Refinishing teak trim

J

jgrills2

Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2021
Messages
11
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Age
70
Model
Overnighter
I took the teak trim off of my 1985 Overnighter and am stripping off the varnish. The wood is in excellent condition. Should I just apply a couple of coats of teak oil to them or apply polyurethane. I don't mind applying teak oil each year.
 
I have done a bunch of teak work over the years. From my Egg Harbor covering boards and back of the house to my friends 56' F&S cockpit and covering boards. I have used polyurethane, Sickens and simple chemicals to maintain them.

You have to remember the harder the finish, the longer it lasts and the harder it is to take off. At this point we are all natural on the F&S. We use the Te-Ka products to clean the teak (turns black), bleach them out and then cost with teak oil. It is a soft non-slip finish that looks great. It needs to be re-done once a month. You can try re-oiling too. But if it doesn't look right strip it and re-do - it will look like new.

We also used sudsy ammonia from supermarket straight out of the bottle to clean the teak and oxalic acid crystals from Home Depot dissolved in some water. Keep cleanser off the fiberglass with hose. It won't damage it but will leave a stain you have to clean off. Cheaper but if you only have a little to maintain use the Te-Ka kit. Use the best teak oil (not sealer).
 
Last edited:
Ig using oxalic acid, avoid getting it on a galvanized trailer and if it does get on the trailer have a hose ready to rinse it off. This applies to a lot of hull cleaners also that contain oxalic acid
 
Hookup1 said:
I have done a bunch of teak work over the years. From my Egg Harbor covering boards and back of the house to my friends 56' F&S cockpit and covering boards. I have used polyurethane, Sickens and simple chemicals to maintain them.

You have to remember the harder the finish, the longer it lasts and the harder it is to take off. At this point we are all natural on the F&S. We use the Te-Ka products to clean the teak (turns black), bleach them out and then cost with teak oil. It is a soft non-slip finish that looks great. It needs to be re-done once a month. You can try re-oiling too. But if it doesn't look right strip it and re-do - it will look like new.

We also used sudsy ammonia from supermarket straight out of the bottle to clean the teak and oxalic acid crystals from Home Depot dissolved in some water. Keep cleanser off the fiberglass with hose. It won't damage it but will leave a stain you have to clean off. Cheaper but if you only have a little to maintain use the Te-Ka kit. Use the best teak oil (not sealer).
Click to expand...
I suspect that the OP stopped and took a deep breath after the part about needing to be redone every month:)
 
We use the teak oil on the covering boards and leave the cockpit decking natural. It's really isn't a big production to strip and re-finish. He should try it and see. If he want's to go to something harder it is an easy step.
 
Thanks everyone. If I strip to the bare teak and then put 2 to 3 coats of teak oil on each piece will I have to recoat with the teak oil again next year to maintain the natural color?
 
jgrills2 said:
Thanks everyone. If I strip to the bare teak and then put 2 to 3 coats of teak oil on each piece will I have to recoat with the teak oil again next year to maintain the natural color?
Click to expand...
When you say strip to the bare teak - use the Te-Ka two part or the sudsy ammonia and oxalic acid (in the wood brighteners). When dry two coats of teak oil are fine. You may have to do it again in the spring depending on the weather and sun. It's really not difficult to strip, bleach and re-oil. Best part is the results - it really looks good!

Depending on the condition of your teak you may want to sand it smooth first.
 
when I had a boat with teak, I learned to use urethane on the weather exposed teak and oil on the interior/covered teak.
Exposed urethane lasts at least a season while oil has to be done several times a season.
I sand the urethane and reapply. Eventually you have to strip it down to wood and start over.

Interior or covered teak lasts a season when oiled and its easier to maintain.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.