Teak - Silver or Gold ?

[tangle]

I think this has probably been discussed but a search produced little..I have much peeling teak on my decks...like thin parchment paper..The question is should I remove the rest of the stain (or whatever this is) and go silver? I Like the look but I notice on decks Ive seen that they seem to do some kind of treatment over the bare deck also...gives it a slight tanned look instead of grey - is that some kind of oil? I have also been told that a daily saltwater wash/rinse is all you need to maintain it. I am moored in fresh water and would not have daily saltwater access...more like bi-monthly...is that a problem? If that is an issue I may have to re-stain instead. teak experts !! where are you???

[Ocean Girl]

Teak is happy to be bare. The trick to leaving teak bare has one vital point, and that is NOT to use bristle brushes on the teak. No bristles period. Even the softest of bristles will dig out the soft grain (thats bad ).
Once the teak is restored (all old finish removed and teak is smooth and clean) a mop, sponge, or 3M pad can be used to clean. I like murphy's oil soap. When I had no access to clean salt water, I salted my teak decks down using a watering can with an aquarium salt water mix (monthly). I have no idea if regular salt will do, I just had access to aquarium salt. I also used tide with bleach when I needed stronger cleaning agent.
Teak will push stains out, so just clean area and give it a little time and the stain will usually be gone in a month or two.
The gold color may be a deck treatment,or semco, or even cetol. I like semco for a non varnish treatment, it is easy to remove if you dont like it.
Cheers,
Erika

[tangle]

thanks OC...sounds tooo easy...I like woodwork but my experience with teak is nil and the opinions I have solicited from others have varied enough to make me nervous about screwing it up in some permannent way. We plan to go silver on the decks and keep a nice finish on the rails and other trim. My decks have a black caulk between boards...should this be replaced? there are a couple of leaks somewhere...

[boatman61]

Yup... get a router and dig it out.... tape up area then prime and fill with UV resistant Sika...
Then remove the tape and lightly sand away the spillover to get it pretty again.
I would suggest a dose of teak oil tho'....

[foamcore]

I would point out that, if you go to replacing the caulking, you are in for a big job!

[sarafina]

yeah.. its a big job... but if you have deck leaks and don't fix em.. it leads to an even BIGGER job...

[foamcore]

True enough Sara, that is why I might suggest to find the leak before going the replace route.

[tangle]

great info. anyone ever take up teak decking to look for leaks around screwholesetc..? I have even had a look at faux-teak as an alternative...opinions?

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by tangle

great info. anyone ever take up teak decking to look for leaks around screwholesetc..? I have even had a look at faux-teak as an alternative...opinions?

If you lift it... make sure you got something to replace it... "It don't come easy... Lord it don't come easy..."

[sobraon]

G.day Tangles

We have just completed a refurb of our teak decks. It was a big job but the end results were very satisfying. I put off the project for some time as I thought that it was a major task, however it didn't end up being that difficult.

The deck caulking had deteriorated and needed replacement.

This is the deck before we started



This is the completed deck



I documented the whole process and the products we used on our website. Home Page: Spirit of Sobraon's Travel Log The...

This link is direct to the project page (Blog) Marina Island Pangkor Mini Refit: Marina Island...

I am not a fan of Sika or 3M caulking. The products we used are from Fixtech and a test sample that we used 3 years ago when I built the dodger has shown no sign of deterioration.


I hope this helps

Garry
SV Spirit of Sobraon

[avazquez]

I already did it and this is what I learned:

1. Remove the black caulk with a bent flat screwdriver. If you have to, you can use a small trimmer router with a guide to make the grooves deeper.

2. I removed all and when I say ALL it ALL the screws that attach the teak to the deck. I sealed every hole with West System epoxy. We are talking about over 500 screws.

3. I replaced all the teak plugs that were dark with new bigger ones. Over 500.

4. Applied Maritime Wood Products Caulking.

5. Sanded the deck, and since then I protect it with SEMCO Clearone teak deck sealer. It is the only thing you can use. DO NOT USE TEAK OIL. It will soften the caulking and you will end up with a big mess. If you don't like the silver teak. The only option is SEMCO. Don't try anything else.

[foamcore]

Dang! That was a big job. How are your knees?

[sarafina]

looks beautiful..

and is reminding me why I mandated "no exterior teak" when we were shopping for our little hole in the water...

but yeah, very nice job!

[sobraon]

The knee are ok but the back was sure tired. The job was not that bad really. Because of the heat here, 38 + in the afternoons we broke the deck into small sections of about 4 square metres. We could easily clean, sand, tape and caulk that much in the foer noon before lunch then remove the tape in the afternoon before sundowners, Sure beats working.
We wouldn't be without the decks. They look great and we hope that that we shouldn't have to do this again for a long time,

Garry
Home Page: Spirit of Sobraon's Travel Log The...

[swagman]

Originally Posted by tangle

I think this has probably been discussed but a search produced little..I have much peeling teak on my decks...like thin parchment paper..The question is should I remove the rest of the stain (or whatever this is) and go silver? I Like the look but I notice on decks Ive seen that they seem to do some kind of treatment over the bare deck also...gives it a slight tanned look instead of grey - is that some kind of oil? I have also been told that a daily saltwater wash/rinse is all you need to maintain it. I am moored in fresh water and would not have daily saltwater access...more like bi-monthly...is that a problem? If that is an issue I may have to re-stain instead. teak experts !! where are you???

It is all very subjective but I believe any boat would look better if one removed all that flaking coat and simply returned all the teak to a natural look, allowing it to silver / bleach with the sun.
The only reason for a salt water rinse is that evaporating salt water leaves salt crystals in the teak surface that themselves attract moisture, thereby keeping the natural teak moist. Such a rinse every two weeks would be fine. No point in doing it over a sealed deck, and if you live in a damp or wet climate its not even needed on bare wood.
As others have said, forget so called 'teak oil'. Most is made up with other components that will darken with age and can harm the sealer....
And I know lots of others do use waterbased stains but I think the orange resulting colour looks so un-natural if thats what you want, then best go for a synthetic covering instead of the real wood.
If the silver grey colour does not suit, then it is easy to use chemicals to both clean up and brighten teak back to a rosy tanned glow. We apply such each six months and there's been no obvious harm done to the treated timber over the last five years.
All IMHO of course.
Enjoy
JOHN