Teak wood

[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!