If you've got teak, read this...

[Air Tahoe]

I sanded the heck of my swim platform today and could not get down to fresh wood. I used 60 grit for almost and hour on this Black and Decker 1/4 sheet finish sander.

What am I doing wrong? Do I have the wrong tool for the job? 

 

Or should I not worry about getting it perfect and the sealer will darken it up and even the color?

Photo: http://i1260.photobucket.com/albums/ii568/icloud22/Boat/IMG_9892_zpseqdysraj.jpg~original

 

Photo2: http://i1260.photobucket.com/albums/ii568/icloud22/Boat/IMG_6432_zpshihhdix3.jpg~original

Edited October 21, 2016 by Air Tahoe
photos

[jrvs23]

Sand it.

Clean it. 

Teak brightener.

Seal it.

That will look real good when sealed.

Edited October 21, 2016 by jrvs23

[formulaben]

I use a random orbital sander and do it WET.  It clears off the old stuff pretty fast.  Not sure if it is the sander or what...

[blk93jeepzj]

Need to spray it down with teak cleaner first.  Or I have also used a couple ounces of simple green and a couple ounces of bleach added to a gallon of water.

Take off the back of the boat.

Spay it down.

Scrub with a stainless steel grill brush.

Let dry.

Oil.

Re-oil a couple times thru winter.

No Sanding for me.  When it's sanded smooth and oiled and water gets on it, the surface gets too slippery.  

[Air Tahoe]

Ok, thanks for the advice and this thread. All done. I'm sure it isn't perfect, but much better then where I started. I really needed something to protect it from when it is moored all summer. It was starting to crack and bow in places and it never comes out of the water for 3 months, so not possible to oil it often. We used to try to but gave up. Needed something more maintenance free, like this sealer. 

Anyhow, I was using the wrong sand paper. It was 60 grit, but it discretely said for metal, not wood. So got 60 grit for wood and made a little better progress with 30 mins of more sanding. I need a better sander (orbital version) but didn't want to invest another $80 for something I hardly ever use.  Would probably also help if I had a vacuum or suction on the sander to take away the sawdust. I did all this work on the ground and put it back on the boat each night. 

 

Done sanding, ready to apply sealer: 

 

Sealer applied, 1 hour of drying before this photo was taken. Still tacky but used gloves to get it back on the boat. Will install hardware in a week when I get back to it. 

 

 

 

 

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Ok, getting ready to take on this job.  I need to transition the deck, which was lovingly maintained by the former owner, from Thompson's water seal which he used, to this.  Figure I will have to do some sanding, use the cleaner, maybe after some sort of citrus type cleaner to get the Thompson's off, then use this approach. 

I trust that none of you guys have had any problem with this sealer getting on your ski?  I would not think so but thought I would ask.  

[jrvs23]

No problem with anything on skis or anything else. I used sealer and disassembled mine completely. Here's a link to my project and it's great now. Love the teak.

 

Edited March 22, 2017 by jrvs23

[sunvalleylaw]

11 minutes ago, jrvs23 said:

No problem with anything on skis or anything else. I used sealer and disassembled mine completely. Here's a link to my project and it's great now. Love the teak.

 

Thanks.  The reason for asking was that when I bought the boat last year, and he had recently re-done the Thompson's, it leaked all into the lake and obviously was shedding when I launched.  Looked like the rainbow film you see off the back of an old two cycle outboard in a marina.  Will be glad to leave that behind.  

[sunvalleylaw]

Some people have talked about disassembling the platform to get all edges sealed.  I don't think I will go that far.  I will remove it from the boat, clean, do a light sand, clean again, brighten and seal.  

[sunvalleylaw]

Well here I go on this.  Sprayed it down with degreaser, then sanded, then used the Star-brite teak cleaner.  Came out pretty well so far, but think I will use cleaner again at least, as when I was hosing it down, oil slick like stuff was still coming off due to all the Thompson's waterseal on it.  I would like to make sure i have that pretty well all off before brightening and sealing, so the seal goes on evenly.  

