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Teak Swim Platform Restoration


Blacky22

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Hey guys,

Just wanting to know if its a good idea and/or reccommended that i take each and every board off the platform and sand it individually. going for the brand new look plus a knob coated it with Lacquer prior. leaving the platform together i am undable to sand off the black varnish/Lacquer between the boards. will i be able to get it back together pretty easily? or will it throw the boards out all over the place? also wondering i have seen some swim platforms out there that have a dark redish/brown look to them. mine turns out more yellowish. is it different timber or oil? wil i acheive a darker look by applying more coats? planning on using about 6 coats of teak oil and then a protectant when she is taken out for long periods over vacations.

i have also heard that it is not reccommended to use a sander b/c of the heat on the boards? there is no way i'm getting the varnish off my platform without using a decent hand held sander! do you think this will be an issue?

Cheers!

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I refinished my platform this season. It was super easy and looked brand new (for awhile) an I didn't do near as much work as what you are talking about... and my platform was completely gray. I sanded it with a palm sander and rough paper until I dot rid of all the gray. Then I used compressed air on it to get rid of all the dust and blow out the pores. Then Star brite teak oil, I think I only did two coats. In the gaps I angled the palm sander and used the edge - my platform has the boards all pushed together closely so there are no "gaps" though.

Anyway, it looked like a very nice dark brown with what I guess was a bit of reddish hue. I left it too long before I put another fresh coat of teak oil on it so it is looking old again.... will be repeating the process in May haha.

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Just sand the gray out and coat. don't make it too smooth or it will be very slippery when wet, I use course paper only. When I bought my boat used, the platform had never been cared for I just angled the palm sander to get into the cracks and used a belt sander for the runs on the boards the first time. I had no reason to take the platform apart, even with 4 years of neglect. I usually retreat it inthe off season with my son as a project.

For best results keep it covered when not in use. if your cover doesn't cover it make one for the platform that will keep the sun off of it. Then it will be a real easy clean and coat in the off season.

Good luck

REW

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Good Info guys, but problem is that the guy previously that had the boat before us didnt use teak oil. he varnished it. was slippery as. lasted ages like two seasons and its still going strong. just a few knicks out of it from boards. so thought i would re-do it properly with teak oil. so my platfrom isnt grey and uncoated its coated heavily with varnish. its all between the boards and is like black. i cant get in there properly with a palm sander to get that off so was seeing if it would be a good idea to rip it apart.

Is the colour from the timber or the oil? im after a redish/brown hue not yellow?

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There’s no need to take the platform apart and sand each side of each board unless you want to. When I refinished mine I sanded like crazy until it was as smooth as a baby’s butt to get all the old gray color out. The only thing it’s coated with is Watco teak oil. Don’t add any type of permanent lacquer finish. Once it gets scratched…it’s scratched for good. After a few lake trips just wipe on more teak oil. If you store the boat outside get a cover for the platform. In the winter store the platform inside.

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Don't use teak oil. It is slippery and doesn't last very long. I used Starbrite tropical Teal Sealant (classic teak color) on the deck of my Skier and it looksed fantastic when I restored it. One coat every season is all it takes to keep it looking new.

Check out post #7 in this thread.

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I use this Irwin Dovetail saw to get all the gunk out that is in between my boards. Blade is very thin and flexible.

http://www.irwin.com/tools/handsaws/dovetaildetail-saw

Wondering if you could use something like a Dremel with a router like bit to give you a little room inbetween the boards to get some sand paper in there. I just finished mine yesterday morning and going to store it in my four season porch for the winter - covered of course to keep the sun off of it.

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Good Info guys, but problem is that the guy previously that had the boat before us didnt use teak oil. he varnished it. was slippery as. lasted ages like two seasons and its still going strong. just a few knicks out of it from boards. so thought i would re-do it properly with teak oil. so my platfrom isnt grey and uncoated its coated heavily with varnish. its all between the boards and is like black. i cant get in there properly with a palm sander to get that off so was seeing if it would be a good idea to rip it apart.

Is the colour from the timber or the oil? im after a redish/brown hue not yellow?

I would avoid ripping it apart if possible, try a chimical stripper for removal of the varnish. I used some on some doors on an old house that worked wonders in resrtoing the orginal finish on 100 year old dorrs. Should work on the teak as well. Just be careful with the stuff it is nasty and only buy the amount you will need, You dont want to have to dispose of the stuff. There are some ECO minded strippers on the market that are a little easier to deal with but they are still nasty to work with, they do work though.

