# Teak refinishing and repair



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

G''day all,
I just purchased a wonderful craft as a first sail boat in 15 years. One little problem, the previous owner spent all the time below deck or not on the boat at all. The teak on the hatch and the toe rails is in desperate need of repair and refinishing. I would appreciate any suggestions you might lend.
Thanks,
M


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## hamiam (Dec 15, 2000)

First, sand off all of the previous finish. I would then, if necessary, bleach out the wood using one of the products available commerically. I would not use one of these two part teak cleaners; they are an acid which eats away the top layer of teak. After you prep the surface, I would put 5-7 coats of Eppifanes on. The first coat should be 50% Eppifanes / 50% thinner, the second 75% Eppifanes / 25% thinner. Sand lightly in between coats and make sure you tape off with a low tack masking tape like the blue- and green-line products from 3M.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Thanks again Ham for the suggestions. As far as the bleach product .. do you reccomend any particular brand? Do I use any type of stain before I apply the Eppifanes or does it have nayural staining qualities? The masking with the 3m products....is this like a household masking tape for painting? Sorry to be such a novice!!!!!
Michael


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## hamiam (Dec 15, 2000)

The bleaching products are just that, bleach. Any brand would be fine. Teak is a beutiful wood. The eppifanes has a tint to it but is not a stain, a paint, or other such obsurer of the grain and the color of the natural wood. There are other options, however. You could simply oil the teak. I find that it does not last long and that you need to constantly reapply the oil. It is, however, a simple process; you just slap some on with a rag or a cheap bush and then blot off any excess. There is also a product called Cetol that has gotten very high marks. I used it one year and it holds up quite well. I personally dont like it as it looks to me like brown paint and obscures the wood. I suggest the eppifanes from personal experience and due to the fact that most megayachts make it their choice. I have no relationship to the company.


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## hamiam (Dec 15, 2000)

With regard to your masking tape question; use a high quality, low tack tape like 3M''s Blueline tapes. Blueline tape is NOT like indoor masking tape. If you use indoor masking tape, you will have a huge adhesive removal job when you take the tape off the hull.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I have just one more question regarding your suggestions, hamiam. I was at Strictly Sail in Chicago and looked for the eppifanes(sp?) you suggested. No luck. Can you tell me a brand name or supplier for these products?
Thanks for the assistance,
Michael


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## hamiam (Dec 15, 2000)

Epifanes is the brand name. It can be found at www.defender.com or www.westmarine.com / Read and follow the directions careful and you should have excellent results.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

G''day mate. awaryadjavagoodweegend?FERGIT the fancy stuff mate,...Teak is a beautiful wood and DOES NOT NEED TO BE BLEACHED!!!!If you use regular masking tape you''ll need adhesive remover .AND,,,,use a nice easy varnish from Z-Spar or something...Yachtsmens, or if you''re good...Captains....Man''o''War is also a nice flowing even layout product.I am a pro, and my tip to you is,.....method!! Be serious. Be consistent.Be thorough,Be meticulous......then apply varnish. Stay away from anything with -ane on the end of it.AT ALL TIMES. The most important part of varnish is prep. An old Italian Sailor in Sydney told me back in ''66......"good varnishwork is hidden inside sandpaper.You just have to rub enough of it on the wood".Sand your...paper ready wood from 60 (if it needs it) to 80 to 100.Don''t waste time or money sanding any more than that. Use a speed block sander. Cut your paper into quarters with scissors.Wipe down your work everyday before you start with thinners. Sand your last time with the grain, by hand.dust down the boat with a hand brush...I use a painters brushabout a foot long with black bristles with the handle sticking out the end.Apply your 50.50 mix. Next morning early...HOSE DOWN THE BOAT!...Then wipe your 50/50 with paint etch....get a half gallon, use it every trime you touch your job.Every morning wipe ''er down. Apply a coat go home.Next day.....etch, then varnish. Don''t make the same fool mistake that everyone else does by applying a coat then sanding it all off the next day...sheer stupidity.Cautiosly apply your varnish!!!!If you get a run and you find it the next day, scrape it off with your fingernailand let it cire for an hour or two before you etch and re=coat.I do not sand any brightwork until at least five coats are on! Then I sand once with 120, with a block where useful on large planes to create a single surface, or not at all on corners or wear areas. Go around the marina and look at all the varnishwork you can and notice how most every one starts to burn on a curved surface like a handrail or a cabin trim or the like. Corners sand off easier and burn first, so don''t do it.I''m transfering title right now and my site will be searchable as maritimetradition.com.......currently you can look up some of my works at...maritimetradition.homestead.com.......ciao for now...........Rev. Mike


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## rwweber9594 (Feb 1, 2001)

What is Eppifanes? Nobody I know has ever heard of it. Rob


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

NOW ROB.......What did I just say about staying away from anything ending in -ane?? What you know now isn''t the half of it....Rev. MIke


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

AND incidentally, ..the correct web address for my site is in fact...www.matitimetradition.com..Rev.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

that was a typo...it''s supposed to read......maritimetradition.com....Rev.Mike


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## hamiam (Dec 15, 2000)

Goto www.defender.com / Goto the online store / Search for Epifanes / Find Epifanes products...


