angib wrote:There are several things you can do with teak:
1) Leave it alone. It is very rot-proof in its uncoated state and will gradually go a pale grey colour. But this means it is liable to staining. Go down to the nearest boat marine and you will see lots of bare teak trim on the boats.
2) Oil it. This works well and is fairly quick to do, but needs regular re-doing (every year). The product to use is....... "teak oil", at least that's what it's called in Britain! Buy it from a boat shop or hardware store.
3) 'Deks Olje' is a halfway house between oiling and varnishing. It gives a lovely hardwearing finish but is lots of work to do. You must follow the instructions! You must even read the instructions before starting! If you cannot do this, don't use this product! Buy it from Maritim.
4) Varnish it. This is quite a lot of work as, in addition to the actual sanding and varnishing, you have to get the natural oils out of the wood before you start and this isn't easy to do well - you have to wash the teak with acetone, but this isn't that easy and if you don't do it well, the varnish doesn't last long.
Oiling is probably the easiest and it will look nice.
Andrew
I owned a vintage sailboat with teak accents and seating, and I agree with Andrew's assesment.
I used Teak Oil on mine, and had to do it on a regular basis. Teak Oil soaks in and "hardens" to some dgree, where varnish sits on the surface and hardens. If it is on the surface, it WILL eventually blister and peel. The oiling method keeps it healthy, but it will weather somewhat, which will result in a darkening of the wood. I rather like that aging, myself.
If you just leave it, it will still last many, many years, but wil grey and start to crack at some point.
To me, the easiest method was to oil the teak, but then again, I like that look. To get that concours wooden boat look, be prepared to really keep on top of your maintenance.
CD
