Question about Teak

[Curmudgeon]

I'm a newbie with no experience in maintaining a boat. But I know a little about refinishing floors.

So why do folks still use varnish?

It seems to me that if you cleaned and oiled the teak (or mahogany) thoroughly and then put on 3-4 coats of polyurethane (which you could get in a "high gloss" version if you wanted the shininess of varnish) you would have a finish that was just as water resistant and much easier to maintain. Am I missing something?

I prefer to use first, oil, second, varnish, and third, some of the high tech finishes like Cetol. Oil is fine, but requires that you re-apply often. If it is in an area that will see wear, and dirt, such as a cabin sole, oil would actualy be a good choice because it is easy to clean and re-oil. Varnish is slippery when wet, so it is not ideal for walking surfaces, but some of the polyurathane finishes are less slippery. I would not recomend using oil, then poly.

[Curmudgeon]

Why would you not recommend using oil and then poly?

I can understand why, on a walking surface like a teak deck, you would let it weather gray and oil it. But what about brightwork and interior cabin trim?
Why wouldn't poly work for that?

Poly is fine for that, but oil then poly has, in my experience, caused some adhesion issues. It has also not provided as noce a finish as poly alone.

[nmit5903]

Any problems with calking separating from the oiled timber? I havnt oiled for that reason?


Neil