grey coloured teak

[Blue5]

You mean from here:

"Remember that water will raise the grain of the wood. Let dry 24 hours before sanding. Sand down the raised grain or staining will be darker in the raised area"

I took the last paragraph to mean let the wood dry for 24 hours, then continue preparing the wood for staining or whatever.

It's possible, of course, that the area that was full of dirt is now free from dirt so the grain may appear to be raised. I don't know, I just know it's been used successfully round the world for years. If it was that bad it would still be around or in use.

Teak decks won't last for ever, they do wear out, but IMHO oxalic acid is less abrasive than scrubbing or power washing, and I'll continue to use it


Google: Oxalic acid teak

Or just look at the ingredient list of a lot of commercially available teak cleaners.

You don't have to listen to me, or follow my advice, but I know what's going on the teak in my cockpit next spring

Whoa, dont get so defensive, it wasnt criticism, just trying to get the full picture.

 

[snooks]

Whoa, dont get so defensive, it wasnt criticism, just trying to get the full picture.

Sorry if it came across that way

 

[KREW2]

I am suprised nobody has mentioned the use of teak oil.

 

[Twister_Ken]

"I am suprised nobody has mentioned the use of teak oil."

That's because nobody in their right minds uses it on teak decks.

 

[john_morris_uk]

John, it would be good to prove what you say, but logic would seem to say that if you suddenly have bright looking teak again after the application of a chemical such as oxalic acid, surely that must mean that a new layer of wood fibre is exposed. The old wood cannot suddenly become new looking again. So application of oxalic acid wood appear to remove surface fibres of wood.

The decks stay wonderfully clean - and I mean clean with a once a year application of Brintons MMC+ and liberal doses of seawater - so why bother with Oxalic acid anyway!

Maybe I am wrong? But my experience of cleaning teak with chemicals over the last few years is that there is no evidence of the teak being eroded away. The layer that might be being removed must be so thin that I am not going to worry about it.

We only clean the teak rail, cockpit seats and grab handles once a year or so, and so I am not going to worry about it. I will be dead and buried by the time the teak is eroded away at the rate I see it going.

 

[Chris_Robb]

"I am suprised nobody has mentioned the use of teak oil."

That's because nobody in their right minds uses it on teak decks.

Thats why no-one has mentioned it.............

I know it only Sunday but.....

Sorry Ken - not your post!

 

[KREW2]

"I am suprised nobody has mentioned the use of teak oil."

That's because nobody in their right minds uses it on teak decks.

Little bit touchy today aren't we.
I'm sure it is in the wood when new, why cannot it be used on toe rails and grab handles. Though I have to say I just left mine to weather.

 

[Chris_Robb]

Little bit touchy today aren't we.
I'm sure it is in the wood when new, why cannot it be used on toe rails and grab handles. Though I have to say I just left mine to weather.

well, its not "teak" Oil - its something else - Tung oil I think. If left to the suns exposure for a long time goes horibly black, so you keep on havingto treat it.

 

[Marine Reflections]

dirty teak

You don't need to walk on things outside for them to get dirty. Atmospherically borne dirt, pollution etc all gets into the surface of the wood. Perhaps there is a natural reaction with the oils of the teak? The sheltered bits of wood that snooks referred to don't get rained and showered by the dirt that the exposed bits get.

For whoever said that every time you wash the wood down with chemical cleaner, you hasten very quickly the day that you have to replace it, is talking baloney. Sanding it and scrubbing it hard with a stiff brush, pressure washing it, and abusing it hastens the day you have to replace it, but I don't believe that oxalic acid or the two part chemical process takes anything off the teak at all except the dirt.

100% correct John
Natural oils within the teak carbonize on the surface and are then exposed to UV etc, it's why cockpit teak stays flatter and retains colour for longer than other areas that are exposed.

 

[Boat44]

The silvering is a natural process and is almost impossible to avoid. A lot of teak cleaners remove the natural oil and therefore reducing the life span of the teak. They can also do damage to the caulking and anodises deck gear.

