Teak Oil - One more time

[onestepcsy37]

virtualvagabond - sorry it took a day to get back to you.
there is no need to sand between finishes. i let it dry before applying a second coat. according to the instructions, drying requires ultraviolet rays (direct sunlight) so apparently the more sun the quicker it dries. i've done it all different ways; i've waited overnight or even a few days between coats and i've also done a morning / afternoon schedule. doesn't seem to make a difference.

[sarafina]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Sara,

Below decks varnish is IMO the best finish, either gloss or satin depending on your taste. It is more work to do, but it will last for many years without further maintenance and look great all that time.

So, your SO's magpie instincts are right on... stop hounding the poor bugger!!

Cheers,

Jim

Well damn... what am I supposed to do for entertainment NOW???

Originally Posted by DSDman

Sarafina, my interior is mahogany and I am going to be doing a bit of reconstruction and refinishing as well. what would you recommend if I'm not so enamored with shiny stuff on the interior?

Beats me. We have had varnish on all our boats interiors. I was wanting to go oiled on this one, but we didn't so I am still ignorant of the blisses of a varnish free interior. Looks like Himself may have been right on this one ; -)

Originally Posted by Cheechako

The satin done right looks like hand rubbed. Actually I used polyurethane . Varathane brand.

In semi-gloss...

That was the closest to compromise I could get Himself to ; -)

He wanted high gloss.... ; -P

[Danibug]

This is a great thread.

Interior teak: Just this weekend I stripped all the old tung oil off of our boats Head and V-berth areas. It is a mixture of teak and mahagony and is mostly wood EVERYWHERE.

I am trying to decide what to go back with in the interior. Oil, Varnish or what? My husband has a VERY sensitive nose but we won't be living aboard for 2 years. What I've gathered from here so far is that Orange oil works?

Has anyone tried linseed oil, or that tropical starbrite teak oil down below? How is the smell?

Maybe Varnish is the way to go? Does it matter that the interior wood is not all clean perfectly? There are still some darker spots and lighter spots.

Opinions are sooo valuable. Thanks!!

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Danibug

This is a great thread.

Interior teak: Just this weekend I stripped all the old tung oil off of our boats Head and V-berth areas. It is a mixture of teak and mahagony and is mostly wood EVERYWHERE.

I am trying to decide what to go back with in the interior. Oil, Varnish or what? My husband has a VERY sensitive nose but we won't be living aboard for 2 years. What I've gathered from here so far is that Orange oil works?

Has anyone tried linseed oil, or that tropical starbrite teak oil down below? How is the smell?

Maybe Varnish is the way to go? Does it matter that the interior wood is not all clean perfectly? There are still some darker spots and lighter spots.

Opinions are sooo valuable. Thanks!!

try satin waterbased acrylic varnish,easy squeasy no smell ,dries quick, wash brushes in water afterwards.....the pureists may not agree,but for ease of use and non toxic it is great

[onestepcsy37]

i wouldn't use starbrite tropical teak oil down below. it contains a u/v inhibitor that simply is unnecessary on interior wood. we also have a teak and mahogany interior. my wife uses 'old english' brand furniture oil on it. looks great.

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by onestepcsy37

starbrite TROPICAL teak oil. not teak oil. TROPICAL teak oil. yes, it's true. outlasts other teak oil, never turns black. (it can drip when you apply it so best to tape off and keep a rag with acetone or mineral spirits handy when applying it).

when we first got our boat eight years ago the teak had not been cared for in years (the previous owner had died and the boat sat unloved for two years). it was black. we used the two part teak cleaner to restore it to it's original condition. then we applied two coats of starbrite tropical teak oil. we did nothing - absolutely nothing - for the next four years. and this in sunny florida. then we just hosed off the teak and applied one coat of tropical teak oil. that was four years ago.

the teak was not in bad condition but i could see that the finish was wearing off, so last month i decided to give it a real cleaning and oiling. i cleaned it in accordance with don casey's book. he recommended a pail of water with one cup of liquid laundry soap and one cup of bleach. brush it on with a soft brush, let it sit for fifteen minutes, then hose it off. came out beautiful. then i applied two coats of tropical teak oil. shouldn't have to do anything for the next four years.

i don't know why everyone doesn't use this stuff. when i see people using cetol or varnish or even plain teak oil i just have to laugh....

