quite like the idea of treating the wood with oil - occasional rub over with an oily rag as opposed to the varnishing, rubbing down and all that entails.

What oil should I use? I want to keep it simple...

I'm using an ancient bottle of International Teak Oil at the moment. That seems to work well, once you've got at least four coats on. It's something to do during a hot day at anchor. I like Deks Olje for inside use, but have had much success with it outside.

 

[pvb]

I have wooden toe rails and rubbing strake' presumably teak. They have been neglected long enough now that I can remove any remaining varnish back to the wood. I quite like the idea of treating the wood with oil - occasional rub over with an oily rag as opposed to the varnishing, rubbing down and all that entails.

What oil should I use? I want to keep it simple...

The simplest solution is to leave it bare, it'll weather to a lovely silvery-grey colour and need almost no maintenance. Brush it with Boracol a couple of times a year, that's all.

 

[Stork_III]

The simplest solution is to leave it bare, it'll weather to a lovely silvery-grey colour and need almost no maintenance. Brush it with Boracol a couple of times a year, that's all.

+1 or Patio Magic

 

[elenya]

Hi

We use Deks Olje No. 1. We have used this for about 15 years. This allows use to use a washing up sponge and water wash off twice a year and apply a couple of coats of oil. We dont use the No. 2 oil which is more like a varnish. We have spent winters in the Southern Ocean and years in the tropics and this has held up well. I also used it on the square rigger I skippered and found it an easily maintainable surface.

cheers

 

[Seatrout]

Mazolla vegetable based cooking oil..... works for my rubbing strake and scoop decor

 

[Tranona]

Either leave it bare or use a finish like Woodskin. Oil is messy, attracts dirt and you will be forever topping it up and cleaning the drips off your GRP. The beauty of a finish like Woodskin is that it is porous so the wood can breathe and it erodes slowly rather than the film breaking down like a conventional varnish. Easy to apply, easy to touch up and should easily last 5 years before recoating.

 

[nigelmercier]

The simplest solution is to leave it bare, it'll weather to a lovely silvery-grey colour and need almost no maintenance...

+1

 

[prv]

I'm using an ancient bottle of International Teak Oil at the moment. That seems to work well, once you've got at least four coats on.

I used this on Kindred Spirit's gunwale rubbing strakes. Worked well for me, but we didn't own the boat long enough for long-term experience and I'm inclined to believe those who say it would end up black and sticky eventually.

I wouldn't use anything that forms a skin, on a rubbing strake. As soon as it gets any rubbing, the skin will be broken. So probably the best bet is to leave it bare to weather.

Pete

 

[Tintin]

Boiled linseed. Cheap as chips and sold at any hardware store, or screwfix. Easy to apply with a rag. 2 coats then as needed.

 

[nigelmercier]

Boiled linseed. Cheap as chips and sold at any hardware store, or screwfix. Easy to apply with a rag. 2 coats then as needed.

And sticky enough that you will never be troubled by flies.

It doesn't do much to protect the wood either, so may as well leave it bare:
A linseed oil finish is easily repaired, but it provides no significant barrier against scratching. Only wax finishes are less protective. Liquid water penetrates a linseed oil finish in mere minutes, and water vapour bypasses it almost completely. Garden furniture treated with linseed oil may develop mildew.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linseed_oil#Wood_finish

 

[srp]

What I've found from experience:
Varnish - will last for about 3 months, ie most of the summer season. Will start to peel off at the first sign of frost or after extended sun exposure.
Teak oil, Danish oil etc - will last for a bit longer than varnish provided you give it a regular top up. Won't peel, but you'll have to do it all again next spring, starting at the rubbing down stage.
Sikkens Cetol and International Wookskin etc - the best from a durability point of view, and what I've got on my gunwhales at the moment. But it makes your boat look like a garden shed.
Deks Olje - I've only ever used D1 and D2 together, on the brightwork of a pram dinghy, and it has been superb - good UV exposure resistance, easy to maintain and renew every year or even longer if you winter it inside, and works on a variety of woods including mahogany and BC pine. But very expensive at around £20 for each tin!
Linseed oil, cooking oil etc - take a long time to dry, esp cooking oil. OK for inside but not durable enough outside unless you renew it frequently (every other day??!!).
No treatment - ideal if you're lazy. No good if you like wood to look like it's looked after.

My own conclusion after playing around with them all over the years is Sikkens Cetol or equivalent for a workboat, Deks Olje for a pride and joy, varnish for anything that can be covered up (like a tiller), and probably on balance I'd again choose Cetol for a non-classic yacht (but it would have to be varnish if it was a classic). IMHO.

 

[l'escargot]

Anyone got any experience of Tung Oil?

 

[Tranona]

Same issue as any other oil. Messy, attracts dirt and does not last in external applications.

 

[Stork_III]

Anyone got any experience of Tung Oil?

I have used Rustin's Danish Oil which is Tung Oil with added resins for increased hardness on a cockpit table, 3 years and going strong, gives lovely finish upto glass like if you apply enough coats. Alsoused on home teak veneer dining table, rejuvenated it. Well recommended.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I wouldn't use anything that forms a skin, on a rubbing strake. As soon as it gets any rubbing, the skin will be broken. So probably the best bet is to leave it bare to weather.

I find that my exterior teak only goes that lovely grey colour if it gets regular use. The cockpit grating, for example, goes black and yucky when the boat is unattended, but turns grey again after a few days of use. I don't plan to oil the capping rail much, for the reasons you give.

Incidentally, nothing else works long term. I know this, because my boat was used by a magazine to test about eight shiny finishes about four years before I bought her. The testers were non-committal after a year; after four it all (that remained) looked terrible.

I was asked recently how to remove varnish from teak. "Wait", I replied.

 

[Stoaty]

I am these days for leaving it to go silver with the occasional light scrub with seawater to keep the green away.

I have a Scandinavian friend who's life revolves around linseed oil. He told me the reason my oiled wood kept going black, was not that it was picking up dirt, but a fungus was feeding on the proteins in the oil, causing it to go black, It seems unless the oil you use is completely crystal clear it will have proteins in it. He then went on to explain that it's too costly to refine such an oil and only small amounts are made for scientific purposes.

 

[mikeinkwazi]

Someone on this forum recommended International Woodskin when I asked a similar question. I applied it this weekend. Halfway between oil and varnish with a promise that it won't flake or peel.
I'm liking it so far. It leaves a nice satin sheen.

I think this is the same as Sekkens Nova Tech which I used on my Gaff cutter. It works very well, last a long time and is easy to touch up.

 

[pvb]

I find that my exterior teak only goes that lovely grey colour if it gets regular use. The cockpit grating, for example, goes black and yucky when the boat is unattended, but turns grey again after a few days of use.

If you just lightly brush it over with Boracol 2 or 3 times a year (or Patio Magic possibly) you'll find it won't go black and yucky.