^^^^  Starting condition.  

After sanding and cleaning while rinsing off.  You can see a little bit of the oily "rainbow" in the upper right if you look closely.  

 

After drying.  Looks pretty good, but probably will at least clean it again.  And will take some sandpaper to the cracks and in the corners of the underside.  

 

 

 

 

[Fffrank]

My platform was sealed by the PO and it's chipping/flaking off.  It also was pretty slippery when wet.  Any issues like this with the products in this thread?

[Levi900RR]

The starbrite teak sealer that I use is not like your typical "sealer" it's really more like a teak oil but last MUCH longer. It's not slippery at all. 

[sunvalleylaw]

1 hour ago, Levi900RR said:

The starbrite teak sealer that I use is not like your typical "sealer" it's really more like a teak oil but last MUCH longer. It's not slippery at all. 

I have arriving from Amazon the brightener from Star-brite and also the Classic Teak Sealer that you used. The fact that it has some pigment/color rather than simply clear I thought would be good as it had been treated with the Thompson's before, and therefore the pigment will help hide any inconsistencies in how the wood takes the product based on the prior treatment.  That is, after I do my best to remove all of that.  I do NOT intend on using really fine sand paper.  I have some 120 but I am not unhappy with the feel at even 80 grit.  I know you have said it isn't slick at all, but some others that sanded really fine increased the slick feel.  

[Levi900RR]

Good point, I only used 60 or 80 grit to sand. 

[sunvalleylaw]

My sealer arrived but I was confused by how Amazon had it listed as it had the word "classic" in the heading for the "natural light" color.  Back it goes.  I want the "classic teak" color.  

[sunvalleylaw]

How long did you guys wait after cleaning/brightening before sealing?  A few days to let it dry out?

Hit it with some ammonia with dish soap, then sanded again (80 grit) to get rid of more Thompson's waterseal, then used the cleaner and brightener.  Looks better.

Should have the correct color sealer in a few days.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 9, 2017 by sunvalleylaw

[Levi900RR]

Sorry for the late reply. I let mine dry in the hot sun for a whole day before I seal it. I need to post a pic of mine from this year to keep the documentation train rolling. I picked the LSV up out of storage so its at my house. I didn't service the deck last fall so it is in the condition that it finished last summer in. 

[1985Skier]

Hey Crew,

I'm about a week away from a compete refurb on a 1985 Skier teak platform.  This teak has unfortunately been neglected and is need of a complete overhaul.  Photos will be posted before, during and after the teak has been refurbished.  Ive been reading a lot on this site and also BoatUS about refinishing teak.  

On BoatUS they say and suggest, "Sealers don't feed the wood but, as the name suggests, they seal out moisture and dirt, and seal in natural oils and resins. Unfortunately, the oils and resins may already be lost, so the first step in applying a sealer to old teak is to restore the oil content with a thorough application of teak oil. Clean and bleach the wood to a uniform color, then oil it until it refuses to accept more. Now wait at least two weeks to let the resins dry before you apply the sealer.

After two weeks, wash the wood and let it dry completely. Sealers need an oil-free surface to attach to, so wipe the wood heavily with a rag soaked in acetone to remove all oil from the surface. The oil the wood has absorbed will be unaffected by this quick-flashing solvent."  (http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/teak-care.asp)

Has anyone applied and replenished the oil and wiped down the teak with acetone before sealing?  I am wondering if anyone has thoughts on these two steps because I have not see them posted here before.

Thanks

 

 

Edited April 30, 2017 by 1985Skier

[Steve B.]

Great timing. I just 80 gritted my platform after taking it all apart. I've got Tropical Sealer, and Gold Oil.  The sealer doesn't say to oil first. But it does make sense. Would like to hear others thoughts on oiling, waiting for it to set. Then sealing.

