Exterior Teak

Spidermw81 · Post by **Spidermw81** » Mon May 17, 2010 3:26 am

The interior teak advice was great and now I am going to get the exterior wood refreshed. Any favorite products out there? The wood has been beat to hell, real discolored, white almost. I need some advice on restoring the wood and then treating it with a varnish or teak stain? Thanks for the help.

Post by **dougl33** » Mon May 17, 2010 5:49 am

I used 2 or 3 coats of Cetol Marine Light after I prepped the surfaces (washed with TSP, sande, vac'd, tacked, etc...). It was a few years ago so I forget the exact number of coats. Its holding up prety well. I make sure I draw all the curtains when ever I leave the boat to keep the sun out of the cabin as much as possible.

FidelityJim · Post by **FidelityJim** » Mon May 17, 2010 8:05 am

Matt: If you can get away with a light sanding the color will be fine with the Sikkins that Doug mentioned, but if there are nicks and/or dents that can't be sanded-out then you'll have to bleach out the wood with oxalic acid or hydrogen peroxide. I'd stay away from the two part wood bleaches they're pretty hot and can eat up caulking and your fingers. Then a light sanding and three coats of Sikkins Cetol. The finish will take a light sanding and a fresh coat of Sikkins every couple of years; be sure to touch-up any scrapes or scars right away and you'll almost never have to re-do the whole job. Note: If you don't sand enough of the old Sikkins away when re-coating it will get dark and cloudy. Hmmm. brings to mind a "Dark&Stormy". Jim

Post by **dougl33** » Mon May 17, 2010 8:23 am

Sorry. Just noticed the thread was for exterior teak. I used the process noted above for my interior. For the cockpit, I wipe it down with simple green and then rinse with water. Vac, tack, tape, and one coat per year. I tried going 2 years between coats, but its more work because I needed to sand. I stripped all the exterior teak several years ago and applied 3 coats of Cetol. Now I just do one coat per year as preventative maintainance. I usually get it done in one warm day in early spring when the boat is still covered.

Donmystic1 · Post by **Donmystic1** » Mon May 17, 2010 4:02 pm

Try Whitsley's white wall cleaner and a soft brass grill brush. Wet the teak with water, spray on the white wall cleaner and scrub with soft brass brush, all the mud, dirt and mold will come out of the grains. Just make sure that you use a soft brass grill brush not one with course bristles. let dry the teak will look like newly installed teak from the factory. Oil with a good teak oil. You will need to oil it two to three times a season to make it last. This method makes it so easy to do the teak around your rear windows and door frames.

BECCA ROSE · Post by **BECCA ROSE** » Mon May 17, 2010 5:19 pm

Cetol Natural Teak looks the best, the Marine Lite is a little to orangey for my taste. Cetol is very user friendly and holds up very well. Even sailboaters love it.