A few months ago, I refinished an old Teak picnic table I picked up
for a bargain. The previous owners had put all sorts of finishing
agents on it, and it looked pretty splotchy and bad. So I got a
vibrating sander and took it down to the bare wood.
I know that teak weathers out to a nice silver patina, but I really
prefer that golden 'hardwood floor' look of varnished wood, so I got a
quart of marine varnish and did some internet research.
Most of the sites I found were about refinishing boat decks, and they
mentioned things like putting on 10 or 12 coats, and how even that
required refinishing every few years. That seemed excessive to me, so
I figured it had something to do with the rigors of salt water and
spray, and probably wouldn't affect my table on the back deck.
So I put one coat on the tabletop, which made a huge improvement (of
course), and then a second coat, which made a bit more of an
improvement. But the third coat barely made any change at all, so I
stopped after three coats.
For about six or eight weeks, it looked great and all the neighborhood
wives oohed and ahhed, but then little 'bare spots' started showing
up. Over time, they grew and increased until now when about 20% of the
table has exposed patches that are showing that silver teak patina
instead of the golden brown finish. So today I had to restrip the
table and start over.
My question: where does the varnish go? Why does something require
10-12 coats to last? I surmise that it might be one of these things:
a) varnish actually evaporates over time
b) the wood soaks up the varnish from below
c) its so thin that each coat doesn't really cover the wood
adequately, so you need a lot of coats to get a good protective layer
d) varnish breaks down in sunlight and decomposes
Can anyone tell me more about this? Is it acceptable to just keep
adding layers over the top before the bare spots show up?
Thanks.
--riverman
On Apr 30, 8:49 pm, Lew Hodgett <[email protected]> wrote:
> riverman wrote:
>
> > A few months ago, I refinished an old Teak picnic table I picked up
> > for a bargain.
> <snip>
>
> If it is really teak, it's oily.
>
> After a while, the varnish loses it's grip due to the internal oils in
> the teak.
>
> You can put a 100 coats on and still lose.
>
> PLAN; A
>
> Only thing I know that works, is to wipe down the teak with acetone,
> then apply a coat of epoxy TOTALLY encapsulating the teak.
>
> Allow to dry for 24 hours, then lightly sand and apply another coat of
> epoxy.
>
> Repeat daily unit you have 4-6 coats of epoxy, then allow to cure for
> about 10 days, then lightly sand and start applying coats of varnish
> that contains UV inhibitors on a one coat a day basis, sanding lightly
> between coats.
>
> About 6-8 coats should do it.
>
> Keep a nail polish bottle full of varnish and a ScotchBrite pad handy
> to repair scratches immediately.
>
> Be totally paranoid about protecting tho table when ever anybody comes
> around.
>
> PLAN: B
>
> Screw it, let it go silver and enjoy life.
>
> Have fun.
>
> SFWIW, building a boat with NO external teak or any other wood for
> that matter.
>
> Lew
Plan B for me... Tom
On May 2, 10:06 am, Peter Huebner <[email protected]> wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>, removespamlcb11211
> @swbell.net says...
>
>
>
> > Apparently windshields have some type of filter and or indirect light does
> > not affect the finish. Some automatic tenting prescription glasses will not
> > darken behind a windshield.
>
> Glass does cut a great deal of UV out of direct sunlight. Alas, not all of it.
> The jarrah inlay in my kitchen table has faded from purple to pale brown :-(
Auto safety glass is a glass-plastic-glass sandwich. The glass
doesn't
block the UV, the plastic core does. Printers who use UV exposure
lamps
use glass plate holders, never plastic.
"Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "dadiOH" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:oUEZh.3980$IJ3.412@trnddc07...
>>>
>> It's called "weathering". And yes, it is primarily the result of
>> sunlight...no sun no (or little) weathering. I made a teak dash board
>> for my car in 1992, varnished it and have done nothing since. Still
>> pristine.
>
>
> Apparently windshields have some type of filter and or indirect light does
> not affect the finish. Some automatic tenting prescription glasses will
> not darken behind a windshield.
>
Yup ...something to do with UV blocking so I've been told.
