Refinishing teak

[Billy V]

I have a little bit of exterior teak trim on my hardtop that needs some attention. It's turned gray and needs to be cleaned and brightened, but what do I put on it after I clean/brighten? I definitely don't want to put old-school teak oil back on it. I'm not up for removing it each year to re-finish it. I've heard that Sikkens makes a good teak protectant, and I've also heard about a product called Teak Guard. Does anyone have any experience with either of these products or another good one?

[Boatino]

Billy,

I used that Sikkens this year and it has definately held up better than anything else. The regular teak oil only seems to last a few months.

John

[UpGrady]

I second the Sikkens. Had it on all of the teak on my Grady for 4 years now... only apply one coat per year and it's holding up great.

[Billy V]

I went with the Sikkens. I'll take some before and after pics and post them here. Thanks guys!

[Billy V]

Here's a couple of pics of the teak before it came off the hardtop:

The teak on top is before I did anything to it, in the middle is after I cleaned/brightened/ and the bottom is immediately after I put the first coat of Cetol on it:

I'll post some pics of the finished work after it's back on the boat. Probably be a week or two before I get back up there. Thanks again for the input.

[GAMBLER]

BillyV,

Put a second coat on all your teak and it will look even better. The stain will also last a year or two longer. I put the first coat on, sand it really lightly and then apply the second coat.

[Billy V]

I'll hit it with 00 steel wool in between coats and it'll get the three coats that Sikkens recommends. I was amazed at how much better it looks after just one coat.

[muskybob]

Nice job Bill. What did you use to clean it with?

[Billy V]

First step was to use Starbrite Teak Cleaner and a brass brush. Second step was to hit it with Starbrite Teak Brightener. Amazing that it can be brought back after looking so bad.

[Billy V]

I finally got the re-finished teak put back on the boat. Thanks to those of you who recommended Sikkens. It was exactly what I had in mind, and worked out great. Here's a couple of pics of the finished work:

[floorboy]

You are going to have to update your signature picture. You can almost see how blaaa they looked before. Nice job!

[jimski2]

Before you play around with the Teak oils, go to the Sikkens web site and read the MSDS before handling this stuff. We must be careful.