If you are one of the thousands of boaters who are restoring an old boat that has some or a lot of teak, here is some information you may want to know.
If your teak is white or nearly white after cleaning, the chances are very good that the top 5 to 30 thousandths of wood are dead or devoid of teak resin. The result of this condition is a substantial weakening of the first few thousandths of the surface of the wood. This weakening of the surface will result in premature separation or pealing of whatever you use to finish your teak.
The solution is to sand off the white wood to expose the live wood that is hidden below. Regarding sanding; There is already a post on this blog that addresses sanding teak and you really need to read it.
Example of lightly checked teak wood.
The real problem comes when the white wood exists on decking. Decking needs to be rough or checked to reduce or eliminate hydroplaning when you are walking the deck when it is wet. So, what can you do? Wet sanding the top of the checking will reduce the required effort considerably. Using course bronze wool to scrub away the white wood down in the checking will remove the dead wood without removing the ridges. Yes, it’s a lot of work, but if you are restoring a classic teak boat, it’s worth the effort and will result in great looking teak that will hold a finish much longer. A note on course bronze wool, it is really sharp so wear leather gloves when you use it
Using caustic cleaners (containing sodium hydroxide) is one of the primary root causes of white teak. These cleaners including chlorine and oxygen bleaches are fast and easy to use, but they do not remove the dead white wood. In fact these harsh cleaners are largely responsible for the condition and they also etch away the micro fibers that hold the main fibers of the wood together. Further, even applying oxalic acid to neutralize the sodium hydroxide is not completely effective and leaves enough active sodium hydroxide to continue etching the your teak for a long time to come.
If you are cleaning boat decking, there is another wrinkle. Between each plank of decking there is rubber like cocking that is supposed to seal water out from between and under the planks. Many of the cleaning products and pressure washing causes the rather tenuous bond between the teak and the cocking to break down and leak. Using less aggressive cleaning chemicals is one of the answers to preserving the bonds.
Using oxalic acid or various degreasers to remove the yellow and gray teak resin is much less destructive than the other types of cleaners and they produce a better result. Additionally, cleaning the surface of your teak will make what ever finish you decide to use as a finish stay put longer. Hopefully, the finish you choose has a UV blocker so that the Sun does not destroy the finish and turn the wood gray under the finish.
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Tags: dead teak, white teak
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Best way to take care of your outdoor teak wood furniture.
If you plan to leave the furniture outside all year round,you must ensure that it is robust enough to withstand extremes of weather.The specifications for the materials construction and finish needs to be very different from that of pieces for interior use.
Left on its own without maintenance,teak wood furniture will weather and eventually turn a soft grey colour and sometimes it will turn a greenish colour.In order to prolong the life and appearance of your teak wood furniture, it is vital that you treat the wood atleast once a year.The best way to treat teak furniture is:
1.Wash it with a mild soap and warm water.You can use any mild soap or detergent.Washing the wood removes the surface dirt and also mold,mildew and surface oxidation.
2.Rinse the wood with a garden hose,(don’t use a jet wash) thoroughly to remove all dirt and soap residue and let the furniture dry overnight.
3.Sand down the wood with a fine grain sandpaper.Sand with the grain ,never against it.Only sand enough of the teak wood surface, so that it exposes its natural colour of the wood.
4.Wipe of all the residual sawdust, using a clean, dry soft cloth.Be sure to clean the sawdust in corners and where the pieces of teak wood overlaps.
5.Use a soft-bristle paint brush to apply a coat of teakwood oil to all of the exposed surface.Apply oil liberally, don’t over saturate the wood.
6.Allow first coat to dry for a least one day, then apply the second coat.Continue until your teak furniture is the colour you want it to be.
With a little bit of maintainence and care you should get many years of enjoyment from your outdoor teak furniture.Malkit Ram
Publisher,allteakboutique.com -
Unfortunately, this is a labor intensive solution that needs to be repeated at least 2 times a year and removes some wood each time it is executed. TeakGuard on the other hand only needs to be cleaned once (the first time it is applied) and only rinsed off and re-applied once per year.
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Clean your teak wood as thoroughly like feasible using any bronze wool pad, restoring each silvery gray or white colorations to the natural beige color of the wood. If plain water remains never adequate to get the wood satisfactorily fresh, utilize only cleaners with oxalic acid as the active ingredient, such as specifically produced teak cleaners. Additional common chemicals including sodium hydroxide can damage the wood also decrease its quality.
Wood Care
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