Teak Guard, FYI

[sfreihofer]

Restoring my CD25 involves replacing all of the exterior teak. In doing this, I decided to use Teak Guard for the finish, even though test results for Teak Guard were less than good in Practical Sailor magazine, which I suspect (hope) resulted from not following the application instructions. I based my choice on the following: I don't like the look of Cetol, I don't want the maintenance of varnish, oil is too short-lived, paint is out of the question, and bare wood is what got me here.

I realize this is a "locked vs. freewheeling" type of discussion, so I'm sharing my experiences with Teak Guard. Since I cannot yet attest to its durability, I will address preparation, application, and appearance.

Since I am replacing the teak, all of my experience has been with clean new wood, sanded to 150 or 220 grit. This is the procedure I have followed, as specified by the manufacturer.

PREPARATION:
Preparation is not difficult, but takes some time. Once the wood was clean and sanded, I saturated the wood with Teak Guard Super Cleaner to remove dust and oils, scrubbed (short bristle plastic brush) along the grain, and then scrubbed while rinsing until water runs clear. After allowing the wood to dry, I then scrubbed with coarse bronze wool to remove any raised grain bristles.

APPLICATION:
I applied the first two coats of Teak Guard, allowing about 15 minutes between coats to dry (it dries very quickly). I allowed the two coats to harden for about 24 hours, then scrubbed with bronze wool, before adding another 2 coats and allowing 24 hours to harden. I did not do any additional scrubbing before adding coats 5 and 6.

Teak Guard is VERY EASY to apply... like painting with chocolate milk, really. It is applied very sparingly... meaning very thin coats, so they recommend a foam brush, which works well. Because the coats are thin, a half-gallon has been more than enough for 6 coats on ALL of the teak on my CD25.

APPEARANCE:
The finish is, to my eye, very pleasing. It is not a high gloss like varnish, and not a matte like oil... more of a semi-gloss sheen. Since it is so thin, the grain shows pleasingly, and the first two coats are absorbed well by the wood. The first two coats will take nearly as much Teak Guard as the next four coats. It will darken the wood, but is quite transparent, unlike Cetol.

COMMENTS:
The Teak Guard Super Cleaner smelled, looked, and behaved (foamed) suspiciously like original blue Windex, but diluted. When I ran out of the Super Cleaner, I used Windex, because it seems logical to me since the objective is to clean and de-grease the teak oils. Plus, Windex is much less expensive and much more readily available. I don't know if this will have any adverse effect on durability, so I have made note of which pieces are prepared with Windex to see if there is any difference in longevity of the finish.

I hope Teak Guard will live up to its advertised guarantee not to chip, peel, or fade for one year, regardless of latitude and exposure. Another benefit of Teak Guard is the simplicity of re-application when needed.

And, FYI, I am not affiliated with Teak Guard in any way, do not endorse it beyond relating my impressions, and stand to gain no benefit.

Stan Freihofer
1981 CD25 #794
Ft. Lauderdale
www.ReefRoof.com

[Mr. Doug]

Thanks for a thoughtful post. I'm looking at the daunting task before me with all the gray teak I have on my CD25. I have no preconceived notions so any advice is well taken.

Pics?

[Neil Gordon]

... test results for Teak Guard were less than good in Practical Sailor magazine, which I suspect (hope) resulted from not following the application instructions.

I am a long term PS subscriber and I don't always reach the same product conclusions they do. On the other hand, while I have no way to verify if they applied Teak Guard properly, I think it's wishful thinking to suspect they took shortcuts or otherwise didn't follow instructions. (I've often seen comments in their reviews that a product worked as expected but that use was so complicated that actual field users would likely not follow them.)

[rtbates]

I sure hope, but doubt, that you'll ne happy with the Windex use instead of their Super Cleaner. I've had Teak Guard on Seraph's teak for a year and am happy even though I had to recoat my toerails after only 10 months. The re-application is very easy and much to my surprise you can't even tell where the bare spots were.

[Sea Hunt]

Doug:

In April I redid the toe and rub rails on S/V Tadpole. I sanded them down to bare teak and made sure they were very, very clean.

I applied three (3) coats of Cetol Marine Natural Teak on consecutive days and then two (2) coats of Cetol Clear Gloss on the following two days.

The last day, after application of the 2nd Cetol Clear Gloss, there were a few rain drops that landed on the toe rail top that left a few small "pimples". Not the fault of the Cetol. It was supposed to be a clear, sunny April day. A small rain cloud passed nearby and the the winds carried a few drops onto Tadpole.

