Any Hope For This Teak?

[markpj23]

Obvious that the years have been rough on this old gal from a water penetration stand point. We believe the active leaks have been addressed but we'll know soon enough.


Any ideas for how we restore this teak? Or should we just call it a day and break out the white paint...

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. 23. Teak is a very resilient wood. Doesn't look too bad to me BUT with all those grooves you're going to need a LOT of...

 

[SteveK]

Is that teak inside or outside. Looks like it was stained/varnished.
Sanding? depends on whether there is enough meat left to allow a good sanding.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. 23. One further thing I might add. IF you do decide to paint over the teak, give the existing teak a couple of good coats of varnish, first, to seal it. In the future, you or a subsequent owner may decide to go back to the natural teak finish and the varnish "sealant" will make the job MUCH easier when stripping the paint.

 

[backinblue]

Seems to me painting is always an option. I would try sanding first, what do you have to lose? Assuming it's only cosmetic and not damaged. Painting could always be a last resort, but would not be my first solution.

 

[Choices]

Strip to bare wood, then use a teak bleach to match color. You test for color match by wiping with mineral spirits.

You may have to do the entire panel.

 

[soin2la]

Any ideas for how we restore this teak? Or should we just call it a day and break out the white paint.

Hobbyists and antique collectors restore old and painted furniture all the time.

As RT Firefly said "teak is very resilient" so a try at saving it won’t cost much. Follow Choice's advice at post 6; with some experimenting in small areas, you'll soon know the "is it worth the effort" answer.

Maybe show some quality photos to a furniture restorer.

PS...now that I have seen your thread introducing her, a sweet ship by the way, I'd do everything I could to restore that mucked up teak.
https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s53/finally-62463.html

 

[soin2la]

Is that teak inside or outside.

Other than the photos being named Salon Port and STBD, I'd like to know how you get a surveyor to overlook that electrical outlet, if it were outside.

 

[fgarriso]

Obvious that the years have been rough on this old gal from a water penetration stand point. We believe the active leaks have been addressed but we'll know soon enough.


Any ideas for how we restore this teak? Or should we just call it a day and break out the white paint...

It appears to be teak and holly on the deck. My question would be is that real teak and holly or panels?

 

[koliver]

It appears to be teak and holly on the deck. My question would be is that real teak and holly or panels?

In the year of that build, 1989, I would expect the builder to use real teak and real holly in the floor, of at least 1/4" thickness, more likely 1/2". In the wall paneling, again, real teak v groove, most likely 3/8" thickness, possibly 1/2".
In both locations, there is plenty of thickness to sand down to undamaged teak and varnish.
Before you begin, be absolutely sure the leak has been properly fixed, or your work will only last till the next deluge of water.

 

[markpj23]

In the year of that build, 1989, I would expect the builder to use real teak and real holly in the floor, of at least 1/4" thickness, more likely 1/2". In the wall paneling, again, real teak v groove, most likely 3/8" thickness, possibly 1/2".
In both locations, there is plenty of thickness to sand down to undamaged teak and varnish.
Before you begin, be absolutely sure the leak has been properly fixed, or your work will only last till the next deluge of water.

Real as far as I can tell. At least 3/8" thick deck.

 

[Datenight]

Mark,

If you are sure the leaks have been resolved I'm pretty positive the teak can be restored especially if it is solid. After removing the finish i would treat the stains with oxalic acid to lighten. The v grooves can be done with a 1" scraper.

I have done many of these projects and would be happy to talk you through it. Willalso be in the Bradenton area at the end of the week if you are there and interested.

Rob

 

[markpj23]

Mark,

If you are sure the leaks have been resolved I'm pretty positive the teak can be restored especially if it is solid. After removing the finish i would treat the stains with oxalic acid to lighten. The v grooves can be done with a 1" scraper.

I have done many of these projects and would be happy to talk you through it. Willalso be in the Bradenton area at the end of the week if you are there and interested.

Rob

Thanks Rob - very generous of you. I'm going to dive in and learn as I go.



I picked up the West Marine 2-part refinishing kit. 1st part is the oxalic acid. I hope to start on it this week.

 

[Datenight]

Thanks Rob - very generous of you. I'm going to dive in and learn as I go.



