I wouldn't do it. I tried it a few months ago on a laminated teak display
easel I was building for a friend down in the BVI. Stained with an aniline
dye which is the most transparent of all stain types to subdue the variation
in the veneers and it still came out with a muddy look under the varnish.
Stripped it down to bare wood and started over.

BTW, if anyone gets to Tortola and want to repay the first mate for putting
up with your boating addiction, be sure to take her to the Brandywine
Restaurant. Finest dining experience in the Caribbean. I made the menu
easels. :-)

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
I'm getting ready to do a major varnish project on my Grand Banks 49
and was thinking that it might be nice to have the teak more or less
the same color (some is lighter, some darker, etc.). The wood will be
stripped and sanded before I start with the varnish.

Does anyone have any thoughts, experience, whatever with staining
teak? If so, what type and color of stain would you recommend?

Is there any downside other than some loss of wood grain visibility?

I'm planning to use epifanes gloss varnish which builds up to a dark
amber color with enough coats.

Staining teak is generally a bad idea. I've seen it tried twice (Albin
trawler and Jeaneau 41). and in both cases it was a disaster.
The problem is that teak is oily and hard to stain evenly. If your teak
has been ignored over the years and drier (In that you didn't oil it),
it might stain more evenly. Depending on the condition of the wood and
it's depth, it may be hard or even impossible to undo the staining
process.
After he tried it, the owner of the Albin told me it had been as dumb
as painting a DeLorean. Teak is a gorgeous wood. Don't stain it.

Good luck in any case!



Robert B
Beneteau 35s5
NY
http://hometown.aol.com/bobsprit/index.html

Teak is a gorgeous wood. Don't stain it.

Being a woodworker, I feel that way about many woods. I had a customer once
that wanted "cherry wood" cabinets. When the material was delivered (I do
the woodworking on site), he thought I was trying to rip him off. He
couldn't believe that the wood delivered was cherry. I explained to him that
cherry wood develops that deep cherry tone with age, and this is how it
looks new. He didn't want to wait, so I stained it with that sh*ty rosewood
stain. He was happy, and I was paid. I still didn't like ruining that
gorgeous wood though... AAMOF, I have a fair amount left over from that job,
and it's been sitting in my shop for 10 years or so. It's looking VERY nice
right about now. Now I just have to figure out what to make out of it.

--Mike

"Capt. Rob" wrote in message
oups.com...

Staining teak is generally a bad idea. I've seen it tried twice (Albin
trawler and Jeaneau 41). and in both cases it was a disaster.
The problem is that teak is oily and hard to stain evenly. If your teak
has been ignored over the years and drier (In that you didn't oil it),
it might stain more evenly. Depending on the condition of the wood and
it's depth, it may be hard or even impossible to undo the staining
process.
After he tried it, the owner of the Albin told me it had been as dumb
as painting a DeLorean. Teak is a gorgeous wood. Don't stain it.

Good luck in any case!



Robert B
Beneteau 35s5
NY
http://hometown.aol.com/bobsprit/index.html