Hope this helps

After you strip the varnish sand and treat with teak oil or as someone else has posted the teak bright.

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Don't use teak oil. It is slippery and doesn't last very long. I used Starbrite tropical Teal Sealant (classic teak color) on the deck of my Skier and it looksed fantastic when I restored it. One coat every season is all it takes to keep it looking new.

Check out post #7 in this thread.

Have never had a problem with teak oil being slippery. Now, it will scratch easily but a little more oil (once the platform drys) brings it right back to life.

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Is this close to the color you're looking for? This is my old teak and I sanded it down and put a couple coats of Watco teak oil (Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) on it. I heard it holds up really well and I certainly liked the color. I sold it soon after I applied it so I'm not sure of the duration but even if you have to do it a few times a season it shouldn't take more than 5 minutes.

post-8316-012351500 1286992880_thumb.jpg

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personally i like blonde teak. i use a teak lightener before i get to the teak oil.

Where do you teak lightener? I'm a TeakGuard user and it's more of a brown/golden/brown and would prefer my teak to be a little lighter ... more like a golden tan or blonde.

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Have never had a problem with teak oil being slippery. Now, it will scratch easily but a little more oil (once the platform drys) brings it right back to life.

Yeah, I've heard different guys say slippery or not slippery. I think it is all what your used to. I refinished my first platform with the Starbrite Teak Sealer and never experienced an oiled deck. Once I walked on an oiled deck I though it was really slippery compared to my Startbrite finish. It's not like ice, but I've certainly slipped pretty good on it. It is oil. Whistling.gif

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Don't use teak oil. It is slippery and doesn't last very long. I used Starbrite tropical Teal Sealant (classic teak color) on the deck of my Skier and it looksed fantastic when I restored it. One coat every season is all it takes to keep it looking new.

Check out post #7 in this thread.

:plus1:

Starbrite tropical Teak Sealant (classic teak color)

Been using it since day one. I just sand and seal at the beginning of the season and that's it until next season.

STR-88016_med.jpg

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FWIW Ive never had a problem with regular teak oil thats all i used on the last boat and this one, both platforms look brand new.I re apply when scratches get bad otherwise it looks perfect all season long.

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Where do you teak lightener? I'm a TeakGuard user and it's more of a brown/golden/brown and would prefer my teak to be a little lighter ... more like a golden tan or blonde.

i've been using starbrite teak brightener w good results.

i follow it w starbrite teak oil (also says "penetrating sealer/preserver" on the bottle).

it actually dries nicely, doesn't tack up. doesn't feel oily at all. MUCH less slippery than teakguard.

a scrub brush with trisodium sulphate (tsp) cleans it off pretty easily.

an occasional touch with a teak oiled rag has kept it looking pretty nice.

i did try west marine's premium gold teak oil. didn't care for that one at all. stayed oily forever.

yes, i did a light coat of the stuff and , yes, i did wipe it down after applying. just never 'dried'.

in fact i'm going to hit the go button on this post and buzz over to the freebee thread.

i'll offer it up free to anyone who will pay shipping.

it's gone.

Edited by tvano
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Is this close to the color you're looking for? This is my old teak and I sanded it down and put a couple coats of Watco teak oil (Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) on it. I heard it holds up really well and I certainly liked the color. I sold it soon after I applied it so I'm not sure of the duration but even if you have to do it a few times a season it shouldn't take more than 5 minutes.

I do like that look ndawg. I'm sanding mine like crazy after work. I'm wondering if anyone has tried a tint color (red) to their finish? I'm wondering if a bright red, mixed with the teak oil in just the right amount would work or look good?

Thanks in advance,

Steve B.

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Is this close to the color you're looking for? This is my old teak and I sanded it down and put a couple coats of Watco teak oil (Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) on it. I heard it holds up really well and I certainly liked the color. I sold it soon after I applied it so I'm not sure of the duration but even if you have to do it a few times a season it shouldn't take more than 5 minutes.

Hey, I Know that boat!

It was in the garage for the month of August on the bench, then installed on Labor Day weekend, used all weekend, then winterized the boat the following weekend. So, it didn't have much exposure, and consequently it looks just like it did in the pic. It did show scratches very easily, but like any teak oil if you just apply again it goes away.

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Hey, I Know that boat!

It was in the garage for the month of August on the bench, then installed on Labor Day weekend, used all weekend, then winterized the boat the following weekend. So, it didn't have much exposure, and consequently it looks just like it did in the pic. It did show scratches very easily, but like any teak oil if you just apply again it goes away.

I recognized the boat and the house!

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