Interior Teak Wood...too many options!

[a64pilot]

I love Murphy's oil soap and have used it in houses for years, but I think the oil is vegetable oil, and I've been afraid that might grow mold so I haven't used it in boats.
I don't know for sure what the oil in Scotts is, but mold is like cancer or rust, lots better to not have it than to try to get rid of it.


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[puffcard]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I believe mold grows in natural oils, I use Scott's Liquid Gold, which I believe is a synthetic and does not support mold.
Scott's Liquid Gold does have a mold control product that they sell, I have not used it, but it might be worth a look?
Amazon.com - Scott's Liquid Gold 50001 Mold Control Kit - Hepa Filter Air Purifiers

I do not know if it can be used on teak or not, myself I'd try it on a small, hidden area first, even if it says it can.

Just looked at Liquid Gold Mold Control, might try that as a last resort. It's based on a decontamination formula developed by the Sandia National Laboratory to kill anthrax and other chemical or biological agents. Thanks for the info.

[a64pilot]

I know nothing of it. I'd try it first on a hidden part just in case it bleaches or something.
If you try it please report the results


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[Ribbit]

I'm not a fan of varnish as I like to feed wood regularly, and you can't get wood food past the varnish.

Plus I do like oil finishes, which can be very hard and durable.

The best of which are for shotgun stocks and fore ends. Properly done they do take a lot of punishment from the weather, rapidly changing temperatures, sweaty hands, mineral oils (disastrous for woods), abrasion from opening and closing the gun, etc.

The best of the best is the stock oil that used to be made by Purdey's. I say used to, because they have forgotten how to make it (I kid you not).

There's only one person alive, that has the recipe for the original Purdey's stock oil, and he's my best friend.

Other friends that buy it off him have a very hard time keeping it, because their wives snatch it out of the gunsafe and use it on all the furniture, because there's nothing else like it.

If you want to see what it looks like when properly applied, look at old high quality shotguns with their original finish (1920's vintage should be about right).

I used it on my Varberger rifle, which had a 'disappointing' finish (the only thing disappointing about it), and it came up lovely.

I'll try it on my boat when I get it, and let you know how it goes.

[a64pilot]

Birchwood Caseys tru-oil works well
https://www.birchwoodcasey.com/Refin...ck-Finish.aspx
Its a real glossy finish, but a little 0000 steel wool polishes off that gloss to a nice satin finish, and then you can polish it to anything in between

[Tetepare]

I use any of the higher-end oils, twice a year. That keeps the mold away.


The C30 has a lot of wood bolted-on and if you just rub in oil you'll get it all over the fiberglass, and then the oil turns hard and looks awful. I tear off a sheet of light cardboard (typically from a 12-pack container) and slide it behind the wood to cover the fiberglass and the job goes a lot quicker without making a mess.


Nobody has mentioned the obvious: eliminating the dampness. Obviously, a solar powered vent is good. The C30 stuffing box drips into the bilge, and the stock bilge and hand pump hoses can't remove a lot of it. I took a short piece of tubular aluminum and squished one end to it looks like that off a shop vac, and added that to the end of the manual pump. This way I can get it down to 1/2" of water. All water in the bilge should be removed every time you leave the boat- a real pain, no doubt, but it will keep the boat much drier.

[windwardjourney]

I am in the process of changing from oiled teak to varnish. Epifanes traditional high gloss is what we chose. The previous owner used an oil which turned the teak from the original brown-gold color to red, similar to Honduran mahogany. I am using straight vinegar and a scrubbie, with a great deal of elbow grease to remove a majority of the oil. It also smooths down the wood and removes the red color. When dry, I sand with fine sandpaper, wipe down with alcohol, and put 3 to 4 coats of varnish on. The difference is amazing! The oiled teak was always dirty and moldy. Mold barely sticks to the new finish. Here are some photos.


