Teak preparation prior to refinishing

[Jim]

I am starting to refinish the teak on my CD25 and need some advice. I have sanded the old finish off with 100 grit sandpaper and finished it out with 150 grit. The wood is smooth but there is still traces of the old finish (Cetol). I plan to use Armada finish, does the wood need to be completely free of the old finish or will the Armada blend in with the small traces of the old finish and look acceptable. I have enjoyed reading the advise and experiences contained in this websight and would appreciate any knowledge on this subject.

[Donna Delahanty]

The best recommendation is to remove all the old Cetol. However, from what I have heard, Armada and Cetol are essentially the same product. It seems the one of Cetols employees left and now works at Armada. The armada is said to not have as much "orange" color to it as the Cetol. You could always test a small area that still has the Cetol just to see if you are happy with the results.

I am starting to refinish the teak on my CD25 and need some advice. I have sanded the old finish off with 100 grit sandpaper and finished it out with 150 grit. The wood is smooth but there is still traces of the old finish (Cetol). I plan to use Armada finish, does the wood need to be completely free of the old finish or will the Armada blend in with the small traces of the old finish and look acceptable. I have enjoyed reading the advise and experiences contained in this websight and would appreciate any knowledge on this subject.

[Ryan T]

You've got to get all of the old cetol off or it won't look good. I am half way through refinishing my exterior teak. Early on in the process I stripped some of the wood but didn't get those little bits of Cetol that were stuck in the low places. It didn't look too good when refinished with new Cetol. The trick is to get a heat gun, a really good scraper, and a file. Heat the old cetol up and it comes off like butter using the scraper. Once in awhile you'll have to sharpen the scraper with the file. Sand and finish with 4 or 5 coats of Cetol. It'll look great.




rdtec@aol.com

[JD Johnson]

Try using a high pressure washer. This worked great on my teak,although the water cuts the wood some so you might have to do a little more lite sanding afterwards.



jondj@bellsouth.net

[JD Johnson]

Try using a high pressure washer. This worked great on my teak,although the water cuts the wood some so you might have to do a little more lite sanding afterwards.



jondj@bellsouth.net