Can I leave my teak natural?

This is related to the primary reason we never had our 2005 motorhome "buffed out". It has full body paint and is clearcoated. We wash it, and the finish still looks beautiful. Many of our friends who started having their motorhomes buffed and waxed each year, now HAVE to have it done, as the clearcoat has been damaged to the point where it quickly becomes dull/faded.
Some of those folks go the ZEP route, attempting to get away from the annual or semi-annual waxing exercise. My thoughts go towards the "If it's too good to be true, it probably isn't." line of thought...BUT...

As Capt Bill said above, who knows? Maybe this is the TANG of teak treatment

Pilou said:

Pierre, 42 years is just incredible. I saw with lot of attention all the pics of Lotus you sent me through email, she looks like new. You must show here the pic of bottom hull painted, propellers that shine like gold.
Let's go sailing !
P.

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Madame, your wish is my command. Of course you are too kind re your praise. If you saw Lotus really close up you would see she is definitely not like new, but she is nice enough for us. And her bottom did scrub up rather nicely and her gold prop does her credit. That Propspeed is really effective. So, now, bring on the Spring..!

Capt.Bill11 said:

Oh dear God!

You mean boat owners aren't the only ones falling for the "Make your boat/RV look new with floor wax" scam!

Just wait till it goes yellow, starts flaking and you have to remove it and then try to get a real wood finish to stick to the wood after contaminating the wood with acrylic floor wax and 303.

But then again who knows, maybe you are about to discover the miracle teak finish after all.

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The zep has been no problem inside on any wood. You should try it yourself, dries quick, makes a waterproof durable shine. It goes on slightly clear milky blue, then dries totally clear. I brush it on. It puts a durable waterproof shine on anything including plastics.

Zep is cleaned off by ammonia. I have noticed ZEP tends to melt into the minwax color staining, it slowly picks up color in the jar I am painting from. And it seems to melt into prior layers, so it does not peel layer to layer, which is as designed as it is intended for a durable floor finish, so it adhere pretty good.


Outside, yes ZEP fails as do all clear coats eventually fail, which is why I am thinking it is the UV light causing the failure. Aerospace 303 has a SPF of 40. So then that is the plan to coat every month or so the 303.
I have coated many finishes various finishes on the transom wood and they all eventually fail and need to be redone.

It could also be that ZEP surfaces outdoors would need to be renewed by adding another coat every so often, maybe when the surface dulls due to UV attack, but recoat prior to a complete failure. I am just relating that on some RV forum posts said that they would add more on when it got a duller look, not that they were stripping it off. And some said harsh strong soaps were stripping the gloss, while normal dish soaps were not. So failed finishes may not be a big disaster, I don't have enough experience to know yet.

And the 303 is advertised as matte finish, but forum posters say the 303 mirrors the surface it goes on, so can also show a semigloss look. I will find out soon, as I plan to do all this week.

Edit, I just sprayed some 303 on gloss polyurethane stair steps in the house, and they are still glossy, so it does not make a gloss surface to a matte look. Do a light coat then burnish into the surface by rubbing, some people let thicker coats dry on and they say will become a gloss.

Peter B said:

Madame, your wish is my command. Of course you are too kind re your praise. If you saw Lotus really close up you would see she is definitely not like new, but she is nice enough for us. And her bottom did scrub up rather nicely and her gold prop does her credit. That Propspeed is really effective. So, now, bring on the Spring..!

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Cher Monsieur, you are a real ladies' man, it's so pleasant.
Very nice pictures of Lotus and her classy hull polished and waxed. It's good to see a well maintained and very clean boat, ready to go.
Very good job, Pierre.

sdowney717 said:

Outside, yes ZEP fails as do all clear coats eventually fail, which is why I am thinking it is the UV light causing the failure.

It could also be that ZEP surfaces outdoors would need to be renewed by adding another coat every so often, maybe when the surface dulls due to UV attack, but recoat prior to a complete failure..

