single or two component varnish on teak capping

[BartW]

We are going to sand the teak gunwale capping to bare wood,
and then put brand new layers of varnish

some people advice:

-single component varnish, based on lanolin oil,
this will have the best fixation on the teak, and remains a bit flexible
apply many layers to obtain a nice result
you need to add one or two new layers at least ones a year, and then it will remain good during many years
the end result won't be as shiny as two component

others advice:

-use a strong high quality two compenent varnish,
good cleaning and de-greasing before appliing varnisch
use many layers, and start with 30% deluted
end result very strong and shiny, will be good for two seasons.

what would the experienced forum advice ?

 

[Tranona]

There is no clear cut answer. Good results can be achieved with both single and two pot finishes. Arguably the best is a combination of epoxy and varnish such as is used on big wooden masts. However, very expensive and labour intensive to apply. Some people have had success with Coelan which is a flexible polyurethane coating, but again expensive and difficult to apply. Latest developments are flexible porous woodstains such as International Woodskin which are quick and easy to apply, UV resistant and as they erode do not suffer from flaking and film degradation. Downside is that they do not give a high gloss finish.

Most important thing with teak is to get all the old finish off and the dirt out then clean with acetone before applying your chosen finish.

 

[TimBennet]

This sort of questions bridges the gap between boat work and religion!

Firstly, what sort of finish do you want for your varnish and how much work is 'work' to you over the years?

For myself, I don't like dull, woodskin or oil based finishes. I would rather have plain weathered teak, but then only if I was struck blind and could never see again. Ever.
Actually I'd rather do root canal work on myself with a hammer drill and a blunt bit, than have weathered teak.

So even in the tropics I think the 'work' involved with any varnish finish is 'worthwhile'. It's part of the experience of owning a boat with brightwork.

So my choice is your option one, and no one has ever complained about the shine or the durability of work I've done for them.

With teak, I never fight the oils by using 'de-greasers'. I go with it and start by applying several thin coats of Deks Olje D1 (on the same day)
Then lots of coats of D2 (as soon as it's touch dry).

I then rub down lightly with a 3m green scrubby with Turbs and wipe off.

I then start with a Tung Oil varnish (not Lanolin - that would be like rubbing your varnish with a dead sheep) Like Epithanes.

After a couple of coats I really carefully rub back with 320 grit wet and dry to get a uniformly dull surface.

Then I varnish with several coats (with light denibbing) until happy.

But don't over sand and break through on edges etc, put enough varnish on each coat but not too much, make good any dings or wear when they happen, apply another coat when the finish begins to loose it's lustre, use metal protecting strips if there's any chance of a line rubbing on it, wash with fresh water (or dew) when possible, ie LOVE IT!

Your should be able to go many, many years without having to return to bare wood.

 

[TSB240]

The combination that works for me is:


Two pack route to give a good hard and protective base coat and then finish with one pack to give the full glossy shine and its easier to maintain than 2 pack.

 

[Divemaster1]

Support the approach wit Owatrol Deks Olje D1 (on the same day), then several coats of D2 (at least 2 -3).

Other successes I have seen on a wee boat I chartered one year (she did have an engine ... honest Gov...) ...

...was for the final layer to be Epoxy to take the inevitable wear & tear from the ropes onboard....

 

[A_8]

I was contemplating the same 3 yrs back when I had to redo some of the teak. For the most exposed teak, gets walked on and is always unprotected, sun, rain salt etc I decided to apply many layers of epoxy and finish with a few layers of two component polyurethane varnish. 3 yrs in its as good as new, a few scratches from shoes etc but that's it. I was told to finish with two component p varnish as it keeps the epoxy layer from degrading from ultraviolet light. I've had no issues with the epoxy fixation on the teak however I cleaned the teak several times with Acetone before applying the epoxy.
I was skeptic initially and decided to do the rest of the teak with traditional varnish, thinking it would fixate better, be a bit more flexible and most important easier to repair if there was any through varnish damage but in retrospect I should have done it all in epoxy.