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Cetol Natural Teak Finish

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Justin
Admiral

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502 Posts

Initially Posted - 04/30/2008 : 21:16:54

I have spent the past month refinishing my teak in my garage during my free time. When I first bought my C-25 over two years ago, I refinished all the teak with West Marine’s Wood Pro finish. It was supposed to be similar to Sikken’s Cetol and I was happy with the finish at the time. Then last year I had so many projects to complete that I put the teak low on priorities. Once I finally got my late start in the water last season, I just wanted to sail. The Wood Pro was already beginning to peel in spots, so I let it wear away even more so it would be easier to completely redo this year.

Here is how it looked when I removed it this past month:

Close up of a bad crack that I repaired. The previous owner nailed the two pieces together with a small piece of wood on the back.

This time I decided to try Sikken’s Cetol Natural Teak finish. This new "Natural Teak" is supposed to have the lightest tint and provide the closest to natural look you can get with a low maintenance type finish. I never got a chance to see some good photos of the finish, but saw a small sample at West Marine once and heard some people liked it. I thought I would share my photos of my work so everyone can get a good idea on how this finish looks.

My first step to refinishing was to use a finish remover to strip off all the old WoodPro. I was surprised at how well this stuff works. I just brushed a layer on, let it sit for about 15 minutes, then used a stiff brush with a scraper and it came right off. I had to repeat about three times to remove most of it, but it was easier and cleaner than sanding off the old finish. I then sanded everything first with 150 grit and then 220 grit sandpaper. Two years ago I only used sandpaper to remove any old finish which created a much dustier mess compared to using this remover.

Next I wanted to repair some cracks that were on the ends of several pieces. Last time I just put lot of WoodPro in the cracks, but that didn't help. Through the winters, I'm sure water was seeping in the cracks and freezing, causing the cracks to expand slightly. They were not too bad, but this time I wanted to do it properly. I used epoxy, mixed it with some teak dust, and used it like a putty to fill the gaps.

I then sanded down the epoxy the following day. It would be very difficult, probably impossible to get an exact color match, but most importantly it filled the gaps.

I read that to clean teak, you can use TSP cleaner which can be found in a hardware store, mixed with a little water in a spray bottle. I took all my teak to the shower/tub, sprayed the TSP mixture and scrubbed with a soft nylon brush. It removed a lot of dust and dirt. I then followed that up with some teak brightener that the previous owner left on the boat. I read that a cheap household replacement is oxalic acid which can be bought as ZUD sink cleaner. My teak was not really any brighter after using the "brightener", but I used it anyways. I lightly sanded with 220 grit sandpaper to smooth it all out again and wiped it down with a rag dampened with thinner. I then let the teak dry for three days before starting to apply the finish.

Here is all the bare teak ready for the first coat of Cetol:

This is now after three coats of Cetol Natural Teak applied:

Now after two coats of Cetol Clear Gloss are applied:

You can see the epoxy mixed with teak dust doesn't match, but it's better than an open crack.

So, it looks great in my opinion. I just reinstalled all the trim except the hatch boards that I’m still completing since I could only finish one side at a time. I’ll post a photo of it all installed once it’s 100% completed. This time I plan to keep up on the maintenance and put a coat of gloss on each year. Time will tell how well this finish performs over the long term, but for now it sure makes my Catalina look sharp.

Edit 5/6/08:
Here are the hatch boards finally installed:

Justin
Previous Owner of Sapphire Breeze - 1982 Catalina 25 SK/SR
My sail blog site: https://reveriesailing.com/

Edited by - Justin on 05/06/2008 08:05:04

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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4479 Posts

Response Posted - 04/30/2008 : 21:21:58

Nice work Justin, it looks great! I've had good luck with Cetol in the past, hopefully this works out nicely for you.

Good job!

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 04/30/2008 : 21:43:06

Very, very nice, Justin!

I did my major teak overhaul back in 2001 with Cetol too and it still looks great in '08.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 04/30/2008 : 22:12:54

Nice work Justin--your boat is going to sparkle!

Peter Keddie: This is the stuff I referred to in your thread. I stopped short of the gloss coat and stayed with the satin finish--a matter of taste.

If you sand down to fresh wood, I think you can omit the TSP bath and acid brightener--those are for removing the dark mildew and stains that become embedded in the grain when the unfinished wood is exposed to the elements for a while. Sanding will simply take that off. However, the instructions do recommend a wipe-down with acetone just before the first coat, to remove some surface oil.

I've seen Island Packets and Tartans at boat shows with Cetol on the brightwork--they said they did it because their buyers wanted it.

Edited by - on

Voyager
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USA
5318 Posts

Response Posted - 04/30/2008 : 23:10:17

What a nice job - I really like the glossy finish on the crib boards.

Unfortunately, after I was well into my teak refinishing process, I was introduced to the clear Cetol. Too bad, because as nice as my teak looks with the regular stuff, I LOVE the clear Cetol.

