Semco & Boracol

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brians

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The existing teak decking has been treated with Semco but I do not like the colour. I would like to use Boracol and return to a more natural colour.

Is it necessary to remove the existing Semco first and what is the best way?
 
yes - Semco is a sealer and will not permit Boracol to enter the grain. According to Semco, you can remove it using the standard two part teak cleaners - first an acid wash, followed by strong alkali. I've never actually tried it - I like Semco and just top it up each year. Try the West teak cleaner kit.

You do realise that you can get clear Semco, don't you? If you don't like the brown tint, try that - it will still seal the wood, keep out dirt and protect the soft wood in the grain.
 
maby said:
yes - Semco is a sealer and will not permit Boracol to enter the grain. According to Semco, you can remove it using the standard two part teak cleaners - first an acid wash, followed by strong alkali. I've never actually tried it - I like Semco and just top it up each year. Try the West teak cleaner kit.

You do realise that you can get clear Semco, don't you? If you don't like the brown tint, try that - it will still seal the wood, keep out dirt and protect the soft wood in the grain.
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We use 'natural' Semco. Still has UV protection but not dark. Looks great on our new teak. We tried borocol in the past but doesnt really seal just stops mold spores.
 
geem said:
We use 'natural' Semco. Still has UV protection but not dark. Looks great on our new teak. We tried borocol in the past but doesnt really seal just stops mold spores.
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Boracol is not a sealer - it is simply a fungicide - it gets the current mildew out and slows down regrowth for a few months but nothing more. When we first Semcoed our decks, we gave them a couple of treatments with Boracol first to get as much of the mildew out as possible. The Semco now seems to work to keep the growth down.
 
maby said:
very small weed killer?
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No, a very effective algaecide. Many people seem more concerned by their teak decks going green than by the mould spores (which many think are bits of dirt, anyway). With my previous boat, a Hallberg-Rassy with teak decks, I used Boracol religiously, with great results. And I've recommended it here many times. I can only be thankful that I specified "plastic teak" on my new boat! Much easier to care for, doesn't deteriorate, no "ticking timebomb" of replacement costs!
 
pvb said:
No, a very effective algaecide. Many people seem more concerned by their teak decks going green than by the mould spores (which many think are bits of dirt, anyway). With my previous boat, a Hallberg-Rassy with teak decks, I used Boracol religiously, with great results. And I've recommended it here many times. I can only be thankful that I specified "plastic teak" on my new boat! Much easier to care for, doesn't deteriorate, no "ticking timebomb" of replacement costs!
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I'll agree with you there - I definitely would not have real teak through choice - our current boat was the dealer's demonstrator - so we had no choice. Boracol is good at keeping the growth down, but it does nothing to protect the grain of the wood. I'm hoping that, by sealing the soft wood, Semco will help to delay the replacement costs
 
We found Patio Magic used regularly seem to work as well as boracol at a fraction of the cost. We are no longer in the UK so those days of mold spores are over. The Semco does provide good UV protection. A Bosun on a mega Yacht recommended it to us. They use it every couple of months on their launch teak decks. He says they get hammered with non sailing foorwear and high heels but the deck looked superb. They used the Natural colour so we did as well.
 
geem said:
We found Patio Magic used regularly seem to work as well as boracol at a fraction of the cost. We are no longer in the UK so those days of mold spores are over. The Semco does provide good UV protection. A Bosun on a mega Yacht recommended it to us. They use it every couple of months on their launch teak decks. He says they get hammered with non sailing foorwear and high heels but the deck looked superb. They used the Natural colour so we did as well.
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Patio magic, like Boracol contains benzalkonium chloride which is the algaecide and fungicide.

Boracol also contains disodium octaborate which is an insecticide effective against woodworm and other wood borers.

If you need to protect your decks against woodworm then use Boracol!
 