I picked up the West Marine 2-part refinishing kit. 1st part is the oxalic acid. I hope to start on it this week.

The best way to learn.

Rob

 

[Comodave]

Start in an inconspicuous area…

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. 23. My opinion only! I would NOT use the 2 part bleaching system on interior wood. The reason being, as I understand it, is in order to do a good job, you have to rise with copious amounts of water to get rid of the acid/base liquids and IF the leaks have been taken care of, getting the interior wood wet again is the last thing I would want to do. The wood is dry now and I would want to keep it so.


I also think a good "deep" sanding will eliminate most, if not all of the staining. It IS wood, after all, and by it's nature has different colours, tones and hues. Sanding and a couple coats of whatever you're choosing to coat it with will work wonders. It's NOT a new boat!


The two part bleaching system is a LOT easier, I agree but given the resulting mess, it's very much not worth it.

 

[rslifkin]

I agree, try sanding it before attempting bleaching. Depending on the damage, you might be surprised how little you have to sand off before it starts looking good again.

 

[markpj23]

I agree, try sanding it before attempting bleaching. Depending on the damage, you might be surprised how little you have to sand off before it starts looking good again.

OK will try that first. Thanks guys.

 

[Choices]

The more you sand teak the darker it gets.

So once down to bare wood you will need to dilute the bleaching agent to match the color.

Use mineral spirits to wet wood to judge varnished color.

 

[koliver]

OK will try that first. Thanks guys.

Unless you are willing to take the damaged panels off and work outdoors, don't use liquid chemicals inside, for any of this. I will go further and suggest you return the two part teak treatment unopened. I have used a two part on my own teak and regretted doing so. It uses a strong acid to eat the top surface. It eats without regard to what is being consumed, so what is easily eaten is damaged more than what is not easily eaten. Then the base part is used to neutralize the acid. That leaves ridges in the teak, where the tree rings are harder than the surrounding wood, they are left standing proud of the rest of the wood, so you then need to sand them flat. That consumes a lot of wood, so if used on the deck, will shorten its life drastically.
Indoors, you would need to wash it all down with copious quantities of water after the cleaners had finished, so the whole floor, not just the damaged parts, would get ruined in that process.

A sharp scraper is your friend. A smaller scraper will allow more depth per stroke, a wider scraper will allow a more even, if thinner, removal of material. You will soon get used to what they do, so will quickly get to a better result from a scraper than from sanding. Good luck with your project.

 

[Boatcrazy]

Sanding an open section is not hard....but sanding those areas back in the corner-well, that's tough. and if you're not careful, you can badly scratch the vertical boards, too. And if you sand across the grain, you'll likely end up with some really major scratches in the surface. Suggest you remove the boards, lay them out flat, and then sand...the job will be so much easier. If you can't/don't want to remove them, doing any meaningful sanding will be very difficult, you'll likely sand a groove just prior to the corner, and leave the corner mostly untouched! One option may be to sand cross-grain (knowing you will have some significant scratches to remove later), get the wood back to smooth and normal color, then sand with the grain (by hand) into the corner. Try it (sanding), but don't be surprised if the corners just don't come out well. Oxalic acid/ bleach back there, and then a little light sanding (with the grain) may be your only real hope .

 

[Circumnavigator]

.

A sharp scraper is your friend. A smaller scraper will allow more depth per stroke, a wider scraper will allow a more even, if thinner, removal of material. You will soon get used to what they do, so will quickly get to a better result from a scraper than from sanding. Good luck with your project.

Amen.


My best example of the resilience of teak is the battleship Massachusetts. Her main deck, like that of most steel warships of that era, is teak. It's been out in the weather since 1941. It's very gray, but if you scrape it with a dime you get to golden brown a couple of millimeters down.


Jim

 

[SoWhat]

I tried the 2 part once. KOliver is correct. It leaves ridges and requires a lot of water. I now sand sand sand, and use a tinted varnish. Not a perfect fix but I'm the only one who notices the differences in color.

