Using Cetol on teak

[Joe Brown]

I'm using Cetol for the first time on the teak brightwork of a CD-28 I purchased last Fall. The brightwork previously was varnished and I am removing this before the Cetol work. In many places, the varnish has peeled down to the wood, which has weathered to the usual teak grey. Must I strip and sand all the teak to the "weathered level" before finishing with the Cetol? The problem seems to be that the varnish has penetrated the wood and quite a bit of the teak would have to be removed before Cetol. Or will Cetol blend well over teak where varnish has been removed and the grey weathered wood? Advice from Cetol users would be much appreciated. Thanks. Joe Brown, CD-28 "Caprice," Rockport, Maine



joebrown@mint.net

[Dana]

having used varnish before and switching to Cetol....I do not think you will be happy with the look if you try to cover the grey teak with Cetol. I found a heat gun is the best method of removing the varnish layers quickly and effectively. It also "raised" the varnish out of the crannies and pores of the teak. But like most of this type of work, it is all in the preparation.

Dana



darenius@aol.com

[Robert Davee]

Went throuht the same thing two years ago on my CD28 FB Power. First I scraped off all varnish then sanded till I obtained a uniform color of natural wood. In some places this will take a good bit of sanding. Finished the wood with 120 grit paper and then scotchbright pads. Then three coats of Cetol per instructions. Each spring just scotchbright and another coat. I found that sponge brushes will coat the edges better. In high wear places added a forth coat. By the way you can easily touch up dammaged places and wear area at mid summer with a little scotchbright and light coats of cetol (feather it in with your finger. A great product.
Bob in Camden, ME



builder@midcoast.com

[Robert Davee]

One more thing about Cetol finishing, be sure you wash down the new raw sanded teak with Acetone to remove the oils in the wood surface before applying the cetol. Cetol does not like teak oil particularly if the teak is fairly new. The Acetone will remove the teak oil from the wood surface.
Bob



builder@midcoast.com

[Alex Warren]

Another way to remove the varnish is to use a high stength stripper; just paint it on and wait a few minutes for it to come out of the grain and then sand down. I would recommend removing all the varnish and sanding until everything is uniform. Cetol is a great product that requires only additions in the future and to spend the time on prep now will make all the difference between an outstanding look and a mediocre look.If you have used varnish before you may want to try adding two coats of the "gloss" finish of Cetol after 3 coats of base; I did on parts of my Island Packet and it not only gives a varnished( not quite) appearance but it seemed to hold up better than the base. Try a place and see if you like the look. Another suggestion if you haven't used Cetol before is to wipe it up from the gelcoat while it is wet; it is difficult to get up when dry. Good luck.



Sailalex@aol.com

[GW Bauer]

Just spent the weekend on this project myself. I've been using cetol on my 27 for the last 6 years. I think you will like its performance. Only disadvantage versus varnish is the pigment -- a brownish color which effectively paints over the natural gold hue of natural finished teak. But, maintenance, once applied properly, is much easier. You must remove all existing varnish. My method is to use a scraper (carefully) followed by 80 grit sandpaper, by hand, and then 120 with a fein multi pro sander (on the sheer rail). Be very careful to mask surrounding gelcoat; cetol stains badly and is hard to remove once dried. Once done properly, you can simply add coats in subsequent seasons, with local repairs of any damaged areas or exposed teak. I am now taking down to bare teak again for the first time in 3 seasons, and it really is a bit of excess / not completely necessary. Tip No. 1: don't rush the prep.



GWBauer3rd@aol.com

[Mike Everett]

I'm preparing s/v Dr. Pepper, also a CD28, for finishing with Armada, which is similar to Cetol but doesn't have the orange pigment.
I'm finding that that the most effective way to remove ALL the old varnish is to use a couple of cabinet scrapers. I've got one with a curved blade and one with a triangular, straight-edged blade. The scraper removes peeled varnish, solid varnish, and weathered spots with ruthless efficiency (even in hard-to-reach corners), leaving bare wood ready for sanding. It's tedious (I'm told a heat gun would help), but the wood looks factory fresh.



everett@megalink.net

[Ryan Turner]

Definately use a heat gun to aid in the removal of your old finish. I recently finished redoing the exterior teak of my CD33. I didn't listen to advice I received early on to use a heat gun. Then I decided to try it and discovered that it made a tremendous difference. The old finish is easier to remove and, consequently, you'll put less chatter marks in the teak from the scrapers. Sanding will be easier and the whole job will turn out better. Don't know about the varnish penetrating the teak but I do know that the heat gun will help you take off anything that's on there. Make sure to get a really good scraper and have a bastard file on hand to resharpen once in awhile.

Ryan Turner
s/v Zenobia
CD33 hull no. 100

I'm using Cetol for the first time on the teak brightwork of a CD-28 I purchased last Fall. The brightwork previously was varnished and I am removing this before the Cetol work. In many places, the varnish has peeled down to the wood, which has weathered to the usual teak grey. Must I strip and sand all the teak to the "weathered level" before finishing with the Cetol? The problem seems to be that the varnish has penetrated the wood and quite a bit of the teak would have to be removed before Cetol. Or will Cetol blend well over teak where varnish has been removed and the grey weathered wood? Advice from Cetol users would be much appreciated. Thanks. Joe Brown, CD-28 "Caprice," Rockport, Maine

rdtec@aol.com