Grey Weathered Teak

[Spero]

I'm sure the regulars on here have probably talked about teak so many times they have lost count, but I would be interested to know their opinions.

I am a proud owner of a Jeanneau SO 33i, which we have know owned for 2 years now.

When we first received the boat she looked great with lovely shiny new teak, but alas this has now changed.

I get it, teak weathers and all that but I can't help but feel this seems to be happening alarming quickly.

The boat lives up in Scotland and hence lives a harsh life, this winter was particularly bad and after re-launching her this spring it became apparent her teak has taken a battering.

The teak is now completely grey with black spots, in many areas it is also appears that the wood fibres are coming away leaving the wood with a rough finish.

So, what should I do?

We had a disastrous experience with Deks Oljie in the past which resulted in it leaching from the wood and leaving a sticky mess all over the deck. After this we have been dubious to oil the wood.

I have heard a lot of talk about Semco but have not seen it in action before.

I was thinking of using some teak restorer and cleaner to see if that will help. Any Thoughts?

 

[baggypipes]

grey teak

Hi we use 'wessex teak renovator' this brings the teak rubbing strake uk great & clean.
we then use 'deks olje' No 1 & 2. Used deks olje for years on other boats always satisfied. When putting No1 deks olje on it is very important to follow the instructions carefully ie put it on wet on wet & work it in don't over wet it or you will end up with the drips running down, we put about 6 coats on then after about 4 days we put at least 4 coats of No2 on. the grab rails still look great after a year the rubbing strake does often need topping up through the year, however we found that we need to seal the edges of the wood where it joins the grp as water tends to get behind, thats just our old Westerly boat problem.
We are in scotland having spent the winter in Troon.
hope this helps good luck

 

[pvb]

You should clean the teak, as gently as possible. Be aware that some chemical cleaners have been known to leave marks on topsides. After cleaning, treat it 2 or 3 times a year with Boracol. The teak will still weather naturally to a silvery grey colour, but it won't go green and won't get black mould spots on it which make it look dirty. It's the ultimate low maintenance solution to teak care. Whatever you do, don't be tempted to oil it.

 

[Medic]

Vote for Boracol

Our 22 year-old teak deck remains in good condition. I can't say I know the magic answer or indeed take credit for it but at least for me a combination of:

avoiding all chemical cleaners
sloshing down with sea water regularly
a gentle (very soft nylon) brushover once a year
an annual spray down with Boracol

seems to work well. The Boracol is a recent discovery for me and I have to say that I am very impressed - easy to apply, effective and (relatively) cheap.

 

[srah1953]

You should clean the teak, as gently as possible. Be aware that some chemical cleaners have been known to leave marks on topsides. After cleaning, treat it 2 or 3 times a year with Boracol. The teak will still weather naturally to a silvery grey colour, but it won't go green and won't get black mould spots on it which make it look dirty. It's the ultimate low maintenance solution to teak care. Whatever you do, don't be tempted to oil it.

Hi. How do you apply the boracol? What do you do for cleaning the teak? Surely, it must get quite dirty? Mine does, particularly areas subject to a lot of traffic.
Thanks

 

[johnalison]

The funny thing is, once you have used Boracol, or other products of a similar nature, is that the teak doesn't seem to get very dirty at all. A quick slosh round with fresh or salt water is all that is needed. The reason appears to be that what we assume is dirt is actually mould and once this is prevented the decks almost keep themselves clean.

 

[Spero]

where would one get hold of Boracol?

 

[FWB]

Mix with water, spray on deck, go home.
When you return your deck will be clean and stay that way all season.

 

[bert49uk]

having just done my teak with Semco i would highly reccomend it

 

[pvb]

Hi. How do you apply the boracol? What do you do for cleaning the teak? Surely, it must get quite dirty? Mine does, particularly areas subject to a lot of traffic.
Thanks

Apply Boracol 10RH when deck is dry, and when rain isn't expected for a couple of days (that's the tricky bit!). Just apply a flood coat with a soft paintbrush, then leave it to dry. Splashes on GRP can be wiped off, but won't damage it. Best to wear gloves and goggles, of course. Great for canvas too!

As johnalison said, once you start using Boracol, the deck doesn't seem to get very dirty at all. I haven't cleaned mine for a couple of years.

 

[mobeydick]

Our 22 year-old teak deck remains in good condition. I can't say I know the magic answer or indeed take credit for it but at least for me a combination of:

avoiding all chemical cleaners
sloshing down with sea water regularly
a gentle (very soft nylon) brushover once a year
an annual spray down with Boracol

seems to work well. The Boracol is a recent discovery for me and I have to say that I am very impressed - easy to apply, effective and (relatively) cheap.

+1

Every time you 'restore' the original teak colour, you are removing a layer and reducing its life. It is fresh water (ie rain) that allows mold etc to grow - in the winter on the hard it doesn't get the dousing of sea water that it probably does in summer.

md

 

[srah1953]

Apply Boracol 10RH when deck is dry, and when rain isn't expected for a couple of days (that's the tricky bit!). Just apply a flood coat with a soft paintbrush, then leave it to dry. Splashes on GRP can be wiped off, but won't damage it. Best to wear gloves and goggles, of course. Great for canvas too!

As johnalison said, once you start using Boracol, the deck doesn't seem to get very dirty at all. I haven't cleaned mine for a couple of years.

Thank you

 

[ianj99]

I have ignored conventional wisdom and used water based stain and water based 'varnish' on my teak.
It should be a disaster due to the oily teak and several coats of teak oil applied last year. However the wood is 30+ years old and well weathered so I doubt it will be harmed.
(I did an experiment with the wheelhouse door last year and the coatings haven't flaked off yet!)