Steponecsy, I have a question.
We at last got around to trying some Starbrite Tropical Teak Oil-Sealer, but the 'Classic' which is slightly darker. We've just done a bench on the deck at this stage.
We're happy with the colour and the application, but the finish is very flat/dry looking. Other oils we've seen or used have a slightly oiled look about them, a kind of semi gloss for lack of a better discription.
Is that the same with your boat and the 'Light' one?
I've emailed Star brite but no response as yet.

We'll still continue using it because it really is easy to use, and the long time between doing it again has HUGE appeal

Vic

[onestepcsy37]

mine does have a 'bright' look but not an 'oiled' look. the latest coat has been on six months now and looks like the day i applied it.

[Matt Johnson]

We applied the Tropical Teak Sealer after we read about it on this tread. I bought the light color and so far really like the look. It has no shine to it, and I really like shinny things, but if its this easy to keep up, I think the dull look is worth it. Its pretty natural looking.

[VirtualVagabond]

I'm getting used to the look too.
It's far better to have 'choice B' finish in great condition than 'choice A' in poor condition, or making you a slave to the brush.

I've attached a photo of the bench so you can see that the 'classic' is really not much darker than the 'light'.
I did eventually get a reply from Star Brite and it's the UV inhibitors that give the flat dry look. Made me smile when he said regular teak oils will need to be re-applied after 3-4 weeks whereas their Tropical version will be good for at least 4 or 5 months!

Thanks for putting us on to it

Vic

[corsaro]

As a dedicated classic boat owner, with all that wood, I've looked at several finishes. Three years ago, having read a superb review in "Classic Boat", I restored my spars, finishing with Sikken's Novatech.

The results have been amazing, from bare wood, two coats of Novatech, and one coat of Novatop gave me a stunning finish.

After two seasons, I unbent the sails to carry on with my restoration. There was no difference at all between the color of the mast, and that of the boom which had been covered for that time! Three years on and there is still no discernable deteriation in the finish! The original review in classic boat has now been going eight yeats, and the Novatech is still going strong!

Be aware this product is a wood stain, the best color to get is light pine, with only two coats, the finish is v similar to that of ten coats of varnish, and works well on mahogany as well as the spruce of my mast. Sorry about pics, they are the only ones I have available - its raining at mo!!

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by corsaro

As a dedicated classic boat owner, with all that wood, I've looked at several finishes. Three years ago, having read a superb review in "Classic Boat", I restored my spars, finishing with Sikken's Novatech.

The results have been amazing, from bare wood, two coats of Novatech, and one coat of Novatop gave me a stunning finish.

After two seasons, I unbent the sails to carry on with my restoration. There was no difference at all between the color of the mast, and that of the boom which had been covered for that time! Three years on and there is still no discernable deteriation in the finish! The original review in classic boat has now been going eight yeats, and the Novatech is still going strong!

Be aware this product is a wood stain, the best color to get is light pine, with only two coats, the finish is v similar to that of ten coats of varnish, and works well on mahogany as well as the spruce of my mast. Sorry about pics, they are the only ones I have available - its raining at mo!!

Attachment 52846



Attachment 52847

The stuff we have on the boat at the moment is Cetol and it hasn't held up very well. The previous owner put it on about 4 years ago and its peeling all over the place.
Novatech appears to be a form of Cetol... but 8 years is an impressive time and maybe its a different product.

Vic

[corsaro]

Originally Posted by VirtualVagabond

The stuff we have on the boat at the moment is Cetol and it hasn't held up very well. The previous owner put it on about 4 years ago and its peeling all over the place.
Novatech appears to be a form of Cetol... but 8 years is an impressive time and maybe its a different product.

