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  1. #1

    Hand rail refinishing / finish repair question

    So 70 percent of the handrails look o.k. I have a section that the varnish or urethane is peeling off on. Just for kicks I brushed on some Teak oil. The sections were the urethane had peeled off and the wood was white turned basically black. I know teak oil is not the solution, but why would it turn black?

    Also, I know on the area were it is badly peeled I will need to sand and re-do, but is there a solution where there is just some spot peeling? can I sand that area and re-urethane it or will it just look like crap?

    Also my bow pulpit is raw teak, and very dark grey in color. I put teak oil on it and got the same black appearance. How do you get a nice brownish orange out of that or is that not possible?

    Thank you, and please pardon my ignorance, first time trying any of this!
    1980 53' Hatteras MY, Hull # 592

    "Moon River" <-- Finally picked a name

  2. #2

    Re: Hand rail refinishing / finish repair question

    For teak to look right oiled it needs a 2 part cleaner which basically strips away the gray layer of wood. Or it can be sanded. It needs to be a nice tan color of raw wood to take the oil (or any finish).
    1966 34c
    1982 46 HP

  3. #3

    Re: Hand rail refinishing / finish repair question

    Teak oil is a lot less long lasting on exterior wood than varnish, especially if it bakes in the sun it will look good for about 16 minutes and if you don't recoat it every few weeks it will turn grey, then black. That's why I hate it. Even if you have new teak you're applying it to, it still won't be long before it turns fugly. The only thing worse is linseed oil, what a mess. It's a pain in the ass but nothing lasts longer than a good spar varnish assuming you're willing to do a light sand and maintenance coat, in Florida that's about every year. Yes it sucks but everything else is worse.

  4. #4

    Re: Hand rail refinishing / finish repair question

    For the pulpit, you can clean the teak with Snappy Nu which is a two part product. If your skin i sensitive wear rubber gloves and shoes. Down side is that it a tough on the teak so it’s the kind of thing you use one a year

    For the rails, you can scrape the old finish with a heat gun and scraper or sand. It’s tough to get good results touching up areas

    Personally I ve tried everything over the last 20 years including varnish, Bristol, cetol etc. i now is Awlwood by Awlgrip. First the clear primer then gloss. Not cheap at $80 a quart but worth it. No sanding between coats till the last couple and last a year in Florida. Then slightly sand and add a few coats.
    Pascal
    Miami, FL
    1970 53 MY #325 Cummins 6CTAs
    2014 26' gaff rigged sloop
    2007 Sandbarhopper 13
    12' Westphal Cat boat

  5. #5

    Re: Hand rail refinishing / finish repair question

    After refinishing I have found the best way to preserve my varnished railings was to have Sunbrella covers made to cover all the wood. Velcro fasteners on the bottom of the rail. Sunbrella seems to shrink a bit with age so add some extra cloth, put the velcro in the center of each rail--don't get close to where the metal stanchions come up and you will then have wiggle room for future adjustments. I also have Sunbrella covers for all my exposed wood, even the unvarnished dock boxes and flybridge seats.

    Essential for my boat in Florida.
    Last edited by Fanfare; 06-28-2022 at 10:37 AM.
    Jim Grove, Fanfare 1966 50MY Hull #22 (Delivered Jan. 7, 1966)

    "LIFE IS JUST ONE DAMNED THING AFTER ANOTHER." Frank Ward O'Malley, Journalist, Playwright 1875-1932

  6. #6

    Re: Hand rail refinishing / finish repair question

    Just had ours professionally refinished...

    1 coat awlgrip awlwood primer
    8 coats awlgrip awlwood top coat
    Attached Images
    1985 61MY #369 / Redonna Gail / N Myrtle Beach SC

  7. #7

    Re: Hand rail refinishing / finish repair question

    Quote Originally Posted by skinners1 View Post
    Just had ours professionally refinished...

    1 coat awlgrip awlwood primer
    8 coats awlgrip awlwood top coat
    That looks really good!

    That's what I have is the Awlwood primer and gloss clearcoat.

    Just started sanding over the weekend.... ugh.
    1980 53' Hatteras MY, Hull # 592

    "Moon River" <-- Finally picked a name

  8. #8

    Re: Hand rail refinishing / finish repair question

    Hand rail update, and more questions.

    So I started sanding the handrail on the port side in front of the aft deck area.
    I it down to bare wood, but there are some areas that have black stain to them, especially at the ends where maybe water intrusion took place.

    It looks like I would have to sand off an excessive amount of wood to get 100% fresh wood. That doesn't sound like a great idea as I don't want these to get funny shaped or any sanding gouges in them.

    So the question is: Is there some kind of cleaner like used on teak to get rid of the black staining and even out the tone of the wood before progressing to prime and clear coat with Awlwood?

    Thanks!
    1980 53' Hatteras MY, Hull # 592

    "Moon River" <-- Finally picked a name

  9. #9

    Re: Hand rail refinishing / finish repair question

    You could snappy nu teak, it’s an aggressive two part treatment
    Pascal
    Miami, FL
    1970 53 MY #325 Cummins 6CTAs
    2014 26' gaff rigged sloop
    2007 Sandbarhopper 13
    12' Westphal Cat boat

  10. #10

    Re: Hand rail refinishing / finish repair question

    Quote Originally Posted by Pascal View Post
    You could snappy nu teak, it’s an aggressive two part treatment
    Yes, after consulting "Google" it sounds like wood deck and other cleaners and brighteners are basically the same as the teak cleaner and brightener. In fact the cleaner (2nd part) is nothing more than oxalic acid which can be bought as powder and mixed for about $3 a gallon.
    I ironically threw out 40 lbs of the stuff after it sitting on my shelf for ten years. ugh.
    So anyways I ordered a gallon of starbright cleaner and a gallon of brightener and 10 lbs of oxalic acid for future use. It sounds like the cleaners are generally one of 3 different kinds of acid. One of which is just plain old bleach. But for now I'll go with the starbright as they have the mixes down right and less chance of me screwing it up.

    As it turns out I believe the oxalic acid is also a good fiberglass deck cleaner that can be mixed up on the cheap, so dual use with that stuff!
    1980 53' Hatteras MY, Hull # 592

    "Moon River" <-- Finally picked a name

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