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[Cheechako]

Nice!
Regarding oil; most bulkheads are plywood. I've often wondered if too much oiling over the years could possibly release the glue holding the veneer. Some of those veneers are only maybe 1/32" thick...
If I had bare/oiled surfaces, I would be very tempted to try something I've been using on other projects. Formby's Tung Oil Rubbed Oil Finish. You can rub it on with a cloth or brush it on thinly. I've been brushing it on bare wood guitar necks etc and it lays very flat, dries very quick and seems durable... and being oil based it should go on over previous oiled surfaces well.
Jus a thought.

[sparrowhawk1]

There's a thread going on treating mold. I'm currently washing all my interior with borax, 2 ounces to 32 ounces of hot water. I spray it on let it sit for a few minutes and wipe it off with a rag. So far it's great as a cleaner, time will tell whether it prevents mold from coming back.

[angelfish2]

This what I do and it works for us:

1. Wash interior teak with 1 cup white vinegar plus 1 cup filtered water
2. Lightly sand with 320+ just to take down the "knap"
3. Wipe with a wash cloth, then a tacky cloth
4. Brush on a coat of Starbright teak oil
5. Let dry overnight and buff with an old t-shirt
6. Brush on another coat of Starbright
7. Again, let dry overnight and buff with that same old t-shirt.

We had a bit of mildew this past summer on some of the lower teak, but all the areas where I had done the above method remained totally mildew-free. It really was amazing!

While I really DO love the look of varnish, oiled teak (when done correctly) really does look beautiful. It has a warm, lovely appearance and (for my part) is easier to apply and maintain.

[sartorst]

If you varnish a tip I highly recommend is never open the can, punch a hole in the top of the can near the edge and place a screw in it when finished, no splash when hammering on the lid, no contamination even if you leave the screw out overnight it will not harden, if it is anything other than gloss have it shaken at the paint store because the flattening agents will settle out they will not recommend it because of bubbles but by the time you get to use it there want be a problem,shake the can yourself each evening when finished
With a 3-4 inch roller and a brush using a roll and tip method you can cover a lot of wood in a day
On interior work I use a clear shellac as a sealer which will be dry and ready to paint over very quickly which will cut down on the coats needed also is good for sealing battery terminals,tools any thing you dont want to rust or corrode and cleans easily with alcohol

[Captndave1]

Since you don't want to sand, I would suggest you apply brushing lacquer with a rag, rubbing the lacquer into the wood. this will give a hand rubbed satin finish that will last years and is easy to repair if damaged. It is a bit of an effort to do it as it requires several applications, but well worth the effort. Cabo Rico Yachts uses this method exclusively for their interiors, and leaves a beautiful finish.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Captndave1

Since you don't want to sand, I would suggest you apply brushing lacquer with a rag, rubbing the lacquer into the wood. this will give a hand rubbed satin finish that will last years and is easy to repair if damaged. It is a bit of an effort to do it as it requires several applications, but well worth the effort. Cabo Rico Yachts uses this method exclusively for their interiors, and leaves a beautiful finish.

Are you sure this is lacquer? I've done some lacquer work on musical instruments, it dries in less than a minute... seems using that with a rag will be a mess...? Or maybe it's something different...?

[zboss]

Originally Posted by Captndave1

Since you don't want to sand, I would suggest you apply brushing lacquer with a rag, rubbing the lacquer into the wood. this will give a hand rubbed satin finish that will last years and is easy to repair if damaged. It is a bit of an effort to do it as it requires several applications, but well worth the effort. Cabo Rico Yachts uses this method exclusively for their interiors, and leaves a beautiful finish.

We also have a CR - after trying to recreate the CR process we have given up I have no idea exactly that they did but because of time the wood finish is just about beat. Instead we are going to go with a "good enough" solution:

1) Sand down the teak (we have 1/4" thick teak throughout that has never been sanded).

2) Apply Zinsser SealCoat

3) Use the 000 Bronze wool to burnish the surface.

3) Zinsser Bulls Eye Shellac for the final coats.

The idea is to keep the teak wood light in color rather than darken the wood.

[Captndave1]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Are you sure this is lacquer? I've done some lacquer work on musical instruments, it dries in less than a minute... seems using that with a rag will be a mess...? Or maybe it's something different...?

Brushing laquer dries a lot slower allowing time to rub it into the wood. I have done boat interiors and furniture this way myself and I love the resulting finish.