Vic

Hi Vic, I've just checked the tin, Sikkens are the manufacturer, the product Cetol Novatech, could be similar products, or maybe the same? Cetol has a registered trade mark against it.
If its the same product, the longevity I've had, and the poor performance of your's, might be down to a difference in climate!
I've taken a couple more pics, better showing the finished mast after 3 seasons & 2 winters.
The boom has only been uncovered since the autumn, yet, there is no color fading apparent on the fully exposed mast!

[four winds]

I, too, have used the Starbrite Tropical Teak Oil Sealer (because of the dialog here about longevity and other reasons) and I'm pleased.

The wood on my boat has been aggressively sanded over 35 years. Some bungs are sanded to the screw heads along the toe rail. It all was half bare grey wood and half pealed varnish since I've owned the boat.

I didn't want to repeat the sanding and varnish routine. But I don't want grey wood either. So I stripped, lightly sanded, and cleaned the wood. Then I oiled with regular Sarbrite oil first and applied Tropical Sealer the next day.

I used the Classic (didn't know there was more than one type) and noticed the slight opacity of the UV pigments. Didn't change the look of the wood much (like some Cetol varnish) and it has a satin finish that feels waxy for a few days.

Hopefully the sanding or stripping routine is history. And the finish can be maintained as needed with cleaning and reapplication in the future.

I did the whole job without tape anywhere. Gel stripper, then cleaner/oil and then the no-drip mix of the Sealer made it possible with a little care. If the sealer touches fiberglass it is easy to wipe off with a rag. With care I only did that a few times when I was rushing the application.

This forum may have saved me from varnishing brightwork yet still have wood that looks cared for. thanks.

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by four winds

I, too, have used the Starbrite Tropical Teak Oil Sealer (because of the dialog here about longevity and other reasons) and I'm pleased.

The wood on my boat has been aggressively sanded over 35 years. Some bungs are sanded to the screw heads along the toe rail. It all was half bare grey wood and half pealed varnish since I've owned the boat.

I didn't want to repeat the sanding and varnish routine. But I don't want grey wood either. So I stripped, lightly sanded, and cleaned the wood. Then I oiled with regular Sarbrite oil first and applied Tropical Sealer the next day.

I used the Classic (didn't know there was more than one type) and noticed the slight opacity of the UV pigments. Didn't change the look of the wood much (like some Cetol varnish) and it has a satin finish that feels waxy for a few days.

Hopefully the sanding or stripping routine is history. And the finish can be maintained as needed with cleaning and reapplication in the future.

I did the whole job without tape anywhere. Gel stripper, then cleaner/oil and then the no-drip mix of the Sealer made it possible with a little care. If the sealer touches fiberglass it is easy to wipe off with a rag. With care I only did that a few times when I was rushing the application.

This forum may have saved me from varnishing brightwork yet still have wood that looks cared for. thanks.

Any chance of a picture or two?
I'm interested to see if there is much difference to ours. We just used the classic Tropical Teak Oil Sealer, but you used their Teak Oil first and I'm wondering if the finish ended up any different.
Vic

[four winds]

I'll post a picture soon.

I think the oil applied before the sealer did make it look different, but maybe not much. The instructions on the can said nothing about oiling first. However since teak is an oily wood I felt the sealer would work fine over oil. And after all, it is "teak oil sealer".

I started by testing on a hand rail first. Just applying one coat to see if it went away as quickly as oil does on exterior wood. Since it looked the same a month later I decided to continue.

A half pint put two coats on the whole boat. That's a wide toe rail, hand rails and companionway trim. I'll use the other half pint to put two more coats on soon.

BTW, I read that the sealer can be best removed with the "gel" version of the Starbrite Teak Cleaner.

I'll be very happy if the maintenance routine involves cleaning with the gel cleaner and re-applying the oil and sealer.