Teak Cleaners

[Jason K]

I need to clean the exterior teak prior to laying down varnish. It's been mostly bare for long time and I think it will take some careful prep to create a nice result.

As far as teak cleaners go, does anyone have any particular preferences?

I have a few questions:

1. Is one brand considerably better than the others?
2. Is two-part cleaner considerably more effective than 1 part?
3. Much of the wood will be varnished in place as removing it is not practical. I'm sure some of the cleaner will end up on the gelcoat. Is there a risk there (it will, of course, be thoroughly rinsed)?

Thanks in advance!

[David VanDenburgh]

Jason,

I recently stripped all of Ariel's teak and had good luck cleaning it up with a cheap product called Bar Keeper's Friend. It comes in a small container like Comet or Bon Ami, but unlike the others it contains oxalic acid. It did a good job of brightening the teak and removing black streaks/spots that had formed under the failing Cetol. If your teak is just grayed, Bar Keeper's Friend should clean it up nicely.

The application process that worked best was to create a paste by mixing water with the powder on a soft scotchbrite pad, then gently smooth the paste onto the wood. Let it sit for a while, rinse with fresh water, repeat if necessary. In some especially nasty spots, it was necessary to repeat applications with longer times and a bit of gentle scrubbing. I didn't notice any damage to the soft wood in the teak.

Before spending big bucks, you might want to give the Bar Keeper's Friend a try on a small piece. It saved us from needing the big-dollar specialty cleaners.

David

[Ceasar Choppy]

Never thought of using Barkeeper's Friend. I just use oxolic acid in the crystal form and dissolve it in water until its supersaturated (helps with warm water). Brush it on and let it sit for an hour or two. I then neutralize the acid with Borax, liberally applied out of a box, and plenty of water to rinse.

Be careful as the borax is slippery when wet and you might find that you slip and break your big toe like I did a couple weeks ago!

Something I found that works great if you have to STRIP AND CLEAN is SOY-STRIP. No fumes, no nasty chemicals, etc. Not only does it strip the varnish, but it you leave it on for a few hours, the wood doesn't need cleaning.

[jollyboat]

CC, I am in the process of the same job. In my days as a launch operator I was the custodian of much teak and it's up-keep. I have had very good results with two part teak cleaner. Snappy-Teak Nu is an excellent product and BoatLife also makes a two part product called Te-Ka. Finally, West Marine also has their own two part cleaner. To be sure, one advantage of the two part cleaners is that they will leave the teak with a very consistent color as "part one" is an acid which "bleaches" out the dead surface wood while active. Part Two is the nutralizer for the acid and when applied reacts with the acid as the 'lightener'. These chemicals are very strong and really do a number on the teak. Heavy, repeated applications are not recomended as the two part cleaners are hard on the wood - (it's acid!). For my teak, it is really the only way I can get the results that I am looking for in a reasonable amount of time. The two quart kit is about $35.00. I think it is well worth the money in time/results/effort ratio. As far as gel coat is concerned - well I have never seen the acid damage or discolor gel coat in a way that was beyond a day in the sun. Try to keep you work as local as you can and be methodical. Keep the surrounding areas wet as well as your working surface. Keep the chems out of you eyes - it hurts!

[Jason K]

To be sure, one advantage of the two part is that will leave the teak with a very consistent color

This is precisely what I'm looking for. Thanks, Brian.

If your teak is just grayed, Bar Keeper's Friend should clean it up nicely.

Thanks David. The teak is actually pretty rough. It used to be varnished (a decade ago, perhaps) and so there is residual varnish and lots of grey, dirty wood. I'm looking for a very consistent and, hopefully, a fairly light color at the end of the project.

Speaking of, does anyone have any recommendations for a fairly light varnish? I've used a couple of the Epifanes products and they are a fairly deep, Bourbon color.

Also, is there a difference between rubbed effect and a satin finish? I'm redoing much of the interior wood as well. Any favorite rubbed effect/satin varnishes?

Something I found that works great if you have to STRIP AND CLEAN is SOY-STRIP. No fumes, no nasty chemicals, etc. Not only does it strip the varnish, but it you leave it on for a few hours, the wood doesn't need cleaning.

That might be just the thing for the interior pieces, where the existing varnish will be more tenacious. I think I can get away with sandpaper, a paint scraper and perhaps some heat on the exterior wood.

-- Also, I'm going to try Ultimate Sole on the cabin sole and the companionway steps. I'm looking forward to seeing how that works. I've taken the express ride down twice while jumping below with wet feet on the bare companionway steps. (it doesn't help that I am graceless).

[Ceasar Choppy]

Jollyboat: thanks for the suggestion, although with the oxalic acid crystals and a box of borax, I'm out about $8. Teak brightened right up.

the Visa Ad would go something like this:

One container of oxalic acid $5
One box of borax $3
Trip to the emergency room for broken toe (and subsequent doctor visits) because I wasn't wearing shoes on deck when rinsing off the borax $1000
Having bright varnished teak: priceless

[Tim]

Amber spar varnishes look quite a bit different when applied to teak than they do on mahogany. Since some of your recent varnish experience probably comes from your Triton and its mahogany trim, you might try a test on the teak to see what the color will be before you switch products. Teak tends to turn more golden/amber than red when varnished--whether with Epifanes or other similar spar varnish.

If you want to avoid the deeper color of the spar varnishes, there are a couple "clear" products available from Z-Spar (Captain's Ultra V-Gold Exterior) or Interlux (Goldspar Clear). Note that these aren't varnishes, but are polyurethanes. Both brands tout them as having excellent UV protection, but I've not ever used these.

I am very fond of the Epifanes rubbed effect varnish. "Rubbed effect" is basically just another way to call it "satin", though my experience with Epifanes is that this satin varnish flattens extremely consistently and therefore truly does give the look of a hand-rubbed finish. I think it's great stuff for interiors.

[jollyboat]

CC - Did you really fall and break your toe/foot - what a bummer. Sorry to learn of your 'teak cleaning' disaster. I guess we can give you the "Hollywood Wild West" name of 'Golden Wood Broken Toe' of the Plastic Classic Tribe. I do hope that your future efforts at wood trim restoration are without injury. In switching gears to the topic of varnish - I have had reasonable results with polyurithanes as well as traditional varnish. When using ployurithane, I like the exterior Minwax products. I have mixed a 50/50 batch of gloss and satin to get a "tweener" finish which I like. Not quite the Las Vagas high gloss and not quite what you might find in a satin, English smoking parlor - more like what you might expect to find on a Plastic Classic -

[Ceasar Choppy]

CC - Did you really fall and break your toe/foot - what a bummer. Sorry to learn of your 'teak cleaning' disaster. I guess we can give you the "Hollywood Native American" name of 'Golden Wood Broken Toe' of the Plastic Classic Tribe. I do hope that your future efforts at wood trim restoration are without injury.

Thanks... This is the first time in many years of cleaning teak I've had an "accident." This should really go under the "wear shoes on deck" thread.

I'm having great results with the regular Epifanes clear gloss on the teak. I've used the Woodfinish before and that does darken things up quite a bit.
I've used the Interlux Schooner in the past with great results too. BTW: The rubbed effect ROCKS for all the reasons previously posted.

I'm not a fan of the polyeurathane though since if it gets a ding or needs to be refinished, getting it all off is a pain.