VicS said:
Boracol also contains disodium octaborate which is an insecticide effective against woodworm and other wood borers.
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Whilst disodium octaborate is commonly used as an insecticide, it's also proven to be very effective against algae and fungi. In combination with benzalkonium chloride, it's a compelling choice for optimum results.
 
pvb said:
Whilst disodium octaborate is commonly used as an insecticide, it's also proven to be very effective against algae and fungi. In combination with benzalkonium chloride, it's a compelling choice for optimum results.
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Geem reports that Patio Magic used regularly seem to work as well as boracol at a fraction of the cost.

Many would see that as a compelling reason to use Patio Magic
 
VicS said:
Geem reports that Patio Magic used regularly seem to work as well as boracol at a fraction of the cost.

Many would see that as a compelling reason to use Patio Magic
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I guess it perhaps depends on how often you want to treat the wood, and whether your investment in the boat warrants spending a little more to be certain of looking after it. It's a bit like tools - some people suggest buying cheap and cheerful from Lidl/Aldi, others think it's worth spending a little more on something which will be better in the long run.

I used Boracol on my last boat, because Hallberg-Rassy recommended its use. And the deck did look good after 20+ years.
 
pvb said:
I guess it perhaps depends on how often you want to treat the wood, and whether your investment in the boat warrants spending a little more to be certain of looking after it. It's a bit like tools - some people suggest buying cheap and cheerful from Lidl/Aldi, others think it's worth spending a little more on something which will be better in the long run.

I used Boracol on my last boat, because Hallberg-Rassy recommended its use. And the deck did look good after 20+ years.
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Did you use 5RH or was that when you could easily obtain 10RH. Which did HR recommend.

I wonder if the ethane diol content contributes to the appearance if you use 10RH
 
maby said:
I'll agree with you there - I definitely would not have real teak through choice - our current boat was the dealer's demonstrator - so we had no choice. Boracol is good at keeping the growth down, but it does nothing to protect the grain of the wood. I'm hoping that, by sealing the soft wood, Semco will help to delay the replacement costs
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I'm sure your strategy is right and cleaning then sealing is the best for keeping teak protected. In Italy there is less chance of fungus and algae and I just use a silicone sealer, originally clear, colourless Semco but latterly Teak Wonder. Semco is not available locally in Italy but Teak Wonder is. I bought a 1 litre can for €19 - half the price I paid for a litre of Semco from the UK on-line shop.

The contents seemed identical to Semco. It applied identically too and the result looks similar. It has all the same physical attributes - appearance, smell, consistency and applies with the same ease, soaking in as though water based. The active sealing ingredient is advertised as silicon and it seems to work just as well as Semco.

.
 
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VicS said:
Did you use 5RH or was that when you could easily obtain 10RH. Which did HR recommend.

I wonder if the ethane diol content contributes to the appearance if you use 10RH
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I've used both, initially 10RH until the ridiculous legislation decreed it was only for professional use, then 5RH afterwards. They both contain ethane diol, which is there to encourage absorption into the wood.
 
VicS said:
Geem reports that Patio Magic used regularly seem to work as well as boracol at a fraction of the cost.

Many would see that as a compelling reason to use Patio Magic
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The active ingredient of Patio Magic is the same as the primary ingredient of Boracol. There is a suggestion that the secondary ingredient of Boracol may make the effect last longer, but I'm not convinced. I've used both, both seem to work equally well at removing the current growth and neither seems to last particularly well beyond about 6 months.
 
maby said:
The active ingredient of Patio Magic is the same as the primary ingredient of Boracol.
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Not true! The primary ingredient in Boracol is disodium octaborate, which Patio Magic doesn't contain at all. Boracol also contains a small percentage of benzalkonium chloride, which is the main ingredient in Patio Magic. Perhaps that's why some people prefer to use Boracol.
 
pvb said:
Not true! The primary ingredient in Boracol is disodium octaborate, which Patio Magic doesn't contain at all. Boracol also contains a small percentage of benzalkonium chloride, which is the main ingredient in Patio Magic. Perhaps that's why some people prefer to use Boracol.
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Or perhaps that is why people find Patio Magic as effective as Boracol and use it because it is less expensive.
 
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