Teak wood

[keepitgreen05]

i stopped at west marine and the guy there told me i would have to oil the wood once a month is that true or was it a sales pitch

[phatdaddy]

if you only put teak oil on it and no sealer or any uv protection and it is in the direct sun all day, down here in fl, sure. the wood is like a sponge, it will soak up a lot of oil, but it also loses a lot unless its sealed.

[capitanmike]

o.k. i'll bite, what is cetol? my hatch covers had NEVER been fooled with so i hit 'em with 80 grit on the belt sander then 120 w/ the jitterbug. looks great, like new, just want long lastin, low maintenance finish. (life story). mike

[Fitz]

CaptainMike:

This is just my opinion, but I wouldn't coat the hatch covers with Cetol or any impervious finish. The reason is that they're inevitably going to get knicked and scratched, and they're going to take a lot of direct sunlight. I'd finish them with a coat of natural oil-based teak stain, then a coat of teak oil.

Depending on how much sunlight and wear they get, you might have to recoat them once or twice in the season, but that's literally a ten minute job. Use the Cetol on all other wood surfaces that are not going to be underfoot or getting banged regularly. A single surface penetration will begin to ruin any impervious finish, whereas oil and stain will just gradually wear off.

Fitz

[nipper]

Cetol is called Sikkens Cetol, and it is made by a company (swedish, I think) called Azko Nobel. It is available at any marine store. It runs about $35 a quart, but a quart goes a loooong way. I tend to agree with Fitz about not using it on the hatch covers. However, I have used it on swim platforms which invariably get some nicks and scratches from water skis, etc. When that happens, you can lightly sand the blemish and apply a bit of the cetol and you will never know it happened. Cetol can also produce a somewhat slippery finish. The instructions on the can indicate you can sand lightly between coats with fine sandpaper, but caution against doing so on surfaces subject to foot traffic.

[buckleyjr]

I followed the advice on this thread and purchased some Cetol light for my teak outdoor furniture. Looks fantastic!

[macojoe]

hey Fitz!! nice to see you here!!

[Pipe_Dream]

Good thread. Next project: teak!