I plan on refinishing my tiller this weekend, does the clear finish come in quart cans? The tiller was originally done in polyurethane (which is peeling), so I'd prefer Cetol.

Edited by - on

Justin
Admiral

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502 Posts

Response Posted - 05/01/2008 : 07:19:38

Thanks for the compliments everyone.

Bruce,
The Clear Cetol is only to be used as a clear coat on top of a regular Cetol finish because it does not contain any UV protection. Yes, you can buy both in quart cans. The stuff isn't cheap, West Marine typically sells it for around $35 each quart. Defender is less expensive, but I'm not sure if you want to spend $50-70 on finish for just your tiller unless you plan to redo all your teak.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 05/01/2008 : 07:59:58

...and therein lies the problem with polyurethane (the factory finish on that tiller). However, from my experience, as much as I like Cetol for general brightwork, I can't attest that it is tough enough for a tiller. It's a relatively soft finish, which helps make maintenance easy, and ash (the light layers) is a very hard, closed-grain wood. On the tiller that preceded that one (and cracked), I used spar varnish. Has anybody tried Cetol on a tiller?

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 05/01/2008 08:02:24

aeckhart
Master Marine Consultant

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Response Posted - 05/01/2008 : 12:29:51

Yes. I used Cetol satin four years ago. Still looks great. In fact, since it's covered much of the time it looks much better than my teak trim, which needs to be touched up every other year or so.

Nice job Justin. I went the same route four years ago after years of using teak oil. I like the satin look better than gloss though.

Edited by - on

Deric
Captain

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USA
408 Posts

Response Posted - 05/01/2008 : 20:41:10

I used the Cetol this past winter: first time doing the work. Looks great against the white.
Here is a picture of the woodwork against the cap; I painted the cap with a brush using the Brightside White paint.

and

Edited by - on

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 05/01/2008 : 20:59:55

Beautiful refinishing job! You have inspired me to make a teak re-do my project for this next fall/winter. To protect the work you have just completed, be sure to keep it covered when you are not sailing. The powerboat cover I bought on Ebay and modified with a hole and side zipper for the mast is working great. It's the type with straps to go under a powerboat for trailering. The straps go around my stanchions to help keep it in place. It covers almost the entire cockpit and half of the foredeck.
I use spar varnish on the tiller of my C-22. The C-25 tiller is only 2 years old and I keep it covered when not sailing. Haven't had to treat it yet, still looks brand new.

Edited by - on

Voyager
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Response Posted - 05/01/2008 : 22:37:51

I am definitely going to try the clear coat on the tiller. Do you think I'll have to strip all the poly off, or can I get away with roughing it up and overlaying with Cetol? Do I dare?????

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 05/02/2008 : 09:01:14

Bruce... I don't think you can put Cetol over polyurethane or any other hard finish. Well, you can, but....... As I understand it, Cetol is designed to penetrate the wood and then to be layered on itself, sort of like tung oil, and the gloss coat is intended to go on top of one of the three satins (which are the protective finishes). It will probably peel like cellophane off anything else.

Edited by - on

ilnadi
Captain

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452 Posts

Response Posted - 05/02/2008 : 09:24:29

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Dave Bristle
 Has anybody tried Cetol on a tiller?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Yes, I needed to sand the rudder end so I could epoxy the de-lamination. I sanded the whole thing down to bare wood, clean with teak cleaner, etc. Then I applied Cetol the exact opposite of what they recommend (3 thick layers, no sanding):
1. applied one good coat for penetration
2. sanded is down to smooth (and thin)
3. sanded with very fine sanding pad to mirror shine
4. wipe clean with acetone
5. apply very thin coat
6. repeat steps 3-5 5 more times (seven coats total)

Looks very clean and smooth, probably ended up beign thinner than the 3 coats I put on elsewhere. It feels good to the hand but cannot comment on durability yet only used the tiller once since re-finishing it.

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 05/06/2008 : 10:58:48

Looks like a million bucks, Justin!

Yesterday evening, a fellow sailor, a very friendly 75 year old at my marina, called to say he saw my boat down at the marina and he wanted to know what I used on my teak. He said he's always admired my brightwork (Cetol Satin), and after doing the monthly teak oil routine on his boat, a Cape Dory 25D, with so-so results, he's decided enough's enough.

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Dave Bristle
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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 05/06/2008 : 13:20:31

...and Cape Dories have a lot of teak--the entire rub-rail, for one thing.

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Joltnjoe
Deckhand

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USA
21 Posts

Response Posted - 03/14/2009 : 19:49:24

I purchased an 84 C25 last year My Teak is Gray and looks like it hasnot been treated in a while. When I purchased the boat it had an assortment of Teak cleaners with it. How do I start with this Gray Teak Sand it then apply Sikkens Cetol Marine, and repeat the procedureseveral times?