Jim
In article <[email protected]>, removespamlcb11211
@swbell.net says...
>
> Apparently windshields have some type of filter and or indirect light does
> not affect the finish. Some automatic tenting prescription glasses will not
> darken behind a windshield.
>
Glass does cut a great deal of UV out of direct sunlight. Alas, not all of it.
The jarrah inlay in my kitchen table has faded from purple to pale brown :-(
-P.
--
=========================================
firstname dot lastname at gmail fullstop com
riverman wrote:
> A few months ago, I refinished an old Teak picnic table I picked up
> for a bargain.
<snip>
If it is really teak, it's oily.
After a while, the varnish loses it's grip due to the internal oils in
the teak.
You can put a 100 coats on and still lose.
PLAN; A
Only thing I know that works, is to wipe down the teak with acetone,
then apply a coat of epoxy TOTALLY encapsulating the teak.
Allow to dry for 24 hours, then lightly sand and apply another coat of
epoxy.
Repeat daily unit you have 4-6 coats of epoxy, then allow to cure for
about 10 days, then lightly sand and start applying coats of varnish
that contains UV inhibitors on a one coat a day basis, sanding lightly
between coats.
About 6-8 coats should do it.
Keep a nail polish bottle full of varnish and a ScotchBrite pad handy
to repair scratches immediately.
Be totally paranoid about protecting tho table when ever anybody comes
around.
PLAN: B
Screw it, let it go silver and enjoy life.
Have fun.
SFWIW, building a boat with NO external teak or any other wood for
that matter.
Lew
"Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Leon wrote:
>> Oddly, insects like the stuff. I built a porch swing out of white Oak,
>> put Spar Varnish on it and "Wasps" devoured the finish.
>
>
> So what was your solution?
>
> Lew
This was actually for a customer. I told them I did not guarantee the
finish against mother natures creatures.
Very strange, they would eat the finish completely off in one spot and
expand that spot. It took about 1 year for the finish to be completely
removed.
Since the finish was on a bench they chose to not spray repellents to defend
the bench.
No solution. But like any outdoor clear finish, it should have been
reapplied every few years although this finish was not lasting that long.
On Sun, 06 May 2007 16:57:24 GMT, Gerry Wolfe <[email protected]>
wrote:
>
>I used to have a fresh-water sailboat with teak trim.
>
>Varnish is for masochists. If you want to spend all your time at the
>dock refinishing, go for it.
>
>The rest of us used a product called Cetol (Sikkens is the
>manufacturer AFAIK). Sand the wood down to remove the old stuff, put
>on a couple of coats of Cetol over a day or so. Another coat every
>six months will work just fine. There is an "exterior" version and a
>"marine" version. I think the main difference was the marine version
>lasted twice as long and cost three times as much...
>
>Just my $0.02Cdn...
>rgds, g.
I second that. I use Cetol on a pair of benches outside 24/7/365. I
do have to refinish, but after 3 or more years. It's great stuff.
It's also expensive stuff.
"dadiOH" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:oUEZh.3980$IJ3.412@trnddc07...
>>
> It's called "weathering". And yes, it is primarily the result of
> sunlight...no sun no (or little) weathering. I made a teak dash board
> for my car in 1992, varnished it and have done nothing since. Still
> pristine.
Apparently windshields have some type of filter and or indirect light does
not affect the finish. Some automatic tenting prescription glasses will not
darken behind a windshield.
On 30 Apr 2007 20:30:31 -0700, riverman <[email protected]> wrote:
>A few months ago, I refinished an old Teak picnic table I picked up
>for a bargain. The previous owners had put all sorts of finishing
>agents on it, and it looked pretty splotchy and bad. So I got a
>vibrating sander and took it down to the bare wood.
>
>I know that teak weathers out to a nice silver patina, but I really
>prefer that golden 'hardwood floor' look of varnished wood, so I got a
>quart of marine varnish and did some internet research.
>
>Most of the sites I found were about refinishing boat decks, and they
>mentioned things like putting on 10 or 12 coats, and how even that
>required refinishing every few years. That seemed excessive to me, so
>I figured it had something to do with the rigors of salt water and
>spray, and probably wouldn't affect my table on the back deck.