Thanks,

Steve B.

[formulaben]

My 2 cents: don't waste your time with the "clean and bleach" process, just wet sand with 80 grit to get a clean, uniform and level surface, hand sanding in the bevels if you have them.  Any wood damage will be long gone and the process is quick.  Let it dry then apply oil.  I just re-oil every so often, but if you prefer to seal then a 2-week wait is probably prudent and then seal as per your preference.

[Steve B.]

It was a nite hot sunny day today so I applied the Tropical Teak Sealer over freshly sanded and cleaned teak. They recommend doing it in the sun and let it sit out. Apparently UV protecatants in the sealer are activated by the sun.

Anyway, early signs point to huge success. I'll post pics after a second coat. I can tell already the surface will not be slippery at all like oil.

Steve B.

[87Warrior]

On 4/29/2017 at 7:30 PM, 1985Skier said:

Hey Crew,

I'm about a week away from a compete refurb on a 1985 Skier teak platform.  This teak has unfortunately been neglected and is need of a complete overhaul.  Photos will be posted before, during and after the teak has been refurbished.  Ive been reading a lot on this site and also BoatUS about refinishing teak.  

On BoatUS they say and suggest, "Sealers don't feed the wood but, as the name suggests, they seal out moisture and dirt, and seal in natural oils and resins. Unfortunately, the oils and resins may already be lost, so the first step in applying a sealer to old teak is to restore the oil content with a thorough application of teak oil. Clean and bleach the wood to a uniform color, then oil it until it refuses to accept more. Now wait at least two weeks to let the resins dry before you apply the sealer.

After two weeks, wash the wood and let it dry completely. Sealers need an oil-free surface to attach to, so wipe the wood heavily with a rag soaked in acetone to remove all oil from the surface. The oil the wood has absorbed will be unaffected by this quick-flashing solvent."  (http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/teak-care.asp)

Has anyone applied and replenished the oil and wiped down the teak with acetone before sealing?  I am wondering if anyone has thoughts on these two steps because I have not see them posted here before.

Thanks

I am currently working through a similar process on my 87 Sunsetter. The teak is in good shape, but very dry. First, I cleaned it with the Star Brite Cleaner and a soft bristle brush. After it dried to a consistent light color (took a week), I treated the teak with the Star Brite Teak oil. In the past 3 weeks, I have applied 4 more coats of the teak oil (about 10ounce of the 16ounce bottle). Yesterday I noticed the teak is finally starting to maintain color after being treated, but I suspect it will take a few more weeks of oil penetration and oil applications to be restored. My intent is to apply the Star Bright Sealer to finish it off. I hadn't considered doing an acetone wash between the oiling and sealing.

Edited May 2, 2017 by 87Warrior

[sunvalleylaw]

On 4/8/2017 at 5:55 PM, sunvalleylaw said:

How long did you guys wait after cleaning/brightening before sealing?  A few days to let it dry out?

Hit it with some ammonia with dish soap, then sanded again (80 grit) to get rid of more Thompson's waterseal, then used the cleaner and brightener.  Looks better.

Should have the correct color sealer in a few days.

 

 

 

 

And now, after one coat and touch up:

 

 

[sunvalleylaw]

So, ran into a problem.  When I applied the sealer, the classic teak color, perhaps it did not stay quite warm enough.  It was 55 but barely in the garage, and though I put the garage heat on, perhaps it did not stay that way.  Now, I get some color rubbing off on T-shirts I was using to test how it set up, as it felt a little tacky to me in spots.  I hit it with a thinner rag, then a wash rag with a little dish soap, and stuck it out in the sun, as it will be mid 70's today.  Any other suggestions?  It still looks good, and I figure I will just try to get any remaining on there to cure in the sun, then roll with it until it is time to reapply.  If it stays tacky, I guess I will have to sand and start over.

[tvano]

uv light cures it.  get that teak out in the sun!