The sanding and prep work is the most time consuming. Once the teak is prepped applying the Cetol Marine Natural Teak and Cetol Clear Gloss is easy - even for someone like me who lacks a lot of basic skills. I used a 1" foam brush (disposable) for the rails and was very happy with the application.

So far (only 4 months since application) they still look very good (if I may brag just a little). If I had the vaguest idea how to post pictures I would. Sorry. In addition to many other skills I lack, posting pictures is near the top of the list.

S/V Tadpole is moored in Miami and gets more sun, etc. than most any other location. I did not like the look of original Cetol that I saw on some sailboats - too "orangey" nor some of the other applications (too brown, too dark, etc.).

I am not an expert on teak by any means but so far I am VERY happy. Several folks have asked what "varnish" I applied. When I tell them it's Cetol they say "no way". I then tell them it is Cetol Marine Natural Teak and Cetol Clear Gloss.

Unless things deteriorate drastically, my plan is to haul S/V Tadpole in Nov/Dec to paint her bottom, etc. At that time I will also redo all remaining teak (coamings, cabin hatch, etc.) with the above two Cetol products.

P.S. Got out sailing Tuesday. Very, very hot, humid (air temps 92-94 but with heat index factor it's 96-98 ). After only about 35-40 minutes I again observed a series of dark foreboding rain clouds just west of Biscayne Bay. I also heard several thunder sounds and thought I saw one bolt of lightening. Discretion being the better part of valor (and me be a scared little chicken when it comes to lightening on a boat ) I made a command decision to drop sails and motor back to the mooring. In the end, the storm stayed west of Biscayne Bay and I would have been fine.

[marv brinn]

I tried teak guard the first yr I had my cd and found that it went on easy looked great for about 10 mos and because I didnt re apply it faded and just dissappeared. I did the same with Cetol and had the same results.
I have read several posts over the yrs and have concluded that they both look great if YOU DONT MIND BEING A FURNITURE RESTORER.It took a month of weekends to get the results I wanted and feel that I would rather be sailing than sanding. Reaching than rubbing. etc..for me there is more pleasure in sailing her than the aforementioned..If the new owner wishes to see the finish then that can be done or negotiated.

[sfreihofer]

Thanks for the comments.

Randy, I agree it's a gamble using Windex instead of using the Teak Guard Super Cleaner. I would never have done it had the Super Cleaner not seemed so... Windexy. Since Windex is a cleaner/degreaser, it seemed worth the risk, because I didn't want to wait a week or so and spend so much $$ on... diluted Windex??? As I said, we shall see if it was a big boo-boo. I'll let you know how the results compare, particularly the longevity of the finish.

Neil, I chose Teak Guard for the reasons I stated, and it naturally concerns me that Practical Sailor had such poor results with it. I believe someone on this board mentioned in a related post that PS magazine had only applied 3 coats. I really don't know, but time will tell, and I'll let you know.

Marv, what to do with the teak has been a long debate in my mind. Sailing vs. maintaining is a no-brainer... BUT... DOING NOTHING is what destroyed the original teak, and since I'm doing a restoration, it seemed prudent to DO SOMETHING. The ease of refinishing Teak Guard was one of the deciding factors... just buff with bronze wool and apply a couple of coats atop the old. It dries fast, so application is really a cinch.

Doug, if you want to see pictures, go to ReefRoof.com. I have been documenting the restoration there. The photos are usually at least a month behind the progress. The next update will be when the exterior teak is finished... another two weeks, I'm hoping, but the weather here is giving me fits.

For those who may be interested, I've spent very close to $2,000.00 on teak lumber (and many hours of labor) for the restoration. It seems wise to try to protect that investment. Plus, it looks nice. Once I'm on the water, I assume my priorities will change....

Stan Freihofer
1981 CD25 #794
Ft. Lauderdale
www.ReefRoof.com

[marv brinn]

oh oh you have me thinking now ...doing nothing? I assume that the sc sun will dry out all of the oils in the teak, is that what you are refering to ? I have been getting used to it turning black and dont mind it..

[sfreihofer]

To be honest, Marv, I don't know how long she sat without any maintenance. I know she has been on the hard for 15 years, so it has been at least that long. The teak was black, dried out, and the grain was VERY badly eroded... it looked like tire tread in some areas. To remove the decayed surface, I had to plane away half of the thickness of the wood, which left it unusable for its intended purpose, such as coamings and drop boards.

There isn't a much more hostile environment for exposed wood than South Florida... rain, heat, humidity, killer UV.

Stan

oh oh you have me thinking now ...doing nothing? I assume that the sc sun will dry out all of the oils in the teak, is that what you are refering to ? I have been getting used to it turning black and dont mind it..