Teak oil or varnish for exterior

thinwater said:
Why not tung oil?

Vs. teak oil, it is more durable, more water resistant, and doesn't build up on the surface. It does potentially take about one more coat. I use it on wood working projects all the time. The only advantage of teak oil, as I see it, is that it contains a little varnish so that it can seal in fewer coats, but from all I read it doe snot last as long and can require stripping, so more work in the long run. It contains linseed oil as a cheaper filler material and typically costs more because people have been convinced it is "special."

I use tung oil.

A typical woodworking site quote:

Benefits of Using Tung Oil​


When comparing teak oil vs tung oil, many woodworkers prefer tung oil for its unique ability to enhance wood’s natural character. Tung oil penetrates deeply into wood fibers to create a water-resistant barrier that also allows the wood to breathe. This characteristic is particularly beneficial in preventing wood from cracking and warping, making it a superior choice for wooden items that are exposed to the elements or those that experience frequent changes in humidity.
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Yeh, I thought I might bring some back from Taiwan, where I would expect it to be cheaper, though I havnt confirmed this, and there is multi-aggro potential putting it in luggage.

How much is tung oil in The Yook, what brand would you recommend, and where do you get it?

Re your other suggestion above " ...but from all I read it doe snot last as long " I don't care how long it lasts, I'm not using doe snot.

Admittedly I have used a little (all I had) earwax when I needed a tiny trace of rubber-compatible lubricant on brakes here in Taiwan (where brake grease was, and probably still is, unobtanium), but I cant get my head around doe snot.
 
ducked said:
How much is tung oil in The Yook, what brand would you recommend, and where do you get it?

Re your other suggestion above " ...but from all I read it doe snot last as long " I don't care how long it lasts, I'm not using doe snot.

Admittedly I have used a little (all I had) earwax when I needed a tiny trace of rubber-compatible lubricant on brakes here in Taiwan (where brake grease was, and probably still is, unobtanium), but I cant get my head around doe snot.
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a. Any hardware store should have it. I've used Watco the past few times, about $25/quart.

b. Very funny. Really. I just finished spraying deer repellent in the back yard; the bucks have been destroying the 100 year old mountain laurel scraping velvet from their antlers. I'd like to use lead as a repellent, but rules ....
 
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"I am assuming oil for exterior stuff which is exposed to UV and varnish for interior teak?"

With regard to interior wood, I use Pledge furniture polish.

Nice shine, smells nice.
 
thinwater said:
a. Any hardware store should have it. I've used Watco the past few times, about $35/quart.

b. Very funny. Really. I just finished spraying deer repellent in the back yard; the bucks have been destroying the 100 year old mountain laurel scraping velvet from their antlers. I'd like to use lead as a repellent, but rules ....
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If its Very funny. Really, I think you're supposed to give me a wee symbolic credit, but perhaps you think I shouldn't be encouraged?

Re $35/quart, thanks. Not The Yook, where there are few remaining hardware stores and I dont remember seeing it on the shelves of the big "home improvement" outfits, but still of interest. IIRC a quart is about a litre. (actually 946 mls) so the US price of that 450 mls would be 16.65USD, or 12.35GBP, so its about 2.5 times the cost of the Taiwan stuff

Thats in Taipei though, other end of the country, so I'll see if I can find it locally and avoid postage.

Re lead repellent, dunno if this would work in the US, but in Scotland you are allowed to shoot them if they are damaging your crops.

Of course few people have guns or crops, but my ex-girlfrinds cousin, who was a shepherd and had a rifle, planted turnips (which he had no interest in) in his garden so he could shoot deer from an armchair in his bay window, which he did quite a lot, filling our freezer.

I assume he had a good backstop for those shots but cant honestly remember.
 
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Much depends on how you are set up for the winter. In the Baltic many boats are kept under cover, often at quite moderate cost, with the result that even varnish is in widespread use. It looks very grand, but hardly suitable for home waters.
 
ducked said:
If its Very funny. Really, I think you're supposed to give me a wee symbolic credit, but perhaps you think I shouldn't be encouraged?