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You might want to read this thread before you proceed...I had failing Polyglow (which is just an expensive re-bottled acrylic floor wax) on my boat when I bought it and it was not very satisfactory, and a royal pain to remove.

This thread may help you decide...

http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s3/i-am-impressed-product-25534.html

sdowney717 said:

The zep has been no problem inside on any wood. You should try it yourself, dries quick, makes a waterproof durable shine. It goes on slightly clear milky blue, then dries totally clear. I brush it on. It puts a durable waterproof shine on anything including plastics.

Zep is cleaned off by ammonia. I have noticed ZEP tends to melt into the minwax color staining, it slowly picks up color in the jar I am painting from. And it seems to melt into prior layers, so it does not peel layer to layer, which is as designed as it is intended for a durable floor finish, so it adhere pretty good.


Outside, yes ZEP fails as do all clear coats eventually fail, which is why I am thinking it is the UV light causing the failure. Aerospace 303 has a SPF of 40. So then that is the plan to coat every month or so the 303.
I have coated many finishes various finishes on the transom wood and they all eventually fail and need to be redone.

It could also be that ZEP surfaces outdoors would need to be renewed by adding another coat every so often, maybe when the surface dulls due to UV attack, but recoat prior to a complete failure. I am just relating that on some RV forum posts said that they would add more on when it got a duller look, not that they were stripping it off. And some said harsh strong soaps were stripping the gloss, while normal dish soaps were not. So failed finishes may not be a big disaster, I don't have enough experience to know yet.

And the 303 is advertised as matte finish, but forum posters say the 303 mirrors the surface it goes on, so can also show a semigloss look. I will find out soon, as I plan to do all this week.

Edit, I just sprayed some 303 on gloss polyurethane stair steps in the house, and they are still glossy, so it does not make a gloss surface to a matte look. Do a light coat then burnish into the surface by rubbing, some people let thicker coats dry on and they say will become a gloss.

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I'm sorry, there is no way I'm putting a floor sealant product on bare wood that is designed to seal/overcoat interior vinyl flooring.

Especially on exterior teak.

And then try to maintain that finish with 303. It might work on gelcoat but there is no way I'm going to go to all the trouble of prepping exterior teak for a new finish and then put vinyl floor sealer on it.

As I said, who knows? You may be on to something, or on something as the case may be, but I'll let your wood be the test subject.

Please do report back in a year.

ok, here are some pics. I hesitated to even bother posting anything since people are so negative. I am not done yet with it. Need to stain more on the swim platform.
There are 2 coats of floor polish and it has a good shine. My prep work was scrape off the old failed finish of polyurethane.
Clean up wood with oxalic acid and scraping wood with razor blade. I did no sanding. I coated right over the gold letters.
It looks very good to me.
And I do not think even a year of results will be good enough.

With just the stain


Then with the floor polish






I got no problem spraying on some 303 every month or so. As I said before, every finish I have tried eventually fails completey.

After 4 coats of Deks Olje #1 oil my swimstep/duckboard is looking good, much better than left grey.
sdowney 717, it`s best to do the sides of each piece of timber making up the grating too, not so easy, but easy to spill product into the water, especially when using a thin oil. Your transom finish looks good.

BruceK said:

After 4 coats of Deks Olje #1 oil my swimstep/duckboard is looking good, much better than left grey.
sdowney 717, it`s best to do the sides of each piece of timber making up the grating too, not so easy, but easy to spill product into the water, especially when using a thin oil. Your transom finish looks good.

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Thanks, it looks good to me too.
Yes, plan to stain and seal that too, not done yet.
First I want to clean off some of that gray wood a little. Probably use oxalic acid and a toothbrush.

I know the ZEP will eventually fail especially if not using a UV blocker. But so too will all finishes fail even marine varnishes. It is certainly going to be easy to spray on the uv blocker Aerospace 303. Last time I used a marine varnish, it started to look bad at 15 months.

I am kinda wondering about using the 303 on the swim platform, it might make it slippery. But it also will eventually wash off, so I will probably coat it too as a test. I also suppose 303 could be washed off with some strong soap and scrubbing.