From a cosmetic point of view, I always think grey weathered teak looks sad and neglected and much prefer the 'new look', even if it needs repainting once a year.

Photo shows hatch and hand rail after one coat of Ronseal 5year Teak stain and 2 coats Skippers water based clear varnish. Prior to that they were the usual grey teak colour.

 

[2copplane]

Mix with water, spray on deck, go home.
When you return your deck will be clean and stay that way all season.


+1 for Patio Magic. I use it on anything that can go green such as sprayhoods, ropes and even the grp.

With regard to wood fibres eroding, I noticed this issue when I first got my boat. The previous owner had employed a professional 'Teak Manicurist' http://www.ybw.com/forums/images/smilies/rolleyes.gifand I put it down the some of the natural oils being leached by harsh chemicals, plus evidence of power washing.
I'd been using Patio magic so the decks were clean and silver grey. With trepidation I simply applied a coat of quality teak oil to give it a bit of a feed. It went slightly darker mucky grey/brown for a few weeks but since then I'm not seeing wood pulp in my scuppers.

On a discrete area I am also experimenting with nanoShell, what I like about it is the timber looks exactly as it did before (silver). It's only been on 4 months but so far seems okay.

 

[vyv_cox]

I am beginning to think that the conventional advice to leave teak to weather to a natural silver grey colour is a poor long term strategy. My toerails and hand rails used to be varnished and looked beautiful. After a brief flirtation with Deks Olje, which was a disaster, I left the wood completely untouched. Now, it is clear that the timber is eroding and looks considerably less voluminous than it did. Many of the plugs have become so thin that they have popped out, exposing the screws.

This is all since moving to the Med, so above average sunshine and less rain than in UK, at least in summer.

 

[ianj99]

I am beginning to think that the conventional advice to leave teak to weather to a natural silver grey colour is a poor long term strategy. My toerails and hand rails used to be varnished and looked beautiful. After a brief flirtation with Deks Olje, which was a disaster, I left the wood completely untouched. Now, it is clear that the timber is eroding and looks considerably less voluminous than it did. Many of the plugs have become so thin that they have popped out, exposing the screws.

This is all since moving to the Med, so above average sunshine and less rain than in UK, at least in summer.

My hand rails are noticeably eroded where the wood has oxidised and turned to dust. This was part of my reasoning for applying a coating rather than more oil.

 

[Billjratt]

We do the handrails with varnish (Epifanes) as it is a more tactile finish than bare wood, which gets rough and hairy.
The deck gets salt water and a session with a proper brush, the toerails get nothing - but will need scotchbrite or something to remove the raised fibres, the wheelhouse and internals get Danish oil and tung oil.

 

[wazza]

Spiro here's my 2 penny's worth....
I have a 32 your old teak deck & this is what I do ONCE a year at the beginning of the season here in Sweden.. I wash the deck off with fresh water to get rid off any dust & **** laying on it. Whilst the deck is still damp , I pour Boracol into a bowl, then on my hands & knees work it into the deck with a soft paintbrush. Leave it to dry, that's it...

Vyv_Cox... My coachroof, including handrails, has now been coated (this year) with Coelan Polyurethane 'varnish'. Toerail will be done next year so as it will look more uniform. I have seen this product on a toerail & its rather robust & does stand up to quite a beating, but I'll see how my coachroof weathers to pass judgement...

 

[srah1953]

I am beginning to think that the conventional advice to leave teak to weather to a natural silver grey colour is a poor long term strategy. My toerails and hand rails used to be varnished and looked beautiful. After a brief flirtation with Deks Olje, which was a disaster, I left the wood completely untouched. Now, it is clear that the timber is eroding and looks considerably less voluminous than it did. Many of the plugs have become so thin that they have popped out, exposing the screws.

This is all since moving to the Med, so above average sunshine and less rain than in UK, at least in summer.

I am interested in finding out why Deks Olje was a disaster?

 

[Piers]

The teak is now completely grey with black spots, in many areas it is also appears that the wood fibres are coming away leaving the wood with a rough finish.

So, what should I do?

Hi Spero,

You have the same problem I and many others have had. My Fleming is ten this year, so we decided enough is enough. the teak was grey (like my hair so no real problem here!) but the horrid part was the black (mould) and green (litchen) spots that seemed to be getting larger and larger each year, despite salt water etc etc.

So, having read so advice after advice, and listened to so many different ideas, I went back to base - to Fleming Europe, and asked what they do. Fleming uses a company that specialises in super and mega yachts.

This company will only ever use the Wessen Teak Treatment. (http://www.wessexchemicalfactors.co.uk/product-detail.php?id=2)

The decks are now beautiful again. No sticky mess and nothing artificial or 'yellow' about it. Just beautiful.

And then I was 'taught' how to look after it. First, the 'don'ts'. Don't use a pressure washer or even a strong water spray. That just lifts the soft wood from inbetween the grain. Don't brush with the grain (again, it will lift and remove the soft wood). Then the 'dos'. Do use a light water spray. Brush gently across the grain. If necessary, use a white scotchbright (very gently) accros the grain.

But, to get rid of the black or green, you will need to use the Wessex cleaner. This will kill the mould and what have you, and restore the teak to perfection. Just follow the instructions.

So, the results for our Fleming? Beautiful. She looks ten years younger. And talking of that, I started another post on the mobo section and will be adding aome pics tomorrow. The thread is here (http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=318585).

If you do this for your boat, do have some before and after shots...