 

[NoRain]

Heat gun and scraper, then sand. I’m a woodworker and have done more teak restoration than I’d care to do again. Get one of these scrapers https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/hand-tools/scrapers/20094-carbide-tipped-scrapers and don’t look back. The carbide blade is essential (in my opinion and experience) for teak.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. NR. With the greatest of respect, I've got one of those and don't like it at all. Isn't sharp enough and no reasonable way to sharpen it short of a specialized grinding wheel or replacement blades. I use an assortment (various widths) of these:

VERY easy to re-sharpen and cheap refill blades.

 

[Datenight]

While on the subject of scrapers, this is what i use in the flooring business. We have used thisis style since 1948... Buy a file with it and you can easily re sharpen as needed. The blade will take a razor edge once you get the hang of re sharpening. That does take a little practice.

I am in St. Pete Beach for a few days.


https://www.chicagohardwoodflooring.com/nottingham-hardwood-flooring-scrapers

Rob

 

[koliver]

Greetings,
Mr. NR. With the greatest of respect, I've got one of those and don't like it at all. Isn't sharp enough and no reasonable way to sharpen it short of a specialized grinding wheel or replacement blades. I use an assortment (various widths) of these:

VERY easy to re-sharpen and cheap refill blades.

That, and keep a file handy. Remember always to file while holding the scraper where the filings will fall outside the boat.
I go through a few blades, filed down to nubs, every season. Lots easier than sanding, a better, quicker way to prepare your teak for varnish. Then cover the newly exposed teak with varnish before it gets dewy and/or dirty. Then a quick sanding with 220 and as many coats as you need.

 

[Bmarler]

Heat gun and scraper, then sand. I’m a woodworker and have done more teak restoration than I’d care to do again. Get one of these scrapers https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/hand-tools/scrapers/20094-carbide-tipped-scrapers and don’t look back. The carbide blade is essential (in my opinion and experience) for teak.

i use those carbide scrapers too. the one like you posted, as well as the teardrop shape and the small triangle shape. with a little practice you can shave a few thou off the surface with precision.
i have the red devil type too, and a host of others, but the carbide is a game changer when you learn how to use it correctly.
an oscillating tool with a sanding blade on it is a good thing to have around as well for getting into tight spots, then blend with a bigger sander or a sanding block. i use the same dura blocks as i use on automotive refinishing work for sanding woodwork. lots of different shapes or shape your own custom profile.
it takes time, but i enjoy the process. it's easy to just focus on the task at hand when it's something simple like sanding.

 

[C lectric]

I have to disagree about the Richards scrapers. They USED to be good scrapers. THey have gone to **** in the last few years.

I had used them for years. I have many of them although my favourite was the 1" wide. I found I could put a sharp edge on them with a file quite quickly that would pull a peel of varnish off easily. Or make a very light scrape and barely put a satin finish on the varnish.

I filed to replace the original bevel and then Heavy file pressure, about 60o to that bevel, would then put a curl on the sharp blade to act almost like a reverse plane. When I ran my finger over it , the curl would grab at my finger.


I have approx. 6 of the 1" and maybe 10 total in various other sizes.

I filed some with radiused blades so I could really zero in on specific spots and not end up with a sharp, broken, edge between that area and the surrounding area.

The sharp edge would of course wear down but it took at least 10 min. of serious scraping with the result I carried two of them. THen I would resharpen them and go back at it.

THey changed suppliers, 5 or 6 yrss ago, for the blades and now that sharp edge will not hold for more than a few seconds, sometimes not even that. THe blade temper is haywire.

I even tried tempering them but of course I am not good enough and I suspect the steel the blades are now made of is of poor quality so it does not matter about trying to retemper them. I got a couple close but even so that rolled edge does not hold up.

It is too bad as they , as said, WERE good scrapers. Now they are , to me, junk and a waste of money.

I have tried a couple of others halfhearedy to this point. One was Red Devil and although better they don't measure up to the old Richards.

Now I am using the carbide blade units. Lee Valley , Bahco and so on.
Better but still no where near as good as they will not take that nearly plane peeling off. The carbide ones though do last a long time.

I will play with them more and see if I can grind them to a better, more useable blade shape. Sometimes, many times that gentle radius is needed.


And lest anyone think I didn't squawk to Richards , I did. No reply , just ignored so now , as far as I am concerned, they are not worth recommending.


Rant over.