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Sanding and Restoring a 13 Year Old Teak Platform


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So I decided to restore my 13yo teak swim platform this weekend.

When I first bought the boat (a few weeks ago) the platform was in pretty rough shape. It was completely gray and was in desperate need of some TLC. I was way too anxious to get out on the water, so I just used the Starbrite 3-step restoration kit and put it off until later. I just had to wait until there was a better time to do it right. Well, I figured this weekend would be as good a time as any since my wife was out of town and noone else had time to go out in the boat.

I have never sanded teak (or much of anything for that matter), so I read a couple of articles/posts to get up to speed with the proper steps, materials and such.

I don't have a picture of the original condition, but I think everyone has seen a picture of really weathered teak. Something like this, but not in as good of shape...

Please note, this one picture is not my picture or swim platform. I borrowed it from a google search.

oldteak.jpg

Supplies:

Palm Sander

80 grit sand paper

120 grit sand paper

220 grit sand paper

Teak Oil

Total Time Invested: 4-5 hours

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

The Starbrite worked pretty well, but the wood was still pretty rough and had lots of dark spots.

Before any sanding...

Before2.jpg

Before4.jpg

The first round of sanding (80 grit) was the most time consuming. I had to sand all of the hard to reach places by hand and it took quite awhile to get it where I though it needed to be.

80 grit

80Grit1.jpg

The 120 grit and 220 grit went much more quickly. I was thrilled with how much smoother the platform became after all of the sanding! The difference from before was night and day.

120 grit

120Grit.jpg

220 grit

220Grit.jpg

I used the same Starbrite teak oil as before. I'm not sure if the results translate through these final pictures, but it looks really great in person. It also feels so much nicer to sit on.

Final1.jpg

Final4.jpg

Well, there it is. I am really happy with the finished product.

Edited by jdgreen1
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I too really like the look of teak and did the same to mine a couple of years ago. If you keep the boat outside make sure you cover it otherwise it will be weathered again within a couple of months.

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I too really like the look of teak and did the same to mine a couple of years ago. If you keep the boat outside make sure you cover it otherwise it will be weathered again within a couple of months.

I did my swim deck over last season and used watco teak oil finish and it held up great, applied it twice a season and worked well till I made the mistake of letting a buddies dog on the boat but thats another story never to happen again :cry:

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I too really like the look of teak and did the same to mine a couple of years ago. If you keep the boat outside make sure you cover it otherwise it will be weathered again within a couple of months.

Make a teak cover if your cover doesent cover it. Also if you do your teak maintenance over the winter you don't have to worry about somone slipping on the fresh teak oil. Slippery things when they are freshly coated.

REW

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Woodworking is a hobby of mine. It's such a great feeling to finish a project like that because you can see and feel the finished results. Looks great!

That is exactly right! The results are right there for you to enjoy.

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  • 9 months later...

I did a search and found your process. Inspired me to give it a shot.

I first scrubbed with Optimum Power Clean APC, full strenth and a brush. I went with 100 grit then 150 grit. I have a little Black and Decker hand sander. Star Brite teak oil 3 coats.

Took me about 5 hours total.

Before

DSC05593.jpg

After

IMG_6329.jpg

Link to comment

I did a search and found your process. Inspired me to give it a shot.

I first scrubbed with Optimum Power Clean APC, full strenth and a brush. I went with 100 grit then 150 grit. I have a little Black and Decker hand sander. Star Brite teak oil 3 coats.

Took me about 5 hours total.

Looks awesome toddj!!! :clap: It is a very rewarding project!

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I did a search and found your process. Inspired me to give it a shot.

I first scrubbed with Optimum Power Clean APC, full strenth and a brush. I went with 100 grit then 150 grit. I have a little Black and Decker hand sander. Star Brite teak oil 3 coats.

Took me about 5 hours total.

Before

DSC05593.jpg

After

IMG_6329.jpg

See that wasn't so hard now was it? :clap: Looks great!

Edited by dalt1
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