Re $35/quart, thanks. Not The Yook, where there are few remaining hardware stores and I dont remember seeing it on the shelves of the big "home improvement" outfits, but still of interest. IIRC a quart is about a litre. (actually 946 mls) so the US price of that 450 mls would be 16.65USD, or 12.35GBP, so its about 2.5 times the cost of the Taiwan stuff

Thats in Taipei though, other end of the country, so I'll see if I can find it locally and avoid postage.

Re lead repellent, dunno if this would work in the US, but in Scotland you are allowed to shoot them if they are damaging your crops.

Of course few people have guns or crops, but my ex-girlfrinds cousin, who was a shepherd and had a rifle, planted turnips (which he had no interest in) in his garden so he could shoot deer from an armchair in his bay window, which he did quite a lot, filling our freezer.

I assume he had a good backstop for those shots but cant honestly remember.
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Typo. Is $25/quart. Home Depot has it. Lowes. But Amazon too.

Lead works in most of the US, but not near cites for safety reasons. My grandfather was a horticulturist, and even after he retired he had fairly large green houses and a big garden to putter about in. I learned to shoot a 22 cal rifle out the kitchen window as a small boy when visiting. Ground hogs and rabbits.
 
This is more or less the natural bare teak look I aim for. No coating applied.
This image is teak decking that is normally protected from rain behind canvas covers . Outdoors this doesn't last long but little and often gentle cleaning is the key.

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johnalison said:
Much depends on how you are set up for the winter. In the Baltic many boats are kept under cover, often at quite moderate cost, with the result that even varnish is in widespread use. It looks very grand, but hardly suitable for home waters.
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Its offered to be under cover - but if thats in a 'hangar' then its not cheap ... the cheaper alternative that some accept - is the white plastic covering ...

But I can honestly say that where I am in Latvia ... lets say 4 or 5 boats out of 50 odd will have any form of covering. The vast majority go uncovered...

I have also spent quite a bit of time in Sweden / Lithuania / Estonia and again - similar situation.

The only ones that usually get covered are like the guy 'next door' who has a new 11.5m mobo and is a newbie to boat ownership .. who wants a yard to mollycoddle his baby.
 
We left our hand rails and toe rails untreated for about 10 years in the Mediterranean, by which time we noticed that the plugs over screw heads were popping out. Measurement showed 4-5 millimetres of loss all around, the hand rails were then down to only just over half of their original diameter.

We now use Woodskin that has arrested the wasting and looks good with minimal effort.
 
Momac said:
This is more or less the natural bare teak look I aim for. No coating applied.
This image is teak decking that is normally protected from rain behind canvas covers . Outdoors this doesn't last long but little and often gentle cleaning is the key.
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Sumara of Weymouth said:
Epifanes Gloss Varnish and a descent canvas cover seems to work for me.
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No external varnish and 365 days per year sailing in the Tropics works for me😂
 
Someone has to say it.

No exterior teak works for me.

The exception is a cockpit grating, but technically that is western red cedar soaked for months is DIY Boracol and varnished with Epifanes. It's under a hard top and has proven very durable. The finish is salted to make it non-skid. I could have been happy with a plastic products, I suppose, but the wood is nicer on bare feet.
 
It’s hard to beat Le Tonkinois for looks and durability the only “secret” like all woodwork and many other things is in the preparation, make a shit job of that and the end result will be shite. 6 coats will give you a deep glass like finish or if you prefer a hard durable mat finish that is easy to maintain.
 
I use Sikkens Cetol Filter 7 on the small amount of external woodwork, tiller, handrails. Easy to apply, lasts very well as long as it's not subject to constant abrasion. Easily touched up and, after 5 or 6 years, easy to scrape off before re-application. Been doing this for the last 20+ years. I wouldn't ever go back to conventional varnishes on outside woodwork.
 
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