Alternatives to Teak Deck Oils

[brian eiland]

I actually have not had the occasion to have to have teak decks, and their upkeep, in a long time. So I am unaware of their maintence issues/materials in this modern day.

But I was thinking back to a significant number of years ago when an old captain on a nice Trumpy classic motoryacht told me of his method of upkeep. I can only remember he telling me that he did NOT utilize those expensive olis that were sold thru the marine stores,...but rather he utilized some 'blend' of automotive oils. I think one of them was some sort of transmission fluid?

Any old captains out there with some knowledge of such??

 

[JSL]

Why not leave it bare.
Why coat it with something that makes it slippery when wet, sticky & hot in the sun, ads to the cost, and sucks up man-hours in maintenance.

 

[PAR]

Most of these "home brews" don't work well, particularly if using heavy refined petroleum products. The best thing you can do is keep putting the natural wood oils, that get boiled off by UV back in, which is what the "fancy" teak oils actually do. If you have a little chemical understanding, it's pretty easy to figure out what they use, by a good look at the MSDS. A good oil doesn't leave a sticky deck, but cures, sealing down the underlying oils. Of course, these oil based clear coatings are the least effective, but if you want the benefits of teak (underfoot traction), then the wood has to remain porous.

 

[michael pierzga]

Ive been using either Teak Wonder or Semco sealer for decades. They work fine. I dont know what thier secret ingredients are...its not oil. The smell of teak wonder is simmilar to the sealer that you use on house siding or house decks . Teak sealers last about 8 weeks between applications. Shorter or longer depending on use. Salt and sun are hard on teaks.

You should stay away from teak oils or and oils. They build up over time and make your deck dark colour and very hot in the sun.

This deck is teak wonder. 22 years old, 300 thousand miles.

image ru

 

[brian eiland]

Ive been using either Teak Wonder or Semco sealer for decades. They work fine. I don't know what their secret ingredients are...its not oil. The smell of teak wonder is simmilar to the sealer that you use on house siding or house decks . Teak sealers last about 8 weeks between applications. Shorter or longer depending on use. Salt and sun are hard on teaks.

This deck is teak wonder. 22 years old, 300 thousand miles.

Good recommendation, thank you.
How often do you do your decks to remain in that condition?

 

[michael pierzga]

6 to 8 weeks.... a hose off with fresh water. And a gentle scrub to remove bird poop and dried up sardines...then a new coat of sealer

Every two or three years I get down on my hands and knees and give it a real scrubbing with a brush and scotchbright to remove sealer buildup and various stains.

It would be worth investigating what house siding sealer is ? Teak wonder smells just like

house sealer that you might use on cedar siding or exterior pine decking

Teak wonder has a teak colour pigment..goldn brown . semco has several products...one is perfectly clear , others have pigments.

R

 

[PAR]

The smell being similar is understandable if you know what's in it, which is a mineral spirit substitute, typically a dearotomised solvent (paraffinic hydrocarbons). Yeah, it's an oil, though highly refined. They put quite a bit of "stuff" in these products, including driers, so the surface doesn't remain sticky. They don't last long, because it's mostly solvents and some inhibitors, which break down quickly.