Teak Oil

rafiki_

rafiki_

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Apologies for this thread as I'm sure this has been covered many times.

Having previously used International teak oil at £10 ish for a pot from the swindlers, I used Garden Centre stuff last year at £3 a pot. I have convinced myself that the Garden Centre stuff was not as durable, needing 3 coats last year, compared with 2 the previous season.

I know the maths say this is a no brainer, but apart from the time taken to apply, what are the thoughts of this learned forum?
 
Save all your money and leave it bare. Teal oil is not good - it attracts dirt rather than keeps it away.
 
Tranona said:
Save all your money and leave it bare. Teal oil is not good - it attracts dirt rather than keeps it away.
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Completely agree - big bucket of salt water and scrub across the grain. Once a year you can carry out an acid based hard clean ( we use a powder but can't recall the brand name) but go back to salt water for the rest.
 
I trialled an alternative to pure teak oil on my garden furniture at the back end of last year.

Having read on the bottle of teak oil that the ingredients were essentially linseed oil and a solvent, I figured the only difference between cheap teak oil and the expensive stuff was the amount of linseed oil content.

However since I noticed in Wickes that a bottle of linseed oil was only a few quid (£3 or something? maybe a fiver) compared to teak oil, I thought it was worth a go.

I mixed some linseed oil with the teak oil and applied it. I Noticed an immediate difference, the rainwater beading on the surface was much more reassuring than with teak oil alone, and seemed to continue doing so for several rain showers afterwards.

So far it seems to have been much more durable too, and although the winter is not yet over (far from it), 4 months on all is looking well.

I do agree it's made the surface a bit oily, and has attracted some dirt I guess, but it has retained the nice look of the wood. It's all a compromise and a question of taste.

I'm now considering whether to revarnish my bathing platform (knowing that whatever I use it'll need doing again in 12 months) or keep reapplying teak oil / linseed oil mix on a 6 monthly basis.

Oil is a lot easier to apply and needs a lot less preparation than varnish, it seems to me. I know it's a continuing source of debate on the forum, and I'm still making my mind up, but I'm beginning to be swayed by my garden furniture experience...
 
Trundlebug said:
I trialled an alternative to pure teak oil on my garden furniture at the back end of last year.

Having read on the bottle of teak oil that the ingredients were essentially linseed oil and a solvent, I figured the only difference between cheap teak oil and the expensive stuff was the amount of linseed oil content.

However since I noticed in Wickes that a bottle of linseed oil was only a few quid (£3 or something? maybe a fiver) compared to teak oil, I thought it was worth a go.

I mixed some linseed oil with the teak oil and applied it. I Noticed an immediate difference, the rainwater beading on the surface was much more reassuring than with teak oil alone, and seemed to continue doing so for several rain showers afterwards.

So far it seems to have been much more durable too, and although the winter is not yet over (far from it), 4 months on all is looking well.

I do agree it's made the surface a bit oily, and has attracted some dirt I guess, but it has retained the nice look of the wood. It's all a compromise and a question of taste.

I'm now considering whether to revarnish my bathing platform (knowing that whatever I use it'll need doing again in 12 months) or keep reapplying teak oil / linseed oil mix on a 6 monthly basis.

Oil is a lot easier to apply and needs a lot less preparation than varnish, it seems to me. I know it's a continuing source of debate on the forum, and I'm still making my mind up, but I'm beginning to be swayed by my garden furniture experience...
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IMHO you are using "teakoil" for the best purpose, garden furniture, it has no place on a boat and teak will not absorb it anyway, it just coats the surface.
I agree with Tranona.
 
The boat is a sports cruiser, with teak on the bathing platform and cockpit. Clearly the bathing platform weathers far quicker than the cockpit, which is sheltered most of the time. I like to see the teak the same colour, that is why I oil it. I use brightener to clean, then the oil, and both cockpit and bathing platform look uniform and good.

So I will continue oiling, although I do understand those who prefer not to. It is a personal thing.
 
rafiki_ said:
The boat is a sports cruiser, with teak on the bathing platform and cockpit. Clearly the bathing platform weathers far quicker than the cockpit, which is sheltered most of the time. I like to see the teak the same colour, that is why I oil it. I use brightener to clean, then the oil, and both cockpit and bathing platform look uniform and good.

So I will continue oiling, although I do understand those who prefer not to. It is a personal thing.
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There are better products if you really want to go that way, have a look at endeavour products.
 
I use teak oil. Leaving it natural means green. I'm sure if the boat was in the Med I wouldn't use it, but it isn't and I do.

I've found the International to be much longer lasting than garden furniture brands, which means less frequent coats. Force 4 were selling it cheap for a while (don't know if they still are) so I stocked up. The areas you need to focus on touching up are those where the crew step regularly and those areas where continually re-stocked pools of rainwater lie for weeks.
 
I confess yet again.

Having previously confessed to my habit of heaving-to to eat and rest etc. Now I confess to another sin, I use 'Danish Teak Oil' (Dulux I think), once a year I scrub with oxalic acid, wash off well and coat with the oil which lasts all through the year. My family do say I am anal about my boat........... Complete nonsense of course.......... ho hum?

Oh yeah, just remembered, Maurice Griffiths can be found to be re-varnishing his bowsprit half-way through a cruise because the varnish had been scoured off......... yep, he and I could have been pals I reckon.
 
rafiki_ said:
Sorry chaps. I am going to brighten and oil the teak. So will do a bit more investigation into alternatives.
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Good for you. In my view nothing looks better than oiled teak, if you have the dedication to keep it up. I used to have a boat with a long slim elegant tiller which, when freshly treated, was a thing of grace. I used a cover on it to preserve the effect.
I tend to use Rustin's Danish Oil which dries well but is rather expensive (buying 1/2 gall tin helps if you can find a discount outlet), so not so good for your large area. I don't have the stamina for doing my toerails, etc but it is grand for smaller items particularly below decks and in the cockpit.
 
doug748 said:
Good for you. In my view nothing looks better than oiled teak, if you have the dedication to keep it up. I used to have a boat with a long slim elegant tiller which, when freshly treated, was a thing of grace. I used a cover on it to preserve the effect.
I tend to use Rustin's Danish Oil which dries well but is rather expensive (buying 1/2 gall tin helps if you can find a discount outlet), so not so good for your large area. I don't have the stamina for doing my toerails, etc but it is grand for smaller items particularly below decks and in the cockpit.
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Thanks Doug, will have a Google and see what I can find.
 
Rustins is OK, and contains tung oil which is the clue. I now use pure tung oil, but only on indoor stuff in the wheelhouse etc. Outside I let mother nature do her stuff, only cleaning the mildew by rubbing gently with B&Q 3-in-1 mould cleaner followed by a rinse with salt water. I would be worried by lovely smooth oily decks and wet feet.
 
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