Finishing wood

[Mundaysj]

Hi all.
Ok.. here is another question for you.  Last year I sanded the exterior wood trim (hand holds, the wood the Winches sit on, etc) and put teak oil on it.  They looked better than they ugly grey that they were.  But I spilled a bit of the teak oil and ended up with a few stains on the fiberglass and the wood looked better but not great.  This year I want to do a better job with it.  So.... I have two questions...well... maybe 3.

1)  If I remove the wood, so that I can sand it real well, do I have to do anything special when I screw it back on?  Do I have to use epoxy or anything?  Come to think of it ... will I be able to just unscrew them?

2)  How do I clean off the teak oil that is on the fiberglass?  Will acetone do it .. or will that ruin the fiberglass?  And then do I just wax the fiberglass after cleaning it?

3)  I don't like the glossy wood look.  I prefer a satin kind of finish.  So what is the best finish for the teak?  The teak oil gave it a nice brown but the finish was rather flat.

Thanks for your input!!
Sherie

[Bob23]

Sherie:
   Good morning!
  First, removing the grab rails and the rest of the teak is not hard. I did mine. I would caution against removing the thin cabinside trims (over the portlights). In removing all the exterior teak on "Koinonia", I found these were impossible to get off. They must have used 5200 caulk; came off in pieces. It's better to sand these in place-take it from one who has done it! To reinstall the exterior teak, don't use epoxy or 5200 but instead use a bedding compound. You can get it at West Marine, and a can will last you the rest of your life, which hopefully will be a long, happy one exploring the Med!.
   Second, Acetone will clean up the spilled teak oil just fine; won't harm the glass and you'll be ready for another fun waxing session.
   Third, I would recommend Cetol by Sikkens  as a finish for you. I happen to like the glossy look on my exterior teak but would be the first to admit it is a lot of work. A LOT of work! The Cetol finishes are available in a few shades- I just got done using Cetol Marine Natural Teak on my Force 5 and it came out great. Best thing is...are you sitting down? No sanding between coats! Yes, you heard me right! Halleujah! And it works great, is easy to apply and later on when it needs a maintenance coat, a light sanding and more Cetol will do it! It is not a high gloss finish but not dead flat either. It's so easy to work with you'll think you are in Heaven! (Well, maybe not- in Heaven, the finish will last for eternity!)
   When you have the teak removed, make sure you seal all sides including the bottoms so moisture cannot enter the wood.
   I made the mistake of using Teak oil on the interior of my "Koin" and learned, again the hard way, that it attracts a lot of mold. My boat is well ventilated but the teak oil acted like Linseed oil. Mold was everywhere! After I hand-scrubbed with a light bleach solution, rinsed with water and dried the wood, I gave it a light coat of Epifane's Satin varnish which advertised a hand-rubbed look. They were telling the truth...it does!
   Well, that's about it. May all be well with you and "Blone Ambition". Hope to see you on the water, Bob23- 29 days till Spring launch!

[Goodrun]

I just use lemon oil on the inside of the CP19. It makes the wood look good, is easy to find in most any store, smells nice and supposedly will kill off any mold. I have also heard tea tree essential oil works good for killing mold but it does have an odor for a few days.

[Shawn]

"3)  I don't like the glossy wood look.  I prefer a satin kind of finish.  So what is the best finish for the teak?  The teak oil gave it a nice brown but the finish was rather flat."

For non glossy consider Semco. I'm in the process of doing the teak on my boat with it (Natural on the outside, cleartone on the interior) and like it so far. My father has used it for years on his boats and his teak always looked great. Very easy to apply (don't even have to wait for it to fully dry between coats) and is easy to deal with the next year too.

My 23 had I think Cetol on it as it has that orange look. It wasn't kept up with and is a mess now. To strip it off I am using a heat gun and a carbide paint scraper which is peeling it off pretty well. Trying to sand it off was just clogging the paper really badly.

Shawn

[nick23]

My teak was a total mess when I got my CP 23...neglected for 3+ years with flaking varnish, grey spots, etc.  The only teak I removed was the bowsprit, the tiller, and everything having to do with the companionway hatch.  Everything else I just taped off.

Anyways, I sanded it back with 80 grit, then applied 3 coats of Cetol light.  Very easy to use, I'd highly recommended.  Sanding would be much easier with all the teak off the boat, but if you exercise care when sanding, you can get all the old varnish off without hitting the gelcoat.  The final finish is somewhat orangey and a bit shiny, but really pretty nice.  As far as I'm concerned, when you look at all the options of time and maintenance vs. finished look and longevity, the Cetol really fits the bill. 

I like lemon oil for the interior...haven't tried anything else though.  Cheap and a no-brainer to apply.

