Replies

1. 
   Dinosaur | May 25, 2008 05:43am | #1

   You should only treat a teak deck with teak oil. (NOT 'tung' oil, which isn't the same sort of thing at all, but you'd be surprised how many people confuse the two.)

   Teak is a naturally oily tropical hardwood. It stands up to water and sun so well that it became the wood to use for ship's decks. It also has the particular quality of not being slippery (or 'as slippery' as other woods) when wet, which is a nice feature for a deck one can assume will be wet a lot of the time.

   If you can't get teak oil at your local paint supplier, you can find it from a number of suppliers on the net. Run it through Google. It's not cheap, but it's the only thing to use on teak. If your client can afford to have the deck make of teak in the first place, he can afford the teak oil to revitalise it.

   Figure on flooding it with the oil when it's nice and warm, and letting it soak in for a while. If it soaks up everything you pour on, add more until it stops soaking in. Then wipe down, let dry some, and buff with a floor polisher.

   If the deck's been neglected and is badly dried out, it'd be a good idea if you went back after a week or two and repeated the oiling process. The rule for oil finishes on furniture is:

   Once a day for a week
   Once a week for a month
   Once a month for a year
   Once a year for life.

   For a deck, you can ease off on that some as you're not looking for the really deep luster finish you want on furniture. But giving the wood a chance to soak up what you've fed it before you try to add more is still a good idea. Buffing the deck will avoid any issues with residual surface stickiness collecting bugs and dirt.

   Explain to the homeowner that if he maintains it on an annual basis, the deck will drink up much less oil each time and last longer.

   Dinosaur

   How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not brought
   low by this? For thine evil pales before that which
   foolish men call Justice....
   

   

2. 
   Pelipeth | May 25, 2008 01:35pm | #2

   Go to a local Marina and see what they recommend as the latest and greatest. Minwax must make something, and as in another post be sure it's for teak.

3. 
   DougU | May 25, 2008 04:12pm | #3

   Do not use anything Minwax makes for this unless its truly Teak Oil, and it'd be doubtful that Minwax would have teak oil,  it'd be some cheap azzed imitation!

   Do what Dino says. I agree that you don't have to apply as much as if it were a fine piece of furniture but let it soak up as much oil as it can handle.

   Doug