Best treatment for interior teak

[Quadrille in JB]

My O’day 34 has beautiful teak cabinetry but it needs a little sprucing up. What can you suggest to help restore it to its original beauty.
Thanks in advance
Bill in JB

[JoJo2021]

In the past I’ve used a mixture of teak oil and mop and glow. It darkens the teak while giving it a little bit of the shine of varnish. Doesn’t last nearly as long as varnish but matches my interior finish well.

[Quadrille in JB]

Jojo,
Thanks for the input. Just what I was looking for
Thanks again,
Bill in jb

[SailingHarmonie]

Originally Posted by Quadrille in JB

My O’day 34 has beautiful teak cabinetry but it needs a little sprucing up. What can you suggest to help restore it to its original beauty.
Thanks in advance
Bill in JB

It HUGELY depends on what your original finish is, on your goals for the "look", and on your tolerance for effort. This is a difficult one to take advice from the internet. You have no idea what people's standard are, and how closely they align to your own. Even the amount of sun exposure over time can make a huge difference in the success of a piecemeal repair.

If you are going to "touch up" the original, you can not mix and match different finishes and expect anything like a yacht level result. A patch of oil in the middle of a varnished panel will always stick out like a sore thumb and just look hideous.

If your original finish was an oil based finish, touch up will be easier. You will not be able to match colors exactly, but it should be able to come close with a bit of experimentation.

If your original finish was varnish, you MIGHT be able to patch it, but it will require a lot more skill to look good. With varnish it is very difficult to match the level of shine from old to new, unless the original was a fully flat finish (that would be unusual). Most interiors are done with a semi-gloss because full on mirror shine is a bit glaring for an interior. I have had good results by fully redoing those panels that needed it, and not those that didn't. The finishes don't match exactly, but it doesn't stick out like a patch would.

With varnish the BEST option is to remove the old finish and start from scratch, but this can be a HUGE amount of work. A good "half measure" is to sand and touch up the worn areas, then go over everything with a cover coat so the surface finish matches. Most layers are gloss finish, only the top layer or two are not.

I custom mix flat and glossy to get the right level of shine that makes me happy. Fully flat is dull and lifeless, full-on shine hurts my eyes. With the brand of varnish I use a 2:1 mix of gloss:flat gives me a happy medium.

[s/v Jedi]

What I like best is cleaning it up using scraping, sanding and teak cleaner, then varnish with Epifanes matt which makes it beautiful but not glossy

[Iron E]

Originally Posted by Quadrille in JB

My O’day 34 has beautiful teak cabinetry but it needs a little sprucing up. What can you suggest to help restore it to its original beauty.
Thanks in advance
Bill in JB

For "a little sprucing up," I (personally) would
1. Clean all teak with warm, soapy water, then wipe with clean water
2. Scuff teak with a fine Scotch pad, White or Purple
3. Wipe with tack cloth
4. Apply a coat of varnish

This is how I do it and it avoids adding anything to the surface of the teak that would be an issue when you decide on varnishing.
I've got like a hundred 1 and 2-inch foam brushes always ready for some sprucing up.

/my2cents

[Quadrille in JB]

Thanks for all the good input.
My original finish is oiled teak that is still in fairly great shape, but it almost appears have a little thin film of mildew on it. I’m just looking for something to clean this up, not to refinish it.

[Iron E]

Originally Posted by Quadrille in JB

My original finish is oiled teak that is still in fairly great shape, but it almost appears have a little thin film of mildew on it. I’m just looking for something to clean this up, not to refinish it.

This was valuable information that, to me, seems different from your original question. I'm not a fan of teak oil for the reasons you mentioned. Mold, mildew, dust, etc. Teak oil attracts all of these things.

That said, White Vinegar will kill mold and mildew. Simply mix 50/50 water and vinegar.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Quadrille in JB

Thanks for all the good input.
My original finish is oiled teak that is still in fairly great shape, but it almost appears have a little thin film of mildew on it. I’m just looking for something to clean this up, not to refinish it.

Definitely first wash with warm water and mild soap, then make a solution of hydrogen peroxide diluted with water (Google for strength), put that in a spray bottle and start treating it with this: let it soak, then spray more and scrub. Use paper towel to dry it and see if it’s gone, repeat if not.

After that dry it really well and after a week or so oil it again.

Note: varnish protects much better against mildew but I like the look of oiled better: simply clean with the peroxide once in a while and add some oil.

[Quadrille in JB]

Thanks
I’ll try it this weekend.

[Quadrille in JB]

Thank you for all the input. I cleaned my oiled teak with teak cleaner and then rinsed with a damp cloth. Then I applied teak oil, let it soak in for 10 minutes, then buffed it with a dry cloth. This brought all the rich color back to it.
I have a new question.
Vberth sides are covered with what looks like an industrial carpet. The only problem is that it has mildew blotches on it. I’m open to your expert suggestions.
Thanks in advance

[nightowle]

Originally Posted by Quadrille in JB

Thank you for all the input. I cleaned my oiled teak with teak cleaner and then rinsed with a damp cloth. Then I applied teak oil, let it soak in for 10 minutes, then buffed it with a dry cloth. This brought all the rich color back to it.
I have a new question.
Vberth sides are covered with what looks like an industrial carpet. The only problem is that it has mildew blotches on it. I’m open to your expert suggestions.
Thanks in advance

One of the best nontoxic products for mildew is Concrobium. You'll find it at most hardware stores. You can mix it yourself or buy a spray bottle. It will clean, kill, and fend off the reappearance of most mildew types for some time.

[s/v Jedi]

I would remove the carpet or replace it. When replacing, you can use fasteners for the new to make it easier next time.

But a Bissel upholstery cleaner should do it. If you can’t keep the interior dry (A/C or dehumidifier) then it’s best to avoid things like carpet and bare wood.

[mshozda]

My Island Packet interior was looking a bit sad. No varnish inside, and the stain was starting to fade due to years of cleaning. Mildew was also becoming a problem.

I went over every surface with a 50/50 vinegar solution. For areas that had the worst, recurrent mildew problem, I hit it with a 10% (more or less) bleach solution first. After it dried, I wiped it all down with MinWax Gunstock stain mixed with the M-1 Advance Mildew additive.

Took me six days to do the whole boat, but it was worth the effort. The wood looks brand new. It’s too soon to say whether or not it will slow down the mildew, but I’m hopeful.

I am also experimenting with non-organic oils, like Liquid Gold, to see if areas treated with that hold up better with respect to mildew and visual appeal. Mildew wants an organic substrate to root in. My thought is that the inorganic oils in the stain and Liquid Gold will discourage it from taking root, especially with the M-1 added in at higher than recommended concentrations.

Frankly, if the finish holds up two or three years, then I’m happy to invest another week to refresh it again, especially if it slows down the mildew. It was certainly much easier than trying to varnish everything.