Also can't imagine putting ZEP all over the boat like some people did, no, to me it is for small areas I can manage like the transom. It has worked well on interior wood and a lot easier and cheaper than polyurethane or varnish. And I am using the 'high traffic polish' at $16 per gallon, not the wet look at $24 per gallon. On the ZEP forum the rep said high traffic is more durable than wet look.

I originally was not going to do the swim platform, but I spilled stain on it and decided why not.

sdowney717 said:

ok, here are some pics.

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If that look is good enought for you then by all means stick with it.

I've always found the smoother the wood is you start with and the more you level out/fill the grain with the finish the longer the finish lasts.

So it will be interesting to see how the ZEP/303 combo does.

Capt.Bill11 said:

If that look is good enought for you then by all means stick with it.

I've always found the smoother the wood is you start with and the more you level out/fill the grain with the finish the longer the finish lasts.

So it will be interesting to see how the ZEP/303 combo does.

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Doing some reading about the 303 , and people were saying this is similar UV blocker and can get at Walmart.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009IQXCC/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza

Honestly, if these can block UV damage, why not coat all bright wood on the outside. It will be far easier to spray and wipe down than do a strip and refinish. I just have no experience with any of these yet.

I do know the SPF for the 303 is 40, which blocks 98% of the UV.

And as far as Meguiar's, a discussion versus their UP product which is more durable on exterior surfaces.
http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forum...ne-vs-Ultimate-Protectant#etYOxRb0Ob6BbUgj.97

https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-G14716-Ultimate-Protectant-15-2/dp/B004HCS4P0

sdowney717 said:

Honestly, if these can block UV damage, why not coat all bright wood on the outside. It will be far easier to spray and wipe down than do a strip and refinish. I just have no experience with any of these yet.

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Spraying 303 or something like it contaminates the finish. Which will make it very likely that you will issues when you go to recoat the wood with the product you are trying to protect with the 303.

Go talk to anybody that spray paints cars or boats for a living. Or someone who does varnish work for a living and see what they have to say about working with a surface that has been contaminated with wax, 303, Armor All, etc.

Capt.Bill11 said:

Spraying 303 or something like it contaminates the finish. Which will make it very likely that you will issues when you go to recoat the wood with the product you are trying to protect with the 303.

Go talk to anybody that spray paints cars or boats for a living. Or someone who does varnish work for a living and see what they have to say about working with a surface that has been contaminated with wax, 303, Armor All, etc.

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I have actually wondered about that. I assume a good scrubbing with harsh soaps. Definitely though every time I have refinished wood, it has been strip to bare experience on the boat as the finish just can not be saved, so it wont matter to me then..

I bet you that wet sanding with soapy water will remove it. Which on wood refinishing is ok. then little dry sanding.

As to it's durability
http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/487688.html?1186976391
"In the end what did it, was dish soap then wiping it down w/ vinegar/water, and repeating this about 10 times. It finally came off. Then had to buff it out."

sdowney717 said:

ok, here are some pics. I hesitated to even bother posting anything since people are so negative.

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Don't hesitate to posting pictures, we have gathered here to exchange experience and practice, to openly debate together and to exchange ideas.
The possibility of starting dialogues with different or opposite opinions make very interesting things happen to get the job done.
Pictures also help a lot.

Your transom looks nice, & I like the gold letters.

omc said:

Don't hesitate to posting pictures, we have gathered here to exchange experience and practice, to openly debate together and to exchange ideas. Pictures also help a lot.

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If we were all good herd followers, there would be no growth/discovery.

sdowney717 said:

I have actually wondered about that. I assume a good scrubbing with harsh soaps. Definitely though every time I have refinished wood, it has been strip to bare experience on the boat as the finish just can not be saved, so it wont matter to me then..

I bet you that wet sanding with soapy water will remove it. Which on wood refinishing is ok. then little dry sanding.

As to it's durability
WakeWorld Discussion Board: What removes 303 aerospace protectant?
"In the end what did it, was dish soap then wiping it down w/ vinegar/water, and repeating this about 10 times. It finally came off. Then had to buff it out."

