Teak Oil - One more time

[DeepFrz]

Yes, it does look nice. All you have to do is click on your nick at the left side of your post and choose "View Gallery Uploads".

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by onestepcsy37

virtualvagabond - sorry to complain about this forum - it's been a great source of all kinds of information - but they've ruined the photo posting process that used to be so user friendly. i've spent the last hour trying to upload the photo until i surmised that the photo had to be small, say under 100k, and finally got it loaded. the error message i was getting just said 'error' with no indication of what the problem was. then instead of getting some simple user id for the photo they gave me multiple strings of url addresses that are completely unusable to ordinary people. i'm a huge believer in keep it simple. the process is anything but.

ok, enough complaining. i figured out that, if you go to the photo gallery - maybe under the 'maintenance' heading (but who knows?) and search for a photo titled 'starbrite tropical teak oil' you may be able to actually see the photo. maybe.

in any event, if you can't please post a message to me with your real email address and i will send it along to you.

the photo, by the way, shows a section of my caprail TWO YEARS after we first applied the oil. looks pretty good, eh?

Thanks.
Found the photo. It looks good.
I've emailed Star Brite asking if they have photos of the different Tropical Teak Oils in their range.
I'm tempted to go with the Classic, mainly because our timber is old and I'm not inclined to get every dark blemish out of it. To me it's all part of her character, but with a darker teak the 'distressed look' teak might not be so contrasty.

Vic

[Nikolina]

OK STOP!
Are you saying that Starbrite Tropical Teak Oil will last for about Four Years? I'm in the process of sanding down the teak on my boat also, I don't live aboard so I'm looking for the best finish, maintenance free and longevity.
Thanks Nikolina

[four winds]

I'm still striping the outside teak. And also wondering if the tropical version really performs that well. Can't find it in the stores here, though they do have the other Starbrite choices.

I've tried one of them on a hand rail and it lasted a couple of weeks before it started to dry out and turn black as well. Of course it needed more coats but I was just experimenting.

[onestepcsy37]

nikolina / four winds - here's a recap of my experience;

we bought an old boat eight years ago. has big wide teak caprail all around the deck plus a teak dodger and teak handrails. the teak was in awful condition. we used commercial two part teak cleaner, then applied two coats of starbrite tropical teak oil. FOUR YEARS later the teak was starting to look like it needed another coat, so i basically washed it off and applied one coat of tropical teak oil. FOUR YEARS later (last month actually) i decided to give it a good cleaning and recoating.

this time i used don casey's formula instead of a commercial cleaner. it's a bucket of water with one cup of liquid laundry detergent and one cup of bleach added. brush it on, let it sit fifteen minutes, hose it off. looked great. then i applied two coats of tropical teak oil. hoping i wont have to do this job again for another four years.

i first learned about this stuff when i lived in sunny south florida where teak doesn't do very well. all the boat stores carried it. doesn't seem to be as popular in other parts of the country - maybe the word 'tropical' in the name makes northern boaters think it's not suitable in their area. but west marine either has it or can order it, and you can get it online through amazon.

i personally don't understand why everyone on earth doesn't use it.....

[four winds]

In two years of hanging around various marinas I've listened to everyone's teak finishing methods and asked questions many times. One spring I accidentally caused two boat owner's to become loud and animated towards each other while brushing on different products.

They couldn't stop brushing, so yelled (politely) at each other from three slips away.

In this time, only on the forum have I heard of tropical teak oil.

I'm going to give it a try, if I ever get the teak stripped. Today is change a seawater hose day, and try to figure out why I'm losing prime (fuel) on my Yanmar when the boat doesn't get started for a few days.

[rtbates]

Originally Posted by VirtualVagabond

Hi Bob/Connie,
I've heard of people using Tung oil. I've also heard horror stories about the rags spontaneously combusting if not gotten rid of quickly and properly.

I'm curious to know a bit more although we're leaning heavily towards the Starbrite Tropical product.

Where do you normally get Tung oil?
Low cost?
Is it also good to use on teak for show as opposed to decks you walk on?
Do you need to mask off to apply it or could you just wipe off excess on the FG with an acetone rag or some suchlike?
How frequently would you need to re apply in the tropics?

Vic

Prevention is very very easy... First do NOT wad the rags. Do not stuff them in a can or garbage. Spread them out to dry.. Easy..

[Cheechako]

You can get tung oil at yor local hardware store. Seafin is a good product, I've used it for temporary protection and it's good under varnish too. It's rather sticky and thin... almost like a cross between oil and varnish. I've found that oiling in damp climates like we have up here in the PNW causes black growth and is much worse than just using seawater. You have to keep oiling and oiling and oiling often, or you will get "break through" and greying just like varnish... requiring sanding again.

[zeehag]

i have been using watco on my rails and house wood--is teak--does well and manages to bead fresh water for a year.
with any oil on teak, make sure you wash well with sea water first--sea water is teak wood's first love. washes, cleans and even bleaches the wood some. if not washed, teak will turn black with the dirt under the oil.
i spend 6 hours yearly on my wood works.

home depot and ace hardware are good sources of teak oil. ditto tung oil.

[sarafina]

I have a friend with a teak heavy interior, which he teak oiled. It stank something awful for months.

What is good on teak on the INSIDE?

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by sarafina

I have a friend with a teak heavy interior, which he teak oiled. It stank something awful for months.

What is good on teak on the INSIDE?

Probably just need to find an oil that the smell doesnt bother. Tung oil maybe. It all has some smell for sure. Some people like it , some dont. If sensitive, what about mineral oil? easy to test a piece...

[zeehag]

"What is good on teak on the INSIDE?"

awesome interiors are teak--ambiance..more ambiance, and durability.

inside i do with orange oil.

[sarafina]

I suggested he use a lemon oil. I'll go back and reinforce the idea ; -)

Thanks!

[onestepcsy37]

four winds - don't mean to hijack the thread here, but somewhere between the pickup tube in your diesel tank and the injectors on the engine you have an air leak. depending on how much 'stuff' you've got between those two points it can be easy or hard to find.

mine turned out to be a badly installed secondary filter cartridge (my fault)...

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by onestepcsy37

starbrite TROPICAL teak oil. not teak oil. TROPICAL teak oil. yes, it's true. outlasts other teak oil, never turns black. (it can drip when you apply it so best to tape off and keep a rag with acetone or mineral spirits handy when applying it).

when we first got our boat eight years ago the teak had not been cared for in years (the previous owner had died and the boat sat unloved for two years). it was black. we used the two part teak cleaner to restore it to it's original condition. then we applied two coats of starbrite tropical teak oil. we did nothing - absolutely nothing - for the next four years. and this in sunny florida. then we just hosed off the teak and applied one coat of tropical teak oil. that was four years ago.

the teak was not in bad condition but i could see that the finish was wearing off, so last month i decided to give it a real cleaning and oiling. i cleaned it in accordance with don casey's book. he recommended a pail of water with one cup of liquid laundry soap and one cup of bleach. brush it on with a soft brush, let it sit for fifteen minutes, then hose it off. came out beautiful. then i applied two coats of tropical teak oil. shouldn't have to do anything for the next four years.

i don't know why everyone doesn't use this stuff. when i see people using cetol or varnish or even plain teak oil i just have to laugh....

When you applied the 2 coats of Tropical Teak Oil Sealer, did you do it wet on wet, or let it dry, light sand and then second coat?

Vic