Restoring teak

[nightdagger]

I am just starting to restore the original teak in my boat. The PO seems to of put a varnish or clear coat over it so I was thinking of using 120 grit to strip it smooth and 220 grit to finish out with. I want the teak to have a nice color like original but have no been able to find a picture or details about what the 1980 Sea ray DA's looked like.

Any suggestions and help would be appreciated.

Thank you

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[sdarc]

Here's an excellent thread on restoring teak: http://clubsearay.com/showthread.php/48611-How-to-Varnish-Teak-the-AFTICA-way!!!

 

[Big Island Lifer]

It depends on how far gone it is and what type of finish you want. There are teak cleaners and brighteners that chemically clean and bleach the wood. These will give you a natural unfinished look that can be oiled or varnished. I prefer a light sanding. I like your idea of the altered grit on the sand paper. I used Cetol. It is a great and durable product that many on the board have utilized. three coats with a light sanding in between. It won't give you a perfect mirror finish that a Half dozen coats of varnish will but it is also more forgiving. Post some picks of your teak.



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[nightdagger]

Well I started striping it today. I do not like using chemical on wood so I did it the old fashioned way, by hand. I have some pics if anyone cares to see my progress, what I am starting with and eventually the result.



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[nightdagger]

This is after 2 hours of hand sanding. Going pretty good but only 1% done lol

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[DougLas]

If you are looking for a real nice finish go to West Epoxy System they recommend using their product then top coating with varnish for UV protection. I have tried it in a small area and like how it turned out.

 

[nightdagger]

The end result that I would like is a lighter natural look. I am not a fan of teak being bright shiny red. I like the deeper satin finishes, kinda walnut like.

Now I do not now if I should be using the oil or stain?

Yearly maintenance is OK, I enjoy the work and am a retired 32 year old (screwed my back up)

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[Henry Boyd]

West System is the way to go as a base, if you are sure you don't want an oil finish later.

Where there is already an unknown finish you should test a couple spots first no matter what you plan to use. If the old coating may have unevenly saturated the wood. Thus if you use a coating that needs to soak in, you may get uneven results. If that happens you will need to seal all of it to get uniform results. If you do need to seal then West is a good choice.

The are a couple of tricks; first you really need to wipe down the teak with acetone before applying the first coat. By sanding you will expose new wood and wood oil.

Use the correct hardener, West makes one just for coating. It will produce a liquid that is thinner and better suited for brushing or spraying.

If there are surface defects fix them first with regular epoxy and sand them smooth before beginning your over coating

Use it sparingly. What does not soak in will have to be sanded off.

Work in thin coats, many thin coats are more effective then a few thick ones.

Epoxy can be sanded with up to 2000 grit and then buffed for a glass like finish, if it has been allowed enough time to cure and harden. When done the varnish will only be needed as a top coat to provide UV protection.

Henry


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[NH Tooner]

I just started the same thing on my 1980 260 dancer. Is there a gloss finish on the wood from the factory or is the teak have an oil finish? I popped all the wood plugs off the screws and removed the wood for easier sanding.

 

[nightdagger]

Not sure if it is from factory or not. I will be pulling all the wood off the boat soon. Wife is undecided if we are using it or the 19ft for fishing yet. Be a great winter project though.

I am leaving mine with just an oil finish. I like the look better then the high gloss. Not to mention my swim platform is very slippery lol.

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[Bugsy24]

Nightdagger... Henry is the Resident "Finish Carpentry Artist" here so I would take his advice as Dogma!!

Hope I didn't Embarrass you Henry!!

 

[nightdagger]

I will definitely be using his method to redo my teak. Sounds like the way I want to go and the end result will be a long lasting finish.

I have 1 question and that would be the 1 coat of varnish or UV protection. Is there anything less slick I could use? Just do not want the little ones falling off the swim platform. I know with the finish that it has right now it is deadly slick, kind of scary really.

I guess I had two questions lol. Did the original 1980 245DA have the light teak with varnish or was it the darker/almost red finish? If possible I would prefer to go back to original.

Thanks for everyone advice and help. This will definitely make my winter work more enjoyable knowing how good the end result will be

 

[NH Tooner]

I'm doing a teak oil finish. I'm not a fan of the high gloss.

 

[Henry Boyd]

Can't answer the OEM questions.

Yes, you can use a flattening agent with varnishes like Interlux to make them less glossy.

Using oil is fine if you can get a uniform surface, otherwise it may look splotchy.

The other thing I would recommend if you have drilled the existing bungs out is to get a plug cutter. Many wood working supply house carry them. These attach to a drill and will cut a tapered plug that is cross grain. When reinserted into the base piece they will finish almost invisibly. If you use dowels they will definitely show up.

Henry

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[Ka1oxd]

I did it using Jason's way with Tung oil and then varnish. It came out great and the dog did not chip it or scratch it. But someone dropped the grill on it and took out a chunk, including the wood.

 

[Ka1oxd]

Is anyone else having problems loading from Photobucket tonight? I tired to link a copy of pictures but it keeps hanging. At least one picture made it.

 

[nightdagger]

That does look really nice. I bet once I get going I will end up with it all having a nice varnish finish lol.

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[Henry Boyd]

Here is a picture of a table I recently did.

It is mahogany sealed with four coats of West System epoxy and top coated with Interlux. I re-planed all of the stock before assembly. After assembly the top was sanded with successive grades of grit from 120 through 480 using a sander with HEPA grade dust extraction. There were then four coats of West applied (209?, 210 hardener?). These were also sanded with 320 through 480. The last coat of epoxy I continued on using abrasive pads with a final at 2000 grit. The person the table was for wanted a semi-gloss finish. So I went with Interlux with a tiny bit of flattening agent.

Here is a temporary dash I did for our 280. I eventually duplicated the 280 curved dash with teak veneer, but while I was doing that I used this. This also is epoxy sealed with a top coat. I can't remember if that was with Interlux, or whether I used whatever I had in the shop.

Its all about preparation.

Henry

 

[Ka1oxd]

This is after the dog been standing on the back teak barking at the kids swimming.

 

[nightdagger]

OK you have me convinced now. I want that exact look wow does that look sharp. Tomorrow I am going to strip all the teak off the boat but how do I get the plugs out effectively? Or will I have to drill them and buy a plug tool to make new ones? Another question I have it after I get the plugs out, teak restored and ready for installation do I fasten the teak to the boat, insert the plugs and then add another coat of varnish to seal the plugs and kind of "hide" them?

I appreciate all your help and I now feel confident that my boat is going to look amazing come next spring.

Thank you again

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