Restoring long neglected teak trim - stupid question

[Tranona]

Another vote for a cockpit cover. Have one on my old Eventide - essentially because the cockpit is not self draining. Have never varnished the tiller since I bought the boat in 1980 and only done the other varnish on bulkheads and washboards once since then.

On the new boat also have a cover but because it is large and takes some time to remove and attach will only leave it on in the winter or if I leave the boat for a longer period. All the teak is coated with teak oil, which seems fine if kept under cover. The biggest area is the cockpit table which has its own cover, including the wheel. Seats and cockpit floor left bare and will be washed/ Boracloed when needed.

 

[Humblebee]

Your results after treatment with oxalic acid look pretty good to me. Assuming your boat isn't brand new, why try to make it look like it is? Accept that it is ageing and it's appearance can reflect this.
Anyway, apart from philosophising, I recommend International Woodstain, as have others above. Looks good without looking artificial, easy to maintain, durable, what more does anyone want?

 

[ashtead]

I see one reply had suggested Semco which we did apply last year . Are there any downsides to using semco compared to international wood stain ? It seems to have kept our rail looking good over winter but having never used international wood stain am I missing something ? I imagine Semco might have to be applied more regularly but curious for others thoughts on comparative values

 

[Bitterend]

On my yacht in the Eastern Med I used this method
Sanded with 80 grit as recommended by Coelan
Eradicated remaining grey and black by using Oxalic acid powder, diluted in water
Its important to dilute well, better to do it twice than have a light patch
Applied 7 coats of Coelan
Cleaned regularly with a damp cloth
5 years later in the Med sun still perfect
http://www.coelan-boat.com/
Coelan does not need mirror finish wood, as just 80 grit sandpaper implies, but if applied as per the instructions a mirror finish will be achieved.

 

[Yngmar]

I've used the cabinet scraper (brilliant!) to smooth it back down after the oxalic acid treatment had raised the grain, which took off a little bit more. Decided to varnish it the way it is rather than removing another 1-2 mm. Rubbed it down with white spirit and I think it'll look alright when varnished (which hopefully will arrive the next few days).

 

[jamieo]

What about interior teak?

I think it's been a long time since mine had any attention and it's looking a little worse for wear in places. Could definitely do with sprucing up. It seems like a massive job to me, hence been putting it off. I was figuring I'd need to hand sand everything down and start from scratch... Not sure what the best thing to do is. Thoughts?

 

[ex-Gladys]

Just after the lady wife and I met, I said that she wouldn't see much of me on weekends, as I had the inside of the boat to spruce up. The result was that we gave the inside a light rub down, and then varnished over with gloss Goldspar. It wasn't that pleasant as it was cold, but the results have stood the test of time. Gloss suited Gladys as she's fairly dark below...

 

[Daydream believer]

If your teak is old & has not been touched much I would forget all that hard work. Get the power washer & give it a good going over. In spite of what all the experts say i have done mine every year for the past 13 & have had no problems at all.-
(Just watch the reaction this brings)
If you are worried about doing it every year then just do it the once & get rid of most of the mould etc & let it dry off & re appraise
I do not know how much you have but mine takes 3/4 an hour & looks good when done. I would never apply any varnishes or stains etc & scrubbing will possibly damage the soft bits as much as jet washing. Jet washing gets into all the awkward corners which are hard to clean by other means.

 

[jamieo]

Just after the lady wife and I met, I said that she wouldn't see much of me on weekends, as I had the inside of the boat to spruce up. The result was that we gave the inside a light rub down, and then varnished over with gloss Goldspar. It wasn't that pleasant as it was cold, but the results have stood the test of time. Gloss suited Gladys as she's fairly dark below...

She wouldn't see me much... "We gave"... Cunning ploy!

Was it very messy to tub down the interior? I don't want to get the bilges filled with dust.

About how long did it all take?

 

[ex-Gladys]

She wouldn't see me much... "We gave"... Cunning ploy!

Was it very messy to tub down the interior? I don't want to get the bilges filled with dust.

About how long did it all take?

It was a very light wet and dry rub down, which you can sort of clear up as you go... It took one weekend to rub down doing about a 3-4 hour stint, and about the same for two single coats of varnish on successive weekends. Definitely worth the effort. TBH Gladys' woodwork was in good nick, it was just the finish that was not, so we didn't have any water damage, or blackening to deal with

 

[Yngmar]

I've changed my mind and took to the sander once more, sanded down another 1.5 mm to get rid of all the grey, some hand sanding for the edges and then a round of scraping to expose the grain and various washing and rubbing in between. Then a coat of Le Tonkinois Vernis No. 1 and 48 hours later:

The Le Tonkinois is every bit as good as the guy selling it claims (well, so far - we'll see about durability in a couple years). It flows on nicely and leaves no brush marks. I've still got some bubbles, so have to practice my technique some more, but it's already infinitely better than the Ronseal "yacht exterior" stuff. Also, the Le Tonk smells like trees, while the Ronseal smelled like chemical plant.

Four more coats to go (at least), with 48 hours in between as it gets quite cold at night still and for reasons of dust I've shut and sealed the heater air duct in that cabin.

 

[chinita]

That is very good for one coat. Le Tonk is not very hard or durable. I always larrup a coat on at the first sign of good weather. Only takes an hour or so and the cost is bearable as I buy 10 litres at a time.

 

[Yngmar]

Stubbornness prevails! After lots of work, I'm very pleased with the results. I've used Le Tonkinois Vernis No. 1, five coats per side, 48 hour curing time and gentle wet sanding (1500 grit) between each to smoothen and key. Then (and this step is entirely optional, but I'd gotten a bit obsessed at that point), wet sanding with 600, 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit and finally polishing to a satin finish.

I've learnt a ton in the process, which is always fun, at least when it all leads to a nice result. Tried various brushes (foam, bad synthetic, natural bristle and finally good synthetic) and techniques and got a feel for coat thickness and application.

The polishing I did because I wanted a not totally glossy finish, and because I had some dust motes despite all care. I first tried to use the supplied Gelomat matting agent mixed with varnish, but for some reason that bubbled like mad and I didn't like the look of it anyways. I do love the look of the polish, so it all worked out.

That only leaves the rest of the boat!

For comparison, this is what they looked like when I started (top one):

 

[Dan-NS27]

It's coming along nicely. Looks good.