Consensus on interior teak care

M

matt_unique

New member
I was curious if there was a consensus on the suggested care for interior teak. Are there products that will make teak a little darker?

I know nothing about teak....oil vs. varnish? Are there products that you can apply (some sort of clear protectant) to retain the color once it's cleaned or stained or such?

Thanks
 
Ok,

I'll start. I have used Sea Fin Teak Oil on interior teak.

It is an oil finish with a small amount of dryer. Goes on with a rag or brush, stays oily for a while and then drys to a satin finish. Too much will run. It is very easy to apply with a rag and touching up is easy and blends into the earlier coats. Lasts several months, will wear away and water will eventually soften it. More can be applied any time, and more coats will build up a finish similar to satin varnish, but not as hard.

It also works on exterior teak, but requires reapplication after several months.

Some people don't like the smell when wet, so I would test for that prior to widespread interior use.
 
I use the West Marine brand of Teak Oil.....and slop it on about once a year...yes I think it does darken the wood , but I like that...if you don't you can use teak cleaner and a bit of bleach to lighten the wood....

Joel
SEA3PO
 
dogon dory":348fwh4r said:
Left alone teak darkens with time as the natural oils in the wood rise to the surface and oxidize.
Click to expand...

Which begs the question, how many Brats leave their interior teak alone?

I didn't think it was necessary (for interior teak) so have not yet done anything to mine.
 
Before we went back east last year, I put some polyurethane varnish on all the interior wood. Just what I had laying around: Miniwax Helmsman Spar Urethane. It gave a good hard surface to the wood. Just in time. When we hit Lake Superior, we took a set of grandchildren on board for a while. To keep them busy, we had coloring books, paint and crafts on board. Their spill just washed off. Also after a summer of washing the dishes and cooking the galley edging still looked good.

Just put the wooden hub on that Anna Leigh made. Sprayed some of the same stuff on and it looks beautiful.

I guess what I'm saying, some varnish both makes the inside look good and protects the wood.

Boris
 
About two thirds of my boats have had varinished (half satin and half gloss) and one third natural or oiled. In the C Dories we have left them raw or a light teak oil.

If you varnish it will last many years, but may occasinally need touch up. UV inhibitors are still needed in the interior varnishes. I have traditionally used spar varinish on the cabinets, trim and fiddles. For the floors I have used polyurethanes, at times over thin epoxy coatings.
 
That looks great!

I know little about varnish on teak. What I read about varnish is that it's a clear substance. How would that darken the teak? Or would I need to use some other substance to darken the teak then apply varnish as a protectant?

Thanks
 
If you use a spar tung oil based varnish, dilute it 50/50 with mineral spirits on the first coat. I like to clean the teak with acetone before varnishing, after sanding with 200 grit paper.

Just to darken and leave it mat (with out a mat or semi gloss varnish)--use one of the teak oils. They will darken the teak--and protect it to some degree. Varnish protects is much better.
 
I don't really fully know why or how spar varnish darkens with age, but it does, and not just on teak. I've used it on a lot of other woods around the house, and it does darken with time. You can even see it on the runs down the side of the paint can. It's a much lighter golden yellow when it first comes out of the can, then first darkens a bit as it dries, then darkens more with aging. The increased darkening may have something to do with the UV (ultra-violet) inhibitors that protect it, perhaps being designed to darken more with age in proportion to the amount of UV received to proportionately protect the wood.

I used Diamond-Glaze gloss polyurethane (8 coats) on my teak roof handrails 5 years ago, and it's still clear, although the coating is now showing some shrinkage and as a result, the wood grain is starting to show up as the coating shrinks.

As with most everything, investing more money and time into the refinishing results in a better, longer lasting product, and is no more money or time in the long run because what you get lasts longer.

Joe. :thup :teeth
 
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