Inside Teak care

[stwendl]

Tugs come with inside teak that to my knowledge is not sealed.

What are current owners do to keep it internal teak protected?

What about the head area that is exposed to shower use and higher humidity?

Besides applying any teak oil of various manufacturers has anyone done any permanent sealing?

 

[knotflying]

Some of the surfaces are sealed and seem to hold up fine. The head, table tops have a finish. We use pledge refinishing oil on the other surfaces. Very easy to apply, nice smell and it lasts a good year or more.

 

[R Baker]

On three previous boats I have applied 3 coats of a water based varnish - Matt finish. It looks great and holds up very well - never any touch up necessary, but it is a lot of work. As the varnish is water base, and because clean up is easy you can work at it as time permits. On the tug, I decided the project was more than I wanted to deal with. So, I applied a wiped on coat of 1850 Tung 'n Teak oil. It looks ok, gives the teak some colour and sheen. It didn't take that long but the result is not as professional looking as the varnish solution. it may need renewing in the spring. If you have the time, varnish ! The prep is a light sanding with scotch brite sanding pads.

 

[pugtug613]

Personally, I hate any type of oil. Just feel that oil attracts dirt and darkens the teak. I like the way the outboard walls, the table top, and the head look. I wanted that look throughout the boat. I used the "wipe on" technique to put two coats of varnish. It's a bit of work, but once it's done, it's done for a long time. I used a gloss, but you can use a satin or a flat finish. First I taped off the area. Then I poured a small amount of varnish in a small tray and kept the can of varnish sealed. Then, with a lint free cloth, I wiped on a small amount of varnish. Just enough to cover the teak. I did two coats. Of course, I lightly sanded the teak to even out the color. I also sanded "very lightly" with 320 grit paper in between coats. The trick is to only tape off the area you can handle in 1 day. Plus you have to give coat #1 24 hours to dry. My boat looks fabulous. It took me a few weeks of hard work, but well worth it. One thing I found out is that Minwax makes a spray on varnish for $10.00 a can. I took all the doors home and sprayed the doors, also 2 coats. The teak strips on the overhead, I removed and sprayed those as well.

Now, I can clean water stains or other stains without ruining the color of my teak.

 

[pugtug613]

One more point. If your teak has already been oiled, you can wipe it down with denatured alcohol and then 240 grit sand paper.

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

On Kismet we use Pledge Revitalization Oil. Although it says oil in its name once applied it dries very nicely and leaves no oily residue. As Mike Rizzo states it will last up to a year, depending how you store and use your boat. Spray the Revalidation Oil onto a rag and wipe into the non treated wood to keep overspray from getting onto non desired surfaces.

Jim

 

[coreychamness]

for a time I used the revitalizing oil from pledge but it lasts so poorly I switched to Starbrite teak oil and I think it is superior. I use it on the steps to my flybridge outside, the wood under the overhang over the door and the interior teak as well. I used Cetol on the wood trim that surrounds the galley surface, the ledge behind the galley surface and along the bulkhead, the wood trim at the sliding pilothouse door and the horizontal surface between the mid berth and the salon. All of those are subject to water from spray, drinks or open portholes. Cetol is much easier than varnish.

Corey

 

[Cambio]

All of the teak oils I have used in the past are gold colored, or darker, and seem to be designed to darken and enrich the raw teak. Maybe this is just the natural color of tung oil? Has anybody found a clear oil that won't appreciably darken the teak?

Chris

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

Chris:

After applying Pledge Revitalization for over 4 years I can say it goes on darker but after a little dry time of a day or so there is no noticeable difference between the factory treated wood and the surfaces that we treat, other then the sheen on the factory treated wood.

Jim