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## hamiam (Dec 15, 2000)

Excellent test of teak treatments in this month''s issue of Practical Sailor....fyi


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

The most practical materials to use, are the simple ones. I recall when the ''thanes'' started coming out; all the johny-come-latelys were running around with oooh and aahhhh and a year later they were going OH NO!! Sikaflex....there''s another one. If you need polysulphide, use polysulphide, don''t go get some fast dry right out of a tube air cure whale snot!! use polysulphide. It''s known as the black death for a reason! USE IT! Varnish is VARNISH. Don''t screw around with a formula that''s easy and time proven. Regular Man''o''War can be gotten anywhere and cleans up with thinners. Other fancy things a VERY SPECIALISED, require special thinners and weather conditions, and prep techniques that are not the domain of the casual wood worker, and they are not worth the trouble anyway. Plenty of new owners run out and get in over their heads needlessly, then don''t do any follow up/ You''d be better off using a product that''s easier to handle in all ways, and then STAY ON TOP OF IT!! That is the solution, maintenance!! You can''t use some fancy complex material to absolve yourself from the need to do regular recoats. Think about it. Rev. Mike


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Mike, when you say to etch your last coat before adding a new coat, what do you etch with? I am not familiar with paint etch. Does the thinner recommended for the varnish work, or is there something cheaper? I don''t see you mentioning taping before varnishing. If you do tape, then washing with hose makes the tape difficult to remove after final coat. Please reply directly to [email protected] as I do not frequent this board. Thanks. Ric


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## groundhog (Jun 27, 2006)

I found it in half a second..
Welcome to Epifanes - the world's finest yacht coatings


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## Valiente (Jun 16, 2006)

groundhog said:


> I found it in half a second..
> Welcome to Epifanes - the world's finest yacht coatings


You noticed that this thread is six years old? That's half a year older than my son and I'm putting _him _in an Opti this summer...


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Yes, Groundhog- You really should check dates before replying.. if he hasn't finished his varnishing by now... he's probably in trouble.


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## shantijwk (Nov 11, 2006)

I thought Practical Sailor gave Eppifanes good marks. What do you use to "etch" the previous coat with?


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Sandpaper...


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## Dejure (Jun 10, 2010)

*Easy or difficult maintenance (varnish or oil)*

Whatever you use to protect your woodwork will determine how much effort you have to put into maintaining it.

Many will apply varnishes (e.g., polyurethane) and will enjoy instant gratification, only to regret it later, when deterioration of the finish requires that it be removed and a new finish applied.

Using what is called a long oil finish can reduce this problem. Long oil is just a term used to indicate the varnish has more oil added, which tends to make it more flexible and tolerant of expansion and contraction of the wood better. The down side is it is also less durable.

Because something says it's a spar varnish doesn't mean it's suited to the task of protecting such objects. It's great advertising though, and sells a lot of product. Likely to the later dismay of the purchaser.

"Teak oil" and "tung oil finish" are advertising gimmicks. To my knowledge, no one is out there wringing out teak trees for their oil and putting it in bottles. Tung oil finishes often have no tung oil in them. More often than not, they are made with linseed oil.

Both teak oil and tung oil finishes are what is called a wiping finish. This is a fancy name for thinned down varnish. You could get the same thing by buying a quart of product and thinning it fifty percent or more with mineral spirits, turpentine or other thinning agent.

I believe there are some very high quality finishes out there, but they aren't cheap (at least one worth looking into was mentioned above). As well, application may not be as simple as just grabbing a brush and throwing on a finish.

Oils require more frequent application than varnishes, but don't require removal of previous applications before applying new ones. Cleaning should be done before application, of course.

Linseed oils, or oil based products that rely on it are food for bacteria. Not so tung oil.

When buying tung oil, it should say "pure tung oil," or "raw tung oil." This indicates you are getting the real product. Otherwise, you are probably getting linseed oil.

A quick note on things like "lemon oil": Essential oils and de-limoneen aside, there is no such thing. The lemon oil sold down town and intended for wood care is just mineral oil with a lemon scent.

Both tung oil and linseed oils harden, after the solvent has evaporated, by polymerization (pay attention to that term when seeking expensive products promoted by manufacturers).

When applying a hardening oil, it may be preferable to thin the first applications with as much as 50% paint thinner or turpentine (you can use a little more thinner in cooler weather to reduce viscosity and to maintain penetration capability). I like to keep applying the thinned batch, until the wood quits soaking it up. I may distract myself throughout the day, coming back to the project to apply more applications, as the former application absorbs into the wood. I, then, allow the solvent to evaporate off for a few days.

Once the first applications are cured, I cut back to 25% thinner and repeat the process used with the first applications. Finally, I apply oil thinned only enough to get it to apply (e.g., 5%-10% solvent).

In the end, I'm going for saturated wood. My theory is based on experience with various wood types subjected to various conditions. For example, a piece of wood may come in at fifteen percent moisture content, but will dry out more. As it dries, it shrinks, often resulting in splitting and cracking (yes, even teak). This is seen often in common household decks built from cedar, redwood and treated lumber. Oils replace moisture and liberal applications can swell the wood, over time, making small cracks and separations disappear again.

Wood full of oil isn't going to take on water and it isn't going to rot. However, unless something is added, the oil will not protect the wood from the effects of ultraviolet.

When it's all said and done, it's worth your time to learn what you can from others with experience. I'm not a boater, sailor or otherwise nautically inclined, so am probably missing a lot of tricks. A good example of the fallibility of taking an "expert's" advice may be seen by that a lot of people have boats with expensive epoxy finishes that did not hold up and that require a lot of work to correct. They were put on my "experts."


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