removing varnish from teak

[john]

i want to get old varnish off the exterior teakwork and return it to the original, unvarnished state. What is the best way to do this - is it sanding? what should I use to protect the teak afterwards?
thanks
john

 

[rogerroger]

John

Your reasons might be different from mine - but I asked the exact same question to a mate who's a marine engineer. My teak is old and dirty looking so I thought I'd sand it down and re-varnish it so I'd have gleaming wood work on the cockpit seats and grab rails etc.

He told me NOT to do it - something about the old varnish now being so integral to the wood that stripping it would dimishing the quality. He told me just to clean it with teak oil.

Don't know whether that helps you or not - I'm sure someone with a better understanding of exterior wood will give you a better idea...

Roger Holden
www.first-magnitude.co.uk

 

[Miker]

I had the same problem with the varnish on the kicking rail. Despite an annual varnishing, water had got under the varnish and the teak was turning black. I first used a paint scraper and ended up in sanding down the stubborn parts. I read somewhere to put bleach on the black parts but don't know whether it did any good. It didn't seem to do any harm! I then soaked the wood with Deks. The teak is now has a grey weathered look which suits me.
I now am wondering whether to treat the washboards in the same way as the edges are fraying and going black.

 

[steveh]

I have just removed varnish and Sikkens from wood on our boat (not Teak but hardwood) using Nitromors - its seems to remove one coat at a time and after a bit of light sanding looks good as new.

 

[Footpad]

We found that getting the stuff to stay on was the problem. The marine environment seems excellent at removing varnish fron teak. Those bits that wind, rain, frost and sun couldn't remove came off with hook scraper very easily.

 

[miket]

I have removed varnish from teak with no problem, other than the time taken.

I have always been of the opinion that the natural oils in teak cause problems for the varnish adhering.

For teak trim on a GRP boat, I would not varnish, but use teak oil and a scrubbing brush. Very nice result.