Refinish exterior teak with Thompson's waterseal?

[waterman46]

[QUOTE=coopec43;3119730]Have you looked at Sikkens Cetol HLSe?

I used Cetol about 12 years ago and I swear I will never use it again. Unlike spar varnish, it darkens the wood (I used the lightest "clear" version of Cetol) and then after a year it starts peeling off like scabs off your knee. Ugly stuff. Then you must remove it, which is difficult because its harder than the teak so when you sand you remove more teak than Cetol. Have to use stripper chemicals - keeping them off surrounding white gelcoat. Messy business.

[CarinaPDX]

Thompson's Water Seal? Don't do it!!!! It is a silicone-based treatment - once applied you are stuck with using silicone as all other coatings will not adhere over the top, and complete removal is near-impossible short of heavy sanding. (Silicone sealants also leave silicone behind which can prevent other sealants from adhering well.) If you are absolutely certain that this is what you want then proceed; just be aware that it will be a nightmare if you want to do something else later.

I started out using Deks Olje 1 & 2, and that doesn't last a year. At least it is easy to remove. Traditional spar varnish, like Epifanes, looks great but also requires frequent sanding/re-coating. And even if well maintained it usually needs to be removed and replaced every few years as it becomes dark.

Cetol is incredibly durable and overcoating does not require sanding. It is by far the best varnish equivalent I have found. The common criticism is that it looks orange after many coats, but this is because it is not being used correctly. To apply on bare wood first use one of the pigmented versions, such as Teak or Natural, for the first 2 coats. Then switch to several coats of Clear Gloss, which is not pigmented. For maintenance wash and dry the old finish and re-coat with Clear Gloss - never use a pigmented version again except to repair any area that has worn through. I have used it this way on my fir bowsprit for the last decade, and it always looks like a great varnish job (not the opaque orange look that happens with using just the pigmented version).

Greg

[n5ama]

I did a additional check or several of their products in the store and it seems the only Thompson’s product that gives additional duration is their stain. It’s not transparent and probably lasts a bit longer because it’s loaded with pigment and probably would last a bit longer like paint.

I’m not interested in painting my handrails. So it seems like there is abundant reasons not to use this on our boat woodwork and I would also be hesitant to use it on my wood patio furniture.

I appreciate the great feedback.

[Secondshift]

A penetrating epoxy sounds very interesting to me.
It would certainly be more abrasion resistant than Cetol
However, I love my Cetol matte finish
I tried an oil finish here in FL and it deteriorated rapidly while turning black.
Perhaps not a quality oil?

Cetol's breathable finish prevents the mini greenhouse effect that works varnishes loose from underneath.
Additional coats require no sanding but will darken the color.
Touch ups can also be done without sanding.
If you do end up having to sand it will sand easier than epoxies I use.

Though the instructions state "Do not thin" I've found wiping on a tack coat will penetrate the surface and prevent peeling. I use two unthinned coats after that and a nail polish bottle for touch ups. I've used it over epoxy fairing and I've used epoxy fairing over it to restore valleys in weathered pieces.

That Don Casey book with the specs is out on loan. For my tack coat , if memory serves, I've thinned about 50% and wiped on with a t-shirt rag. Allow to dry and no more peeling for me or my friends.


OOooh yeah and I'm not a paid advertiser. Just really love it.

Best Regards

[sailcrazy]

We first acquired our Taiwan-made sailboat (read...lots of teak) while living and working in the Philippines. Lots of very high sun! We used Deks Ole on both the deck and the brightwork, and it worked very, very well. But when we sailed away and got into the Medd, we could not find it. After a long search, we chose Semco Natural....and have not looked back since. It goes one very easily-it soaks right in, gives a new, natural teak look, and protects our teak deck and brightwork very well. We redid it every other year in the Medd, but here in the Caribb we redo it every year-it takes the 2 of us about 3 hours to apply 2 coats after we have cleaned the deck. We have also used it on our teak patio furniture at our MN lake home.....there we redo the finish every 4-5 years! We really like the Semco product, and it regularily gets us multiple compliments on our deck and caprail.

[partingclouds]

Thompson's is a joke. Don't waste your money or time. I used some on a cedar deck and shortly after it was applied water beading stopped, and the deck went grey in a single season. You can do better, certainly.

[SVHarmonie]

Originally Posted by rbrentp

Ok, I seem to do this about once a year. The gray in teak is not decay it is bacteria poop. they like to eat teak oil, The wood looses its protective coat and the bugs get in and gray appears. If you sand it you remove wood. There is a cleaner that washes it like new if there is not varnish on it. Teak guard is a stereo isomer of natural teak oil That means its a mirror image or 'right handed." Everything on the planet digests left handed molecules. Bugs can't eat so with Teak Guard it doesn't turn gray. Putting the stuff on clean teak is done with a sponge brush in coats. Four for a walk on it surface outdoors. It is not upkeep free. once or twice a year add a coat and it will look like new teak forever. If you get lazy or something comes up it will slowly disappear and you have to clean the the teak again with a plastic brush and their teak cleaner. no sanding, no loss of wood.

Who makes this stuff up? This is nonsense. Very scientific sounding nonsense, but nonsense... the gray color is sun fading. Teak that is not exposed to the sun will not turn gray, it is not bacterial decomposition. Teak that is constantly wet will collect mold and fungi and slowly rot and turn black, but that's not the same process as the gray we see on dry, sun exposed teak.

I will not comment on the effectiveness of Teak Guard, one way or another, but this explanation has no relationship to the product literature, or the real chemistry of whats happening at the surface of teak exposed to the environment.

Based on the instructions, Teak Guard is another teak "oil." Reapplied every few months, and they can keep teak looking sort of good. Chose the one you like the look of the best if that's the look you want.

[SVHarmonie]

[QUOTE=waterman46;3120289]

Originally Posted by coopec43

Have you looked at Sikkens Cetol HLSe?

I used Cetol about 12 years ago and I swear I will never use it again. Unlike spar varnish, it darkens the wood (I used the lightest "clear" version of Cetol) and then after a year it starts peeling off like scabs off your knee. Ugly stuff. Then you must remove it, which is difficult because its harder than the teak so when you sand you remove more teak than Cetol. Have to use stripper chemicals - keeping them off surrounding white gelcoat. Messy business.

All that, AND it looks like whale snot. Or, on a good day, like dull orange paint.