Teak Oil - One more time

[four winds]

Here's a couple of pics. Not of the sealer only without oil underneath, however.


It was overcast and raining and I think these two photos show the color accurately. (on my computer at least)


Been trying to figure out how to describe the earlier results, and I'd say when the sealer was applied over freshly sanded teak the UV pigments in the sealer more readily obscured the grain and “reddish” color in the wood. It was more golden brown, so to speak. I believe applying oil first brought out the grain and color of the wood and the sealer, which is substantially translucent, wasn't able to obscure the look as much. To what extent this occurred is at question since I only have memory of the first effort and no photo.

[onestepcsy37]

four winds - i'm the guy whose been using and recommending starbrite tropical teak oil.

interestingly, i've had the same idea as you but never followed through on it - putting one coat of starbrite teak oil and then overcoating it with the tropical teak oil. my feeling was that the tropical teak oil was not penetrating the teak as deeply as regular teak oil because of the thickness of the uv inhibitors. so i'm curious to know how well your application works out.

as far as peeling and flaking, you won't get that with the tropical teak oil. it just gradually fades away, so there's no need to remove any old finish.. after four years (florida/bahamas) we simply applied another coat - the underlying teak was still in good condition.

and four years after that it was pretty much faded out again. this time, for no special reason, i decided to clean the teak first. only this time i used the method recommended by maintenance guru don casey - a bucket of water with a cup of liquiid laundry soap and a cup of bleach. brush it on, wait fifteen minutes, and hose it off. then i put two coats of tropical teak oil on it. been six months now and it looks like the day i put it on.

[four winds]

Originally Posted by onestepcsy37

four winds - i'm the guy whose been using and recommending starbrite tropical teak oil.

Yes, and thanks for that. I took note of your experience when first mentioned many months ago. Spent the last two years watching everyone working on brightwork where ever I've been. And never was this product mentioned. I've found no one in real life who's heard of it. After I learned of it from you, I've found no one in real life had heard of it when I asked.

interestingly, i've had the same idea as you but never followed through on it - putting one coat of starbrite teak oil and then overcoating it with the tropical teak oil. my feeling was that the tropical teak oil was not penetrating the teak as deeply as regular teak oil because of the thickness of the uv inhibitors. so i'm curious to know how well your application works out.

My thoughts as well, and why I chose to try it. I think the oil should help the sealer penetrate. With the added benefit of bringing out beauty of the color and grain.

as far as peeling and flaking, you won't get that with the tropical teak oil. it just gradually fades away, so there's no need to remove any old finish.. after four years (florida/bahamas) we simply applied another coat - the underlying teak was still in good condition.

This is what I hope will save my wood from further damage from stripping or sanding.

and four years after that it was pretty much faded out again. this time, for no special reason, i decided to clean the teak first. only this time i used the method recommended by maintenance guru don casey - a bucket of water with a cup of liquiid laundry soap and a cup of bleach. brush it on, wait fifteen minutes, and hose it off. then i put two coats of tropical teak oil on it. been six months now and it looks like the day i put it on.

I'll try this formula as well, if for no other reason than cost.

Thanks again for posting you experience on this.

This forum is a awesome resource. And I'm a guy that never uses the word awesome.

[onestepcsy37]

i never heard about it either until i lived in south florida. there it was pretty widely used and recommended by the locals. maybe because starbrite was a south florida based company, although now i think they manufacture their products in your neck of the woods, somewhere in alabama....

[schuitema]

Oil attracts dirt, dirt is dirty, cleaning is done with Oxalic Acid, Acid raises the grain the eats the finer wood fibers, raising the grain causes sanding, then stop. Putting oil on teak begins a vicous cycle which destroys the teak. Saltwater will get in the teak and keep it hyrated, which is good for it. The beauty of teak is that it is almost zero maintenance. Oil looks nice for a while. Just let the teak go gray in the sun and salt. I haven't worked on my teak since 1993 after sanding the mess it was in. Sand it fine.

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by schuitema

Oil attracts dirt, dirt is dirty, cleaning is done with Oxalic Acid, Acid raises the grain the eats the finer wood fibers, raising the grain causes sanding, then stop. Putting oil on teak begins a vicous cycle which destroys the teak. Saltwater will get in the teak and keep it hyrated, which is good for it. The beauty of teak is that it is almost zero maintenance. Oil looks nice for a while. Just let the teak go gray in the sun and salt. I haven't worked on my teak since 1993 after sanding the mess it was in. Sand it fine.

That's fine if you like grey. I do too, but only on decks with seawater treatment.
Unfortunately most grey teak boats look uncared for, and often are. Don't take that personally because you obviously look after yours, and grey is a considered choice.

Teaks natural colour isn't grey, it's gold and red and brown.... beautiful. Teak left to the elements, or neglected is grey.

The teak on my boat is 30 years old. It's good for at least another 30 years. I'm happy with that because I'll be 95 and a lot greyer than the teak!
But I bet the teak on the boat will bring pleasure to new owners for many years after that, apart from the decks which never last 30 years and are left to grey.

Vic

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by four winds

Here's a couple of pics. Not of the sealer only without oil underneath, however.


It was overcast and raining and I think these two photos show the color accurately. (on my computer at least)


Been trying to figure out how to describe the earlier results, and I'd say when the sealer was applied over freshly sanded teak the UV pigments in the sealer more readily obscured the grain and “reddish” color in the wood. It was more golden brown, so to speak. I believe applying oil first brought out the grain and color of the wood and the sealer, which is substantially translucent, wasn't able to obscure the look as much. To what extent this occurred is at question since I only have memory of the first effort and no photo.

Thanks for the pics. I think it looks a bit richer too, so we'll oil some teak areas and then apply the sealer and compare. Could be just that little extra it needs. I just hope it doesn't reduce the longevity of the sealer, although I don't see why it should.

Vic