Teak greying

Tomkat17

Tomkat17

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I have stripped my teak toerail and applied teak oil last season, but it has gone uneven in colour with black motled patches. I have seen teak which has gone a very even grey/silver colour. How do you achieve this even silver/grey effect?
 
To allow teak to go grey/silver don't oil it.
The black may be sanding dust that has not been properly washed off before oiling - it rots and turns black.
 
You will need to strip it back to bare wood, if that is possible, and then apply a coat of "Boracol". It will probably need a recoat a couple of times a year as you are in UK. Boracol is not usually in shops but if you Google it you can find it quite easily. Only snag is it comes in a min of 5 litres!
 
I find Dettol mould and mildew remover excellent, buy it at any supermarket for a couple of quid. Seems to carry on working and lightening the wood. Also a wash with a weak solution of oxalic acid. Just dissolve some powder in a bucket with washing up liquid. Problem is buying the stuff in small quantities unless you know a friendly chemist or someone who works in a lab. And don't oil the wood afterwards.
 
wessex chemicals do a 2-pack teak cleaner, about £20.
This will bring the teak back to its original pale wood colour. Much endorsed over on MBC. £20 will last you a long time, but its great stuff !
 
I can only endorse what others have said. After you clean back to bare wood it is very tempting to apply an oil of some sort, because its looks brilliant; as you found out this is a mistake unless you are willing to keep it up.
I lightly sand my toerails (always when dry, in the direction of the grain, using a sanding block, never a scrubbing brush) every winter to remove dirt and grot. Seems to work for me.
 
Very simple.

Don't oil. Don't sand. Use a 3M white scouring pad (the non abrasive variety) and rub the teak gently to clean it with lots of water. To get rid of black or blueish marks (mould etc), use a mould killer such as Patio Magic from Brinton Products.

Keep the teak clean with water and brushing, and once a year a gentle 3M scrub (with the grain, not against it). You will end up with g;lorious grey teak.

I have kept my teak decking looking great for many years using the above methods. If you can use salt water, even better. That acts as a deterrant to mould as well.
 
Do any of you guys who liberally cover your teak with fungicides really understand what happens when you wash it off into the marina or sea ?

OK, this

http://eppserver.ag.utk.edu/redbook/pdf/fungicidetable.pdf

is an agricultural site, but has relevance to the marine environment too.

TBT has been banned for amateur use, but is still used on commercial shipping.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tributyltin_oxide

Current views are that fungicides disrupt the hormone functions in marine life, thus inhibiting - amongst other things - breeding.
 
OK. I have talked with Brinton Products who advise,

'The product is a fungicidal discinfectant, a 'biocide', with quatenary ammonium compounds which kill organisms. Once dry, 4-5 hrs, the product becomes immobile, meaning subsequent rain will not dislodge it. It dynamic adsorbs.'

What I take from this is that if none goes over the side of the boat and just dries out, no damage.

Brinton added that Fairy Liquid can do more damage.

Are there any chemists who can comment on the use a biocide on a boat?
 
[ QUOTE ]
Do any of you guys who liberally cover your teak with fungicides really understand what happens when you wash it off into the marina or sea ?

[/ QUOTE ]Once dry, it's pretty well harmless. But before you get too upset, have you ever read the MSDS sheet for commonly-used yacht antifouling? "Very toxic to aquatic organisms, may cause long-term adverse effects in the aquatic environment" is a typical warning.
 
Rubbish! I was just pointing out that sarabande's dire warnings about using fungicides are crazy when we all use poisonous antifouling as a matter of course. For the record, I've been using algaecide and fungicide on my teak decks for years, and I've been a strong proponent on these forums of treating teak this way.
 
Toxic antifouling could be regarded as a necessity. Cleaning your decks with algicide / fungicide, when the manufacturers advise against it, shows a certain lack of care and concern, when sea water and a hard brush will do the job.

It seems to me that appearances are sometimes more important than biocontinuity.
 
I think you are worrying too much about the type and concentration of fungicides available for amateur use. The usual active ingredient is benzalkonium chloride, which you can read about here. It does not figure in your toxicity table.

Sample quotes: [ QUOTE ]
It has been considered one of the safest synthetic biocides known.

Although hazardous levels are not likely to be reached under normal use conditions [my italics], it is important to remember that benzalkonium and other detergents can pose a hazard to marine organisms. Quaternary ammonium disinfectants are effective at very low ppm levels, so it is important avoid excess in use. Responsible care ensures that we do not disrupt the fragile marine ecosystems that sustain us.

[/ QUOTE ]
 
Sorry pvb my comment wasn't directed at you, in fact I'm actually in agreement with your views on this! I'm constantly amazed at people who don't understand the difference between affecting water courses and putting infintisimal ammounts of dispersibles in the tidal oceans of the world, and yet paint nasties on their motorsailors and justify it as necessary.
 
"I lightly sand my toenails (always when dry, in the direction of the grain, using a sanding block, never a scrubbing brush) every winter to remove dirt and grot. Seems to work for me"

Well that's how I read it at first glance /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
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