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So your plan is to not add any more coats of ZEP in the future. Just try and maintain it as long as possible with the 303?

omc said:

Don't hesitate to posting pictures, we have gathered here to exchange experience and practice, to openly debate together and to exchange ideas. Pictures also help a lot.

Your transom looks nice, & I like the gold letters.

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Hi, thanks. I did not want to sand due to the gold letters.
I picked a font I liked and blew them up gigantic on the computer. Printed them out on paper, cuttout the letters and taped them to the wood. Then I traced them. For the gold paint, believe it or not, is an artist or hobby gold paint in a small plastic bottle bought at walmart and is water based. That gold paint has a bright gold color and is so tough, it is over 10 years old and has never peeled off or cracked.

When I put on the minwax stain, I used a chip brush and painted right over those letters, then buffed it off.

MurrayM said:

If we were all good herd followers, there would be no growth/discovery.

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Well said and definitely true.

sdowney717 said:

Hi, thanks. I did not want to sand due to the gold letters.
I picked a font I liked and blew them up gigantic on the computer. Printed them out on paper, cuttout the letters and taped them to the wood. Then I traced them. For the gold paint, believe it or not, is an artist or hobby gold paint in a small plastic bottle bought at walmart and is water based. That gold paint has a bright gold color and is so tough, it is over 10 years old and has never peeled off or cracked.

When I put on the minwax stain, I used a chip brush and painted right over those letters, then buffed it off.

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Amazing & good job ! Really love these gold letters, so classy.

Do you remember the brand name of the paint ?

Capt.Bill11 said:

Do you remember the brand name of the paint ?

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I think it is on the boat, will post back later today. It is in a squeeze bottle with a flip top lid, about 4 inch tall and an inch wide.

The gold letter paint is this one here.
https://www.plaidonline.com/folkart-outdoor-acrylic-colors-metallic-pure-gold-/1654/item.htm

And the font I used was Alys Script Bold Regular
Alys Script Bold Regular : Download For Free, View Sample Text, Rating And More On Fontsgeek.Com

Thanks

If 303 is like the Amazon product, it seems to be a silicone spray, like Armor-all. I believe that is a real issue for recoating. Same reason as some types of silicone sealant are not good on a boat, because you may never be able to repaint where you use them.
If you accidentally get Armor-all on the car windscreen it gets smeary and is hard to remove,I`d be wary using it.
I used a bright yellow full gloss oil paint to pick out letters on my name and hailing port boards, then varnished the whole board (with Cetol), having prepped the boards before doing the yellow. It works well, the oil paint and Cetol get along fine. I know people who apply gold leaf, but paint is ok for my boat.

BruceK said:

If 303 is like the Amazon product, it seems to be a silicone spray, like Armor-all. I believe that is a real issue for recoating. Same reason as some types of silicone sealant are not good on a boat, because you may never be able to repaint where you use them.
If you accidentally get Armor-all on the car windscreen it gets smeary and is hard to remove,I`d be wary using it.
I used a bright yellow full gloss oil paint to pick out letters on my name and hailing port boards, then varnished the whole board (with Cetol), having prepped the boards before doing the yellow. It works well, the oil paint and Cetol get along fine. I know people who apply gold leaf, but paint is ok for my boat.

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It has no silicone, one of the first things I checked for. Can not stand that stuff.
https://www.goldeagle.com/brands/303-faqs

I put on the 303 on the transom. I actually sprayed it on and spread it with my hand, then buffed it with a cotton rag. The water beads up. I can see why dirts do not stick to it. Unless you clean it off, nothing will stick to 303. I like it a lot, made it feel silky smooth.

It took a very small amount of 303 to do the transom and all the interior woodwork that I recently refinished, which adds up to about 2 transoms total in area, dropped the 303 down about 1.5 inches in the bottle's neck area.