Major manufacturers will advise against chemicals and instead recommend a mild dish soap and a soft brush.

The only true way to restore the original natural colour is to sand them, but remember at over £2k per m2 in the Uk thats one expensive sanding job!

But each to his own! As long as the wine flows freely, thats all that matters.

 

[Twister_Ken]

I'm sure there are those who do use it on toe rails and grab handles, but the OP was asking about decks. Forgive me for not making the logical jump.

Teak has its oil. Topping it up just gives something else to go mouldy and grab dirt.

 

[charles_reed]

I have some leftover bits of teak that I've left outside for the last two years or so.They are now greyish in colour and nobody has walked on them.I believe this is the natural colour of teak when exposed to the elements.

Dirty rain!!!

 

[whisper]

If you think of it as a bleach rather than an acid, it sounds far less scary

Here's a link with a bit more info[/QUOTE]

Thanks very much - ordering some today.

 

[davidfox]

Snooks, I am afraid you are wrong.
The silver surface colour of any weathered hardwood and most softwoods is not dirt, it is the effect of sunlight on timber. Many hardwoods are a different colour the day they are sawn to just a day later. However if you pretend it is dirt and scrub it off you are simply removing some of the surface each time, OK on your patio but not on something as expensive as a teak deck. The natural change can be slowed or prevented by covering or applying coatings but a permanent one has yet to be invented.
In my career as an architect we used timber extensively on the exterior of buildings and one of the main problems in detailing was ensuring that the exposure was similar so that the colour change could be managed, unless we painted it we knew it would finish up grey though we always referred to it as 'silver'.
If you don't believe me consult any good textbook on exterior timber maintenance or go to a sawmill and have a good look at any stack of seasoning timber.

Totally agree, I have a piece of teak in my garage, with a chunk removed, the teak is golden, the chunk which is exposed to weather on my boat is grey.

 

[Chris_Robb]

100% correct John
Natural oils within the teak carbonize on the surface and are then exposed to UV etc, it's why cockpit teak stays flatter and retains colour for longer than other areas that are exposed.

100% wrong David.

Cockpit teaks stays flatter because its being polished by your bum.

The oxidation of the oils means that the wood is loosing substance everytime you clean with acid, Sorry but I cannot agree that Oxalic Acid does not remove fibres - how else is the colour coming back.

My new decks were put on by the previous owner at a cost £25,000. I do NOT want to be the one who has to replace them again. Hence I will stick to something that removes mould and mildew; especially mildew - what do you think the mildew is feeding off?

 

[KREW2]

100% wrong David.

Cockpit teaks stays flatter because its being polished by your bum.

The oxidation of the oils means that the wood is loosing substance everytime you clean with acid, Sorry but I cannot agree that Oxalic Acid does not remove fibres - how else is the colour coming back.

My new decks were put on by the previous owner at a cost £25,000. I do NOT want to be the one who has to replace them again. Hence I will stick to something that removes mould and mildew; especially mildew - what do you think the mildew is feeding off?

Why has nobody mentioned creosote?

 

[Chris_Robb]

Why has nobody mentioned creosote?

Now thats a fantastic idea - why has no one thought of it before

 

[Cameo]

I have used Cuprinol Teak Restorer with great results, saves all that sanding. A couple of owners in the yard have recently used this as a cheaper alternative to Y10 also.

 

[Vanilla]

The differences in opinion on this thread, and indeed all threads about looking after teak, highlights the need for some really objective data. Would be good if one of the sailing mags could undertake some more definitive long-term research into different ways of cleaning and looking after teak decks, like they do for antifoul. Not just subjective judgements about how good the teak looks with various treatments but some proper analyses of what the various products actually do to the teak surface, how long the effect lasts etc.

Would be pretty easy to design some controlled experiments using a series of teak planks left outside to weather and systematically treated with various products or just cleaned with water/seawater.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Good call, Vanilla, but a bit long-term in the way you've proposed it. I'm pretty sure chemical analysis of the run-off from various techniques could determine the %age of wood (or ex-wood) in them, to give an index of erosion.