Removing varnish

[GaryMiller]

The teak rubbing strake on our newly acquired Seaward has been varnished and is looking very tatty; I intend to remove the old varnish with a combination of scraping and, hopefully, get some assistance from Nitromors or similar. I must confess that I've never had much success using Nitromors on painted surfaces (perhaps I'm too impatient?) and I'm wondering if there's a better alternative.
Any thoughts/experiences gratefully received.

 

[Tranona]

Hot air gun and a Bahco scraper https://www.zoro.co.uk/shop/tools-a...wjXRK0qscXJovrJXGJkC6GmBlFKLwX5xoCk2EQAvD_BwE is usually the most effective followed by sanding with 60 grit followed by 120 or 180. Coating of your choice. International Woodskin on this example

 

[AndrewB]

Teak doesn't take kindly to varnish. It will soon look tatty again, so be prepared to have to scrape it down and revarnish every year. Good quality teak oil is a simpler option (low quality tends to blacken), not quite as pretty though. You might be tempted to leave teak bare, as it still looks good and it is quite rot-resistant, though eventually rot will get into the grain.

Incidentally, for removing varnish I use Nitromors Craftsman, which is much less messy than regular Nitromors though it needs white spirit to neutralize. The loosened varnish still needs to be scraped off, in my case using a Skarsten scraper. The blade of this should be kept really sharp (or regularly renewed) but it is a good idea to round off the corners as otherwise any mistake can result in a deep scratch.

 

[Buck Turgidson]

My varnished teak looks amazing. Just needs a little TLC. Heat gun and scraper as suggested is the way to go.

 

[GaryMiller]

Thanks for the info. - we (dragged my wife into this as well) used the heat gun plus scraper on one side today and it seems to have worked well; now for the other side ..........................

 

[harvey38]

I used this product

Paramose DCM Paint Stripper 5L - Restorate

You have to sign a declaration before it is dispatched but it is very good stuff, gloves and safety glasses are very much needed. I used it on about ten teak louvre doors and it works well.

 

[oldharry]

Using conventional paint strippers, be careful not to splash any on grp. It attacks polyester resins too..