[Mundaysj]

So .. bedding compound and 2 votes Cetol and 1 vote Semco.  I will check them out.  And yes, I too use lemon oil on the interior!  Thanks again for the input.  Unfortunately I can't put her in the water until May 10 (the launch doesn't run till then).  I guess I can pretty her up in the meantime!

[Bob23]

A good book to read on this subject is "Brightwork. The art of finishing wood." by Rebecca J. Wittman. Her work centers on extremely high end brightwork but it is certainly worth a read whatever you want to use.
Bob23...done sanding for a while.

[mrb]

OK,  crucify me now for heresy.  Just my opinion but I vote for a light sanding, very light and then enjoy that mellow teak gray. Wait a few years and repeat process.  No paint to peel off nothing to spill.

Imagine you are a thousand year old teak tree standing majestically in the rain forest and some one asks you to give your beautiful wood for their boat and you agree only to find out you are being hidden under a stain or paint.

Just a old mans rant
Melvin

Good luck on whatever you go with

[Bob23]

Ok, at 4:58 est, it's not easy for me to imagine I'm a thousand year old teak tree- but here goes:
   "Y'know, I've been growing here for a thousand years and I cant' bear the thought of leaving this old forest. I've got lot's of friends here and while we don't get around that much, well it just sort of feels like home. I've seen things in the last thousand years that you wouldn't believe but, considering this is a sailboat forum, I'll keep it brief. You know, we do get to rambling on a bit.
   First off, I've spent a lot of time growing this wood of mine, so I want to show it off. Us teak trees are, well, very proud of our wood (it's the finest of them all-just ask the ancient Chinese who built massive ships back in the 13th century) and we don't take kindly to folks painting us. That being said, first off we are a durable wood. Sure, you guys just think about the way we look but we are the best under the waterline. Ok, y'all are fiberglass folks so I'll try to stay on the subject. We love to show off. Period. The more of our grain and color you can showcase, the happier we are! We tend to lean to a high gloss treatment but we do understand that time, at least for humans, is in short supply these days. We've heard there are some new coatings which allow us to look good and you to sail more and I suppose that's what it's all about, eh?
   To summarize, keep us looking nice, don't paint us, we don't really like Teak oil that much because it makes us turn grey pretty quick but it sure doesn't make us weaker. Besides, some of you like that grey look-just check out your hair! Haha...
   If anyone happens to bump into Rich or Gerry Hutchins, thank 'em for us. We are proud to be used extensively in such fine yachts as Compacs. See you on or in the water!"

[Craig Weis]

I use Teak Brightener and a nylon scrub brush and then rinse off the wood. If it's still not bright enough I Teak Bright the wood again. And rinse. Next day after the dew goes away I brush on a little satin Cetaol. So much for the out side.

The tiller is special and that is sanded and seven coats of Schooner varnish later it's done. You know I hang it up from it's holes in the garage. One coat, one day. Don't dry in the sun. Bubbles as the surface skins over, and the solvents below the skin pop through. Drys too fast. Is known as 'solvent pop'.

The inside wood is Min-Waxed to death, I'm not sure what dies first. My can of wax or my arms and back crawling around.

I don't take anything apart 'cause then I need to re-bed to fight off leaks.  So pay me now or pay me later as far as time is concerned. skip.

[newt]

Put another one up for Cetol. I swim in the stuff every spring. My boat is out now, and I aways have to look at her twice when I leave.

[Mundaysj]

Hi all,
OK.. now I might be changing my mind.... I was visiting a friends boat ... lovely boat... and he had the yard do his woodwork.. and it had a few coats of varnish... and it looked really nice.  Sooooooo .. maybe the shiny look isn't so bad.
Flip flopping in PA,
Sherie

[Shawn]

Varnish looks great, it is just a PITA. Initial coating is around 8 coats of the stuff, after that it is a few coats a year.

If you get a chip in the varnish and don't touch it up it lets moisture under the varnish there. The wood will darken and you will have to strip all the varnish off there and start over. Keep a nail polish container with varnish in the boat. That way if you ding the varnish you can touch it up right then and there.

For some nics pics of what the Semco looks like check out the Teak on this boat...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/26-Bertram-Sport-Convertible-II-1983_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a10Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem120399589318QQitemZ120399589318QQptZPowerQ5fMotorboats

Shawn

[Bob23]

Sherie-
   The varnished look is a great look. But, as Shawn indicated, one must be dedicated to some maintenance work to keep it sweet. Have you checked out a finish called Veranda? I have a friend here on LBI who maintains small sail and rowing craft for wealthy clients and he loves it. When I stop by his shop to talk boats and BMW motorcycles, I see the finish on his boats and it seems to rival varnish but much less work.
Bob23, getting ready to do spring sanding!

[newt]

You call that brightwork on that umm motor boat? Well hold on right there partner! I'll get you some pictures of my dingy as soon as I finish it in the next few days. We'll have a little snob fest here in the varnish department ;0