>
>So I put one coat on the tabletop, which made a huge improvement (of
>course), and then a second coat, which made a bit more of an
>improvement. But the third coat barely made any change at all, so I
>stopped after three coats.
>
>For about six or eight weeks, it looked great and all the neighborhood
>wives oohed and ahhed, but then little 'bare spots' started showing
>up. Over time, they grew and increased until now when about 20% of the
>table has exposed patches that are showing that silver teak patina
>instead of the golden brown finish. So today I had to restrip the
>table and start over.
>
>My question: where does the varnish go? Why does something require
>10-12 coats to last? I surmise that it might be one of these things:
>a) varnish actually evaporates over time
>b) the wood soaks up the varnish from below
>c) its so thin that each coat doesn't really cover the wood
>adequately, so you need a lot of coats to get a good protective layer
>d) varnish breaks down in sunlight and decomposes
>
>Can anyone tell me more about this? Is it acceptable to just keep
>adding layers over the top before the bare spots show up?
>
>Thanks.
>--riverman
I used to have a fresh-water sailboat with teak trim.
Varnish is for masochists. If you want to spend all your time at the
dock refinishing, go for it.
The rest of us used a product called Cetol (Sikkens is the
manufacturer AFAIK). Sand the wood down to remove the old stuff, put
on a couple of coats of Cetol over a day or so. Another coat every
six months will work just fine. There is an "exterior" version and a
"marine" version. I think the main difference was the marine version
lasted twice as long and cost three times as much...
Just my $0.02Cdn...
rgds, g.
riverman wrote:
> A few months ago, I refinished an old Teak picnic table I picked up
> for a bargain. The previous owners had put all sorts of finishing
> agents on it, and it looked pretty splotchy and bad. So I got a
> vibrating sander and took it down to the bare wood.
>
> I know that teak weathers out to a nice silver patina, but I really
> prefer that golden 'hardwood floor' look of varnished wood, so I
> got a quart of marine varnish and did some internet research.
>
> Most of the sites I found were about refinishing boat decks, and
> they mentioned things like putting on 10 or 12 coats, and how even
> that required refinishing every few years. That seemed excessive to
> me, so I figured it had something to do with the rigors of salt
> water and spray, and probably wouldn't affect my table on the back
> deck.
>
> So I put one coat on the tabletop, which made a huge improvement (of
> course), and then a second coat, which made a bit more of an
> improvement. But the third coat barely made any change at all, so I
> stopped after three coats.
>
> For about six or eight weeks, it looked great and all the
> neighborhood wives oohed and ahhed, but then little 'bare spots'
> started showing up. Over time, they grew and increased until now
> when about 20% of the table has exposed patches that are showing
> that silver teak patina instead of the golden brown finish. So
> today I had to restrip the table and start over.
>
> My question: where does the varnish go? Why does something require
> 10-12 coats to last? I surmise that it might be one of these things:
> a) varnish actually evaporates over time
> b) the wood soaks up the varnish from below
> c) its so thin that each coat doesn't really cover the wood
> adequately, so you need a lot of coats to get a good protective
> layer d) varnish breaks down in sunlight and decomposes
It's called "weathering". And yes, it is primarily the result of
sunlight...no sun no (or little) weathering. I made a teak dash board
for my car in 1992, varnished it and have done nothing since. Still
pristine.
_______________
> Can anyone tell me more about this? Is it acceptable to just keep
> adding layers over the top before the bare spots show up?
That's the normal method. You need to sand before applying new to
remove the oxidized layer.
--
dadiOH
____________________________
dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico
"Peter Huebner" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> removespamlcb11211
> @swbell.net says...
>>
>> Apparently windshields have some type of filter and or indirect light
>> does
>> not affect the finish. Some automatic tenting prescription glasses will
>> not
>> darken behind a windshield.
>>
>
> Glass does cut a great deal of UV out of direct sunlight. Alas, not all of
> it.
> The jarrah inlay in my kitchen table has faded from purple to pale brown
> :-(
The angle and thickness may have a lot to do with it also. Sunlight through
a windshield is not as much of a constant as a window glass in a house.