Lichen on teak seating

[Ional]

The lichen is a nice green, and shows our Devon air to be clean, but I don't want it on my seat rungs.

I have pressure washed them in the past, but apart from the mess, and smell, I don't think its very kind to the wood.

Any ideas please?

 

[prv]

I think people use anti-fungal patio stuff with success.

But I'm mostly posting to say, any scrubbing you do should be across the grain, not along it. Otherwise you wear away the softer wood between the growth rings.

Pete

 

[johnalison]

When we got our boat new in 2000, the advice was just to throw seawater over the teak decks, which was supposed to keep the wood looking OK. It didn't, and we had patches of lichen, mainly around the foredeck. For the last dozen years we have been using first Polycell mould killer, and more recently Patio Magic and the lichen has disappeared, though the areas of growth still have a slight stain.

 

[KevO]

I had a similar issue. I sorted it with Wessex teak cleaner and a sponge against the grain, then used the Wessex teak renovator. Then a gentle hand sand in odd places where the growth had exposed the grain too much, just to smooth it off. Patio magic applied annually keeps it green growth free.

 

[npf1]

When we got our boat new in 2000, the advice was just to throw seawater over the teak decks, which was supposed to keep the wood looking OK. It didn't, and we had patches of lichen, mainly around the foredeck. For the last dozen years we have been using first Polycell mould killer, and more recently Patio Magic and the lichen has disappeared, though the areas of growth still have a slight stain.

+1. Slap it on twice per year and the mould won't come back. I used a garden sprayer and it took about ten mins to do all the teak around the boat.

 

[wiggy]

Patio Magic, recent convert, it's FAB.

 

[Carduelis]

+2 Patio Magic.
Dilute about 4:1, brush it on so the wood is saturated. Don't wash it off. Then leave it for a few days. The lichen will have disappeared as if by well... 'magic'.

 

[kengill]

Elbow grease with fine abrasive paper will minimize the surface area exposed then pressure wash the hell out of it. Worked fine for me on the teak sllats of my 29 year old Gib'sea. It's also the cheapest solution!!

Cheers

 

[johnalison]

Elbow grease with fine abrasive paper will minimize the surface area exposed then pressure wash the hell out of it. Worked fine for me on the teak sllats of my 29 year old Gib'sea. It's also the cheapest solution!!

Cheers

Pressure washing teak will not be the cheap option when you have knackered the wood and it has to be replaced. Don't pressure wash teak, please.

 

[Poecheng]

Borocol
That's what HR recommend for their teak decks.
Excellent stuff

 

[Bandit]

+1 For Boracol

 

[VicS]

Borocol
That's what HR recommend for their teak decks.
Excellent stuff

+1 For Boracol

What are the advantages of Boracol over Pato Magic or Polycell 3 in 1?

All three contain benzalkonium chloride. Patio magic a higher concentration, ITYWF, than the other two.

Boracol also contains disodium octaborate, which is also a wood preservative and insecticide, and ethanediol (aka ethylene glycol, as in antifreeze) to aid penetration.

Patio Magic is readily available from the DIY stores, Boracol less readily available.

Patio magic is £6 /2.5 litres from B&Q

Boracol 5RH is £30 / 5 litres, plus upwards of £8.75 p&p, plus VAT, (making it £46.50 to £56.34) direct from the UK manufacturers

Unless one requires Boracol as a wood preservative and insecticide Patio magic would seem to be the obvious choice.

 

[pvb]

Disodium octaborate is a powerful fungicide, complementing the algaecidal properties of benzalkonium chloride, and making Boracol more effective overall. In particular, Boracol is great at preventing the tiny spots of black mould on decks, which make the deck look "dirty".

 

[Ional]

Thanks all. Tried patio magic, with a brush this morning as forecast was for a dry day. Just had a light shower...........guess I will have to do it again!

Hope it will be ok to drip onto our painted alluminium decks? Couldn't see any warning signs re metal.

 

[johnalison]

Thanks all. Tried patio magic, with a brush this morning as forecast was for a dry day. Just had a light shower...........guess I will have to do it again! .

Don't give up hope. I had the same problem a few weeks ago and it worked OK, though I may have to redo it earlier than usual. I don't think metal is a problem but I gather one shouldn't spill any into the environment as it is bad for marine life.

 

[Daydream believer]

Pressure washing teak will not be the cheap option when you have knackered the wood and it has to be replaced. Don't pressure wash teak, please.

Been doing it for 12 years & no problem on the decks. The 2 handholds are not easy to clean so have suffered
Certainly is the easy option & if I have to replace the teak a year earlier - so what !!
But i do not go at it really hard but just do it gently
Do it start of every year only & very little else

 

[KevO]

Been doing it for 12 years & no problem on the decks. The 2 handholds are not easy to clean so have suffered
Certainly is the easy option & if I have to replace the teak a year earlier - so what !!
But i do not go at it really hard but just do it gently
Do it start of every year only & very little else

How do you pressure wash gently???? move the wand sloooowly?

Mash up the teak and when it's ruined just replace it? You are either made of money so that just getting a boat yard flunky to do the job at your beck and call is not an issue or.. you sell teak! Phew! how the other half live eh???

 

[pvb]

You are either made of money so that just getting a boat yard flunky to do the job at your beck and call is not an issue or.. you sell teak! Phew! how the other half live eh???

Essex, innit?

 

[VicS]

How do you pressure wash gently???? move the wand sloooowly?

If its one of the cheaper domestic washers it wont do much harm........ mine wont knock the skin off a rice pudding!

 

[Daydream believer]

How do you pressure wash gently???? move the wand sloooowly?

Mash up the teak and when it's ruined just replace it? You are either made of money so that just getting a boat yard flunky to do the job at your beck and call is not an issue or.. you sell teak! Phew! how the other half live eh???

Well firstly ( as Vic S rightly points out a domestic washer is not that powerful) one does not hold the jet too close & make sure one keeps moving it & not just blast one spot, Angle the nozzle so as not to trash the softer spots. But of course if the quality of ones teak is such that it is fairly even texture then that helps

To the second comment - I would never call boat yard staff, or any other operative for that matter, by the term " flunkey"

Thirdly, I spent a large part of my working life owning, amongst other things, a joinery manufacturing business, so fitting a bit of teak would not be the problem it is to some

Finally, if you cannot afford to run a boat then do not have one --- simple really