Best Shower Grate Finish?

[avazquez]

I am refinishing the teak shower grates on my Frers First 456. They had Cetol before but I am considering using gloss Epifanes Varnish.

Anyway the question is : What is the best finish for shower grates?

[Sandero]

I built shower grates about 20 years ago along with grates for the cockpit sole from teak. I had a wood shop at the time so I was able to do with from stock. The shower grate is 3/4 x 3/4 and the cockpit is 1x1, neither have any finish. Two times a year for the cockpit and once a month for the shower I scrub them with something like soft scrub and an old teak cleaner brush and they look great, almost new.

I don't think hard finishes will hold up well because of all the edges and corners which breach soon and then undermine the finish. And the unfinished teak gives the best non skid finish. The pics were taken last year after 20 years of use and the above maintenance.

[James S]

defjef
Damn fine workmanship from where I'm sitting.

[Sandero]

James,

Thanks! I had a woodwork biz many years ago so I picked up a few tricks with woodworking machinery.

But the point of the pics was not to show off my skills but to show off that teak grates are very durable, last eons and don't need to be varnished and that it's not a great idea anyway.

Yea they do go dullish and gray, but they can be brought back to lovely warm honey colored teak with a little clean up.

[James S]

When I rebuilt my showers I eliminated the varnished grates all together, since now both showers gravity drain into a grey water tank.

I did build grating for my cockpit and rebuilt (built new) the 4 gratings over bow wells.
The originals (unfinished) had just started having bits and pieces break off after 30 years.

So yes I defiantly agree that properly built grates will last a very long time with very little maintenance.

[svHyLyte]

After "grate" effort we managed to remove all of the old deteriorated finsh (I believe Cetol) that had been applied to the floor grates in the heads on our boat by the PO, gave them a good smoothing with a sander, and refinished them with a few coats of lemon oil that polished up nicely while preserving the non-skid characteristics of the teak. The lemon oil also prevents any mold from developing on the undersides of the grate. These are taken out and given a good scrub from time-to-time and wiped down with a bit more oil.

FWIW...

s/v HyLyte