Edited by - on

Gloss
Master Marine Consultant

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Response Posted - 03/15/2009 : 08:44:06

Hey Justin,
Nice work.
I used Cetol natural on the handrails of my Ericson with great success. this product already has UV inhibitors in it so I didn't finish up with a clear coat. I like the satin finish anyway. Of course it's a matter of taste. I did the job last spring, and it looks grea today. When it warms up I'll put on another coat.
I have been spending so much of my free time Rebuilding my Ericson that I haven't completed the renovation of my 89 Catalina 25 wing. I have to strip off the old Bristol finish crap and then refinish with Cetol Natural. I have some lift time scheduled for late may to put another coat of bottom paint on.
What stripper did you use? The Bristol finish tech folks are really evasive and unhelpful about what stripper to use to remove their product. Using Bristol finish was my worst mistake in restoring three sailboats.

Edited by - on

Justin
Admiral

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502 Posts

Response Posted - 03/15/2009 : 13:32:28

Joe, you'll want to sand off the worn gray teak, then use some teak cleaner, teak brightener, then apply several coats of Cetol. Then probably once a year you will want to reapply one coat. My teak is still looking great one year later since I started this thread. I will probably put another coat of clear on this spring to keep it up.

Frank, looking back I would probably skip the clear coat as well. I like the look of the gloss, but the satin finish looks great as well. My reasoning for skipping the clear is that now I have two different layers of finish. Say I had a badly worn spot that needs more Cetol (protectant, not the clear), then I would have to remove the clear in the surrounding area to apply the Cetol finish. Then reapply the clear over that to match the rest. Having only the Cetol Natural Finish would make follow up coats easier without having to worry about putting the Cetol over the clear. I wish I thought of this before I used the clear finish. I don't remember which stripper I used, but it was just an ordinary paint stripper I found in the painting supplies of Walmart. It worked great, causing the old finish to bubble up and be brushed/scraped off.

Edited by - on

OLarryR
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USA
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Response Posted - 03/15/2009 : 14:24:39

Justin,

I guess you have rekindled your sailing spirit for this year ? Is that a fair assessment ?

Nice work !

Edited by - on

Turk
Admiral

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USA
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Response Posted - 03/15/2009 : 18:17:18

I have used cetol marine and cetol gloss on my tiller over the last 4 years. I took mine down to the wood this year and started over with 5 coats of cetol marine and 5 coats of gloss. Just beautiful! Do not sand between coats and apply all coats within 10 days. Each coat becomes thinner and thinner.

BIG TIP!

Use foam brushes with cetol. Cetol has a real problem with brushes. The brushes produce tiny bubbles that will not come out. The foam works perfectly.

Picts are up at my website (link below). Have a look!

Edited by - Turk on 03/15/2009 19:22:18

bren737
Captain

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Response Posted - 03/15/2009 : 19:45:29

Justin,

Ditto the clear coat. . . I'm in the process of stripping my cap rails now. I put on four coats of Cetol Natural and two coats of the clear. I sort of preferred it with just the Natural, the clear is almost too shiny and the touch-ups to come will be more complicated.

I stripped the old 'orange' Cetol off using CitrusStrip (Lowes/Home Depot)with good success. You have to tape off the wood as it will stain your gelcoat but it works great, and being a gel, holds to vertical surfaces well. Gives you several hours to scrape, too. After the stripping, I wiped with mineral spirits and started the Cetol coats.

Here's the cap rails before the clear coat went on. The bottom left rail hasn't been stripped, yet:

Edited by - on

Joltnjoe
Deckhand

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Response Posted - 03/18/2009 : 19:58:50

Thank You for all the Great TIPS

Edited by - on

Prospector
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Response Posted - 03/19/2009 : 09:02:59

Justin,

I may be a little thick, but your thread was the first place I saw to use stiff brushes to remove the old finish. Switched last night from steel wool to a scrubrush - what a difference!! Thanks!

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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Response Posted - 03/19/2009 : 22:38:13

Steel wool is not recommended for working on a boat. Since it is made of iron and it flakes off into the wood, when it rusts you will see rust stains on the wood. Many people use bronze wool, fine sandpaper or 3M scrunge pads instead of steel wool.

Edited by - on

Old Disco Queen
1st Mate

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USA
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Response Posted - 03/21/2009 : 18:23:16

I finished the Cetol finish this winter...and it is GREAT! (sorry no pics). Rather than go about it with all that teak cleaner, I used regular wood stripper and took off everything. then a good sanding and then 3 coats. Used less than a quart of the Cetol (I used the medium color and it looks fantastic). It then wintered over under snow and ice and snow, and still looks great! Can't beat it. On my previous sailboat, i used teak oil...and was very sorry I didn't know about Cetol. Great Job! She looks terrific!

Stephen

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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Response Posted - 03/21/2009 : 22:22:09

Here are some photos of my combination of Deks Oljies under Sikkens Cetol. Looks great

This is the BEFORE photo

Note the teak surrounding the companionway. You can also see the poptop with the gas pistons. Great addition [thanks Dave!]

And here is the AFTER

The wires are temp cables for my solar panels.

Edited by - on

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