303® Aerospace Protectant™ is great for use on a variety of surfaces including vinyl, plastics, synthetic and natural rubber, PVC, finished leather, teak, colored gel-coat fiberglass, clear vinyl (Eisenglass) windows, and more! DO NOT use on unfinished leathers (such as suede), fabrics or floorings.

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I wonder if when they mean 'teak', do they mean bare sanded smooth teak or teak with a surface finish. I think a hard wood probably will do ok with it. I have seen some woods just suck up liquids too much like pine, and there wont be any surface of 303 left on top.

If you are ever looking for a Teak specialist. I do not hesitate to recommend Jeff Howe for Teak Decking, Interiors, Swim platforms, Steps, and Trim.

Here is his advice on Periodic Cleaning of the Teak:

If you feel the need to spruce up the deck beyond your usual brush and soap/water, you may want to use a two part teak cleaner.

DO NOT. Two part cleaners are usually made from caustic chemicals that although clean very well, remove or soften the grain in the wood. This, causes the need for sanding more often and considerably shortening the life of your deck. Here is a great way to use a two part cleaning system that is very gentle on the wood, harmless to your seams, and biodegradable.

Available at the grocery store, is SUDSY AMMONIA, and WHITE VINEGAR. The ratio is roughly 1:1 SUDSY:WATER, for part one. Use a Doodle Bug Scrubber attachment for the Shurhold Pole, and a green pad. This should be available at your local marine store. Use this mixture liberally on a wet deck, and keep wet throughout the process.

Scrub AGAINST the grain whenever possible. No heavy scrubbing is necessary. Once complete, rinse the products thoroughly with fresh water. Clean the Doodle pad very well and use the vinegar direct and alone to “brighten” the deck.

This is only spread over all wood cleaned, and is not used for scrubbing at all. Once all the wood has been coated give a few minutes to soak in. You will see a change in color to a brighter more amber hue. Rinse the Vinegar liberally and the deck is clean.

When it becomes necessary to sand the deck, it is important to use a light grit and ensure it is done evenly. We recommend 100 grit sandpaper for maintenance sanding. It is very important to mask off any areas of paint that may be accidentally bumped by the sander.

The use of a random orbital sander with dustless attachment is preferred over any belt or high-speed sander. Keeping the sander moving across the grain, seams and wood evenly will ensure a level sanding.

Keep in mind that sanding is not even recommended within the first year or so; however, that is owner’s discretion. After the first year, once every 12-18 months will ensure a long life to your deck.

Boat/Yacht Teak Installation, Repair, and Maintenance - Teakworks

sdowney717 said:

I wonder if when they mean 'teak', do they mean bare sanded smooth teak or teak with a surface finish. I think a hard wood probably will do ok with it. I have seen some woods just suck up liquids too much like pine, and there wont be any surface of 303 left on top.

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Try it on a small area first, check for slipperiness, how the wood responds, etc.

BruceK said:

Try it on a small area first, check for slipperiness, how the wood responds, etc.

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Yes, can try that, just don't want to waste it. Your not supposed to use this on fabric, so wood that soaks it in same idea I think.

I posted a question about bare sanded teak on their site.

From their faqs, says 'teak'
WHAT SURFACES CAN 303 ® AEROSPACE PROTECTANT™ BE USED ON?
303® Aerospace Protectant™ is great for use on a variety of surfaces including vinyl, plastics, synthetic and natural rubber, PVC, finished leather, teak, colored gel-coat fiberglass, clear vinyl (Eisenglass) windows, and more! DO NOT use on unfinished leathers (such as suede), fabrics or floorings.

Gold Eagle by the way are the makers of Stabil for treating gasoline, definitely does work.

For cleaning teak, I use Oxalic acid. Buy the powder at Ace or True Value, then mix with water. You can heat the water and it makes it more active. It will brighten a lot of woods. I brush it on, scrub a little, let it dry, add more if needed, then rinse it off after it has dried and the teak looks good.

I tried vinegar, does not work.

I should probably buy this, can get 5lbs for good price.
https://www.amazon.com/OXALIC-99-6-...t_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=PP51D0C911Q96SC85RFE