I am refininshing a teak wood swim platform on an older boat. It is
the first time I have done this. I read that I should strip the old
varnish, sand down the gray wood, and refinish, basically. But should
I oil the teak or put more varnish on it? It is out of the water except
for a few hours a week when I am actually on the water. Thanks for the
benefit of anyone's experience.

wrote in message
ups.com...
I am refininshing a teak wood swim platform on an older boat. It is
the first time I have done this. I read that I should strip the old
varnish, sand down the gray wood, and refinish, basically. But should
I oil the teak or put more varnish on it? It is out of the water except
for a few hours a week when I am actually on the water. Thanks for the
benefit of anyone's experience.


Several good links on this subject with great advice:

http://www.boatdocs1.com/Articles_Teak.html

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-m...stol-teak.html

wrote:
I am refininshing a teak wood swim platform on an older boat. It is
the first time I have done this. I read that I should strip the old
varnish, sand down the gray wood, and refinish, basically. But should
I oil the teak or put more varnish on it? It is out of the water except
for a few hours a week when I am actually on the water. Thanks for the
benefit of anyone's experience.

Boaters will disagree on many aspects of refinishing brightwork. Some
swear by oil
and others by varnish. One thing that more people generally agree on,
however, is that
oil is a better choice on a swimstep than varnish.

Get the wood completely stripped and super clean. Use oaxalic acid to
brighten it up.
A common mistake is to assume that less prep work is required for oil
than for varnish.

Flood the swimstep with oil, wipe up any sloppy excess, let it dry,
sand it lightly, and then repeat. You will need to start with several
coats, and then put on a refresher coat fairly frequently to keep it
looking good.

After a season or two, you will appreciate why some boats with
spectacular brightwork can be seen cruising around with a grey, "au
natural" swimstep.

"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
oups.com...

wrote:
I am refininshing a teak wood swim platform on an older boat. It is
the first time I have done this. I read that I should strip the old
varnish, sand down the gray wood, and refinish, basically. But should
I oil the teak or put more varnish on it? It is out of the water except
for a few hours a week when I am actually on the water. Thanks for the
benefit of anyone's experience.

Boaters will disagree on many aspects of refinishing brightwork. Some
swear by oil
and others by varnish. One thing that more people generally agree on,
however, is that
oil is a better choice on a swimstep than varnish.

Get the wood completely stripped and super clean. Use oaxalic acid to
brighten it up.
A common mistake is to assume that less prep work is required for oil
than for varnish.

Flood the swimstep with oil, wipe up any sloppy excess, let it dry,
sand it lightly, and then repeat. You will need to start with several
coats, and then put on a refresher coat fairly frequently to keep it
looking good.

After a season or two, you will appreciate why some boats with
spectacular brightwork can be seen cruising around with a grey, "au
natural" swimstep.


I never found an oil that holds up more than a couple of months.

Sikkens Cetol (marine) is the way to go after stripping, cleaning and
sanding. My friend has been using it on all his exposed teak for as long as
I can remember, including the swim platform, with excellent results.
Conversely, I had poor results with oil on the exposed teak when I had my
270 Dancer, including on the swim platform inserts. ;-)

"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
oups.com...

wrote:
I am refininshing a teak wood swim platform on an older boat. It is
the first time I have done this. I read that I should strip the old
varnish, sand down the gray wood, and refinish, basically. But should
I oil the teak or put more varnish on it? It is out of the water except
for a few hours a week when I am actually on the water. Thanks for the
benefit of anyone's experience.

Boaters will disagree on many aspects of refinishing brightwork. Some
swear by oil
and others by varnish.

I've yet to see a varnish on teak that holds up long term other than on
brightwork that is not constantly exposed to salt water. The popular
Sikkens Cetol produces a phony orange color that takes away from the natural
beauty of teak.

I'd go with the oil.

Eisboch

wrote:
I am refininshing a teak wood swim platform on an older boat. It is
the first time I have done this. I read that I should strip the old
varnish, sand down the gray wood, and refinish, basically. But should
I oil the teak or put more varnish on it? It is out of the water except
for a few hours a week when I am actually on the water. Thanks for the
benefit of anyone's experience.


Often.

JimH wrote:


Sikkens Cetol (marine) is the way to go after stripping, cleaning and
sanding.

Orange paint will give you the same appearance, and with less hassle
than Cetol. :-)


My friend has been using it on all his exposed teak for as long as
I can remember, including the swim platform, with excellent results.
Conversely, I had poor results with oil on the exposed teak when I had my
270 Dancer, including on the swim platform inserts. ;-)

"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
oups.com...

JimH wrote:


Sikkens Cetol (marine) is the way to go after stripping, cleaning and
sanding.
My friend has been using it on all his exposed teak for as long as
I can remember, including the swim platform, with excellent results.
Conversely, I had poor results with oil on the exposed teak when I had my
270 Dancer, including on the swim platform inserts. ;-)


Orange paint will give you the same appearance, and with less hassle
than Cetol. :-)



Different strokes.................it is pretty popular up here where
performance is perhaps more important than mild color distortions to the
teak. :-)

Charlie Morgan wrote:
Orange paint will give you the same appearance, and with less hassle
than Cetol. :-)


You obviously don't know much about various finishes and how they work, Chuck.
That was a very ignorant post.

CWM

Do make sure you offer the same persoanl observation to Eisboch, who
made an identical observation about Cetol and its orange coloration
further along in the thread.

I've spent more time sanding, varnishing, and refinishing over the
years than a lot of people have spent on the water. If you like orange
decks, you'll love Cetol.

Unless of course you thought that I seriously recommended orange paint
(!)......in which case I'm not sure which of us would be the more
ignorant.

Chuck Gould wrote:
Charlie Morgan wrote:
Orange paint will give you the same appearance, and with less hassle
than Cetol. :-)


You obviously don't know much about various finishes and how they work, Chuck.
That was a very ignorant post.

CWM

Do make sure you offer the same persoanl observation to Eisboch, who
made an identical observation about Cetol and its orange coloration
further along in the thread.

I've spent more time sanding, varnishing, and refinishing over the
years than a lot of people have spent on the water. If you like orange
decks, you'll love Cetol.

Unless of course you thought that I seriously recommended orange paint
(!)......in which case I'm not sure which of us would be the more
ignorant.

PS, if you feel compelled to call everybody "ignorant" who feels that
Cetol looks orange,
Google up "Orange appearance Cetol". You'll get five pages of hits, I
don't think any of them are me, and so you'll be busy all night. :-)