De-greying teak?!

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Don't mess with it!!!

The whole beauty of teak is that if it is good quality to begin with, it takes care of itself with almost no maintenance and will last for at least 20 years.

It wants buckets of seawater over it at regular intervals, more frequently the more tropical the climate.

Its natural color is silvery grey and it's beautiful that way. Anything you do it -- ESPECIALLY pressure washing, sanding, scrubbing, glopping on any kind of chemicals or oils, will make it look like crap and will shorten its life. Just give it plenty of seawater and otherwise leave it alone! If you don't like the silvery color, then you don't like teak!!!

Let me say again for the avoidance of doubt: pressure washing will destroy a teak deck in five minutes. Teak has very soft pulp between layers of hard wood -- pressure washing, or scrubbing along the direction of the grain, will strip that out and ruin it. Don't ever let a pressure washer get within a boat's length of your teak deck!!!

A good teak deck will withstand a sanding or two (gently, with an orbital not a belt sander) in order to get rid of any idiocies inflicted on it by a previous owner trying futilely to restore the gold color of unweathered teak, or any abomination inflicted with a pressure washer. But if it hasn't been messed with, it will never need sanding. The pulp will wear down leaving the harder strips standing proud, but it will just work better as anti-skid that way. You shouldn't sand it to get rid of that; it will just accelerate wear of the remaining pulp.

100% correct. Leave it grey.

[Cheechako]

Teak decks are about as contentious as anchors! Get it clean with at least mild detergent ..... You'll be amazed at how dirty the water coming of is. and use sea water after that. it'll stay light grey/tannish. But you must get all the dirt and growing things off it first!

Here's suggeston I saw a while back: "citric acid and sea water to help bleach the decks that were mopped or scrubbed cross grain so as not to rail the grain. Citric acid is milder than oxolic and will not get into the plugs and eat out the fastenings.
Citric acid can be purchased in bulk form from chemical supply houses and is much cheaper than those fancy cleaners they sell at the boat boutiques! Real marine hardware stores and ship chandlerys used to stock powdered citric in fifty gallon drums."

[VirtualVagabond]

Great response as usual.
Thanks evm, that was the info I was trying to remember.

I should have been a bit more specific. We're not doing anything to the decks other than cleaning and seawater, when we get back to it... currently in fresh water.

The teak we're oiling is all the other stuff. A couple of benches, toerail, nameboards, twirly bits

We're giving Tropical Teak Oil Sealer a try. One of the members here gets 4 years out of it without touching it, in Florida.

Vic

[Deck Scrubber]

Originally Posted by Vasco

Oxalic acid is a wood bleach. But what's wrong with grey teak?

Sorry but grey teak is just as bad as grey hair, no female wants it.

[scajax]

BARKEEPERS FRIEND........CHEAP&SAFE

[savoir]

Originally Posted by Deck Scrubber

Sorry but grey teak is just as bad as grey hair, no female wants it.

So said female can buy the new deck. She can expect to pay around $1000/foot unless she goes to Thailand.

Regular cleaning can haul 10 years and 1/4 " off the life of the deck.

[zeehag]

for dealing with teak wood, why spend money UNNECESSARILY??????????

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by scajax

BARKEEPERS FRIEND........CHEAP&SAFE

I use this a lot for rust stains and waterway smile. It's oxalic acid.

[zeehag]

but is still something on which money is spent to use and is not any more effective than is sea water.
save the barkeepers friend for the stainless.

[Deck Scrubber]

Originally Posted by savoir

So said female can buy the new deck. She can expect to pay around $1000/foot unless she goes to Thailand.

Regular cleaning can haul 10 years and 1/4 " off the life of the deck.

Guess I'll just have to stick with no grey hair than.

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by savoir
"So said female can buy the new deck. She can expect to pay around $1000/foot unless she goes to Thailand.

Regular cleaning can haul 10 years and 1/4 " off the life of the deck."

that is why the deck installers all say to only douche the decks with sea water and do it religiously DAILY. is only way to properly treat teak decks.

[capngeo]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Let me say again for the avoidance of doubt: pressure washing will destroy a teak deck in five minutes.

Odd.... I've been pressure washing the teak on MY boat for 20 years.... It is still there and looks fine.

The secret is to not use a high powered pressure washer... Mine puts out 1000psi @3 GPM. I use a wide fan spray. The pulp suffers very little, as only now (20 years later) it is just beginning to be lower than the grain. But if you prefer to scrub, fine by me!

ETA: My math is bad.... make that twenty six years!

[VirtualVagabond]

Where can we find phosphoric or hydrochloric acid?

We've been successful with the DIY cleaner using lye and water. We have used apple cider vinegar as the brightner/neutraliser as recommended by one of the DIY articles. Not so impressive.

We haven't been able to find either of the above acids to make up the 'Part B', or brightener.
The writer of one article said he bought phosphoric at an Ace Hardware. We've tried them, and Lowes, and Home Depot. All they seem to have is Muriatic Acid.
We used to use hydrochloric acid in swimming pools, many years ago.

Any suggestions on where you can get Phosophoric or Hydrochloric Acid?

Vic

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by VirtualVagabond

Where can we find phosphoric or hydrochloric acid?


The writer of one article said he bought phosphoric at an Ace Hardware. We've tried them, and Lowes, and Home Depot. All they seem to have is Muriatic Acid.
We used to use hydrochloric acid in swimming pools, many years ago.

Any suggestions on where you can get Phosophoric or Hydrochloric Acid?

Vic

Muriatic acid is hydrochloric acid.

[zeehag]

i have excellent results using only sea water==just plain sea water and a 3m pad is all teak needs to renew. i do not understand why this is sooo difficult for folks to understand, as teak will become destroyed with constant removal of the natural oils contained within the wood. even folks with a lot of money cannot find the green teak used in boat building. good luck with your fun and games--the addition of ANY chemicals only makes the job of renewing teak more difficult.
smooth sailing.