To Varnish or not to varnish, that is the question!?!

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Thanks Marin,
That means you've saved me some wasted effort and time lost trying to save mine. What I fear is not being able to find replacements that have the same spacing and needing to plug holes and drill new ones. Not very appealing. Perhaps I should have SS ones made to match my holes. I could also install short stanchions over the existing holes and put an oval teak hand rail on top of the little stanchions. May look better than the cookie cutter punched out look of the originals.
 
When we bought Doriana the teak cappings showed little attention for a long time, save a quick tart-up. The unprotected bow, unlike sides and aft protected by the Europa design, was unevenly grooved into the grain by weather. To sand flat would remove too much material. I lightly sanded the bow, leaving much of the unevenness,sanded the rest smooth, all got Deks Olje 1 & 2 treatment. The bow is just ok, the consequence of leaving it natural, which I would not advise, the rest is good. The flybridge steps were removed (giving access to varnish teak trim at the deckhead) and fully varnished with Cetol gloss,charcoal color textured step-treads were applied leaving nice timber margins on each step.
I would not leave exposed teak natural. My only untreated teak is the feet of the angle brackets I made for the solar panels, the feet sit under the panels.
Eric,you might be surprised at the availability of surprisingly cheap ready made teak grab rails at chandlers (here anyway).
 
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Sounds like it is better to refinsh and have the protection of the varnish to keep the water out of the wood.

I like the way the cap and rails look varnished, so another Spring project in the works.

JohnP
 
BruceK said:
When we bought Doriana the teak cappings showed little attention for a long time, save a quick tart-up. The unprotected bow, unlike sides and aft protected by the Europa design, was unevenly grooved into the grain by weather. To sand flat would remove too much material. I lightly sanded the bow, leaving much of the unevenness,sanded the rest smooth, all got Deks Olje 1 & 2 treatment. The bow is just ok, the consequence of leaving it natural, which I would not advise, the rest is good. The flybridge steps were removed (giving access to varnish teak trim at the deckhead) and fully varnished with Cetol gloss,charcoal color textured step-treads were applied leaving nice timber margins on each step.
I would not leave exposed teak natural. My only untreated teak is the feet of the angle brackets I made for the solar panels, the feet sit under the panels.
Eric,you might be surprised at the availability of surprisingly cheap ready made teak grab rails at chandlers (here anyway).
Click to expand...

How does the Deks Olje compare with other products to work with? I have to do something with the teak on my boat this summer. The previous owner oiled the teak, which I am letting fade off. The rails have been sanded so much over the years that in several areas really need to be replaced as well.
 
dhmeissner said:
How does the Deks Olje compare with other products to work with? I have to do something with the teak on my boat this summer. The previous owner oiled the teak, which I am letting fade off. The rails have been sanded so much over the years that in several areas really need to be replaced as well.
Click to expand...
Dave, initial application is intense, but rewarding. With the surface where you want it, apply no. 1 product, the oil, over 5-6 hours until the wood takes no more. Wipe the excess, let it dry 2 days, apply it 4-5 coats of no.2, clear gloss, a day apart. Or you can just oil, forget no.2 and forgo gloss,and re-oil as needed.
The result is not varnish quality,it`s a compromise some won`t like. However, it easy to apply and maintain. Mask edges, it is thin and can run, keep coats light, except the initial oil coats.
When it looks dull/dry or an area gets damaged you mostly do one or 2 coats of no.2 and it comes right back. The trick is saturating the wood to begin.
I`ve "revived" mine twice so far, beats heavy sanding or removing old varnish to bare wood, losing wood year after year. Long term it is a good solution in terms of effort, finish, and conserving the wood you have.
 
On brand new raw bare teak would you put CPES on before starting the varnish or would you just start with varnish? Does CPES darken the teak? Boat will be under cover most of the time . Boat is in south and might make it as far as the keys someday hopefully. What varnish do most of you suggest and how many coats .
 
I've never done it, but I've heard it recommended from so many experts, I'd go with the CPES followed by a quality varnish.

My doors are due to be stripped and rebuilt. They'll get CPES then Epifanes. I'd follow the manufacturer's recommendations for number of coats, but 3-4 as a minimum over CPES seems to be accepted. (I like more....enough to eliminate the grain in the top coats.)

This is from the CPES webpage:

As a primer on wood:
No matter what you plan as your finish coat on wood, CPES™ is a superior base. It not only dissolves any moisture and sap present, but penetrates the surface fibers like no other product on the market for a secure bond which will last for years. Paint (including Latex), varnish and one or 2-part polyurethane finishes will adhere better and last longer.

One generous coating of CPES™ is usually sufficient, although in areas that require additional protection multiple coats can be applied. CPES™ can be used over wood stains once they are completely dry. The CPES™ will not redistribute the stain in any way. CPES™ is a light amber color and it's effect on the color of wood is about the same as normal varnish - it will darken it.

When applied as a paint/varnish primer outdoors, apply early enough in the day to prevent evening dew/condensation from contaminating a wet CPES™ application.
 
35 years of maintaining teak and Cetol is the best treatment we have found. We do three to four coats of Cetol hand rubbing it with 800-1000 grit wet/dry paper and tack rag, then two coats of Cetol Gloss. When needed a maintenance coat using a Scotchbrite pads to dull it and another coat of gloss. In Florida one to two years for for maintenance coats, now that we are in the land of covered marina's four to five years for maintenance coating. The cockpit teak deck is treated to a occasional salt water light scrubbing with the Sotchbrite pads as seldom as possible and the teak and joints still look good after 26 years of use. We like Captain's Spar varnish on the interior teak decks. We prefer to work on the teak as little as possible and still have it look great, we would rather be out on the water than being a slave to sanders, dust masks, heat guns and scrapers.
 
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I use the Epifanes....to me, nothing beats that look of finely varnished teak, and I got right at 2 yrs out of the last job and in the process of doing it again...still going back to Epifanes after considering alternatives.
 
If you want the look with out the up keep work, several coats of West system clear epoxy (earlier ones thinned) and topped with automotive clear coat (UV neutralizer). Good for 10 years just like on a car.

Ted
 
I sprayed my aft deck rail with clear imron 7 years ago, it still looks like the day I did it.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Trawler
 
There is no doubt that Epifanes gives a beautiful finish. Because of being in the southern sun I use Bristol which is a similar product to Honey Teak. Very durable.
 
Clear coat

O C Diver said:
If you want the look with out the up keep work, several coats of West system clear epoxy (earlier ones thinned) and topped with automotive clear coat (UV neutralizer). Good for 10 years just like on a car.

Ted
Click to expand...

Clear Sterling two part poly is a better choice, just like good automotive clear coat, very expensive. If moisture can get under any of these finishes they will fail. The automotive clear coat is designed to spray, Sterling can be brushed. Cost is $300 or so a quart.
 
I had considered using one of the various 2 part systems, and I see it's advantages, until I spoke to a couple of people that told me it works great, but like everything, it has a lifespan, and the removal of 2 part systems is much much harder than varnish. I can see the reasoning behind this, so I decided to go with the Epifanes.
 
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