While it's hard to argue with the head-turning good looks of beautifully varnished teak, many boaters choose to protect their teak with oil instead. There are a couple reasons for this. First, as opposed to the glossy good looks of varnish, many owners prefer the understated, natural look of oil. Second, and more importantly, oil is much easier to apply compared to varnish, which if done correctly, requires six or more coats—with sanding required between coats—which can keep your boat tied up at the dock for a week or more. Compared to the laborious process of varnishing, choosing to oil your teak instead can have you back on the water in as little as a day.
What is teak oil?
West Marine Premium Golden Teak Oil enjoys excellent customer reviews, with a rating of 4.9 out of five stars.
Teak oil is typically a blend of natural oils, such as linseed oil or tung oil that is formulated to penetrate, protect and bring out the natural beauty of teak wood. Teak oil formulas combine these oils with other ingredients, such as solvents, UV inhibitors, and drying agents, to enhance their performance and durability. Teak oil is thin and easily absorbed into the wood, and it can be applied with a brush, rag, or for covering large areas, a spray bottle. It is designed to penetrate the wood and enhance its natural beauty, while providing some protection against water and moisture.
Teak Oils Available at West Marine
West Marine (as of May of 2023) sells teak oil under the Starbrite, Amazon, Whitecap and West Marine labels. All are very similar in terms of their application and in their ability to penetrate, protect and enhance the natural beauty of teak. The similarity of these products is underscored by their labeling, which refers to all of them as “Golden Teak Oil”. So which oil should you choose for your boat? While our own West Marine brand of teak oil offers excellent performance, we don’t think you will be disappointed with any of them.
How to Clean, Oil and Maintain
Your Teak
For heavily soiled teak, choose a two-part teak cleaner like what you see here.
If you have made the decision to finish your teak with oil, here is a list of materials you will need to complete the job:
- Teak oil
- One- or two-part teak cleaner
- Garden hose with nozzle
- Masking tape
- Sandpaper (required grit varies)
- Clean white cloth rags
- Foam or conventional paint brush
- Nitrile gloves
- Mineral spirits (for cleaning tools and wiping up runs or spills)
- Protective eyewear and a paper face mask (recommended for safety)
The following steps cover what is required to complete a typical teak oil refinishing project.
1. Clean the teak: For lightly soiled teak, start by using a one-step teak cleaner, such as one by Star brite or West Marine. For moderately or heavily soiled teak, more aggressive two-part teak cleaners work better and can save you a lot of time. In either case, begin the process by thoroughly wetting down the teak and then follow the manufacturer’s directions for the cleaner, using a soft-bristled scrub brush and being as gentle as possible. Take care to scrub as much as possible across the grain rather than with the grain. This is important because while the grain of teak is quite hard, the pulpy material between the grain is quite soft; and it can be easily gouged out by heavy scrubbing pads or brushes with bristles that are overly stiff. Caution: When using one- or two-step teak cleaners, immediately rinse away any runoff which can damage metal fittings.
For masking off around teak to be oiled or varnished, 3M Blue Painter's Tape is a popular choice.
2. Sand the teak: After you have cleaned and thoroughly rinsed your teak and allowed it to dry, sanding is usually required. But before you sand your teak, best practice requires that you mask off the edges of the gelcoat around the teak. This is so you won’t mar the gelcoat when sanding. For teak handrails, cockpit combings, companionway bin boards and other teak you can start with 60 or 80 grit and work your way up to 120 grit. Depending on what you are sanding, using a palm sander (or a dual-action sander for large flat areas) and then following up with hand sanding can save you a lot of time.
3. To mask or not to mask? At this point you are almost at the fun part! But first you will need to decide if you will re-mask around your teak. While masking off around the teak to be finished is common, it is not always 100 percent effective, particularly around teak handrails that are mounted on top of molded in nonskid where the raised texture of the nonskid can lead to the oil running under the tape—resulting in a mess. Whether you choose to mask or not, be sure to keep a clean rag and some mineral spirits on hand to quickly wipe up any drips.
When used to apply teak oil, foam paint brushes tend to drip less than conventional paint brushes.
4. Apply the oil: Before applying the oil, lightly wipe down the teak with a tack cloth. Next, pour a small amount of teak oil into a clean, dry container. Then, dip a brush (foam brushes give you the most control) into the oil and apply it to the surface of the wood, working in the direction of the grain. Apply the oil evenly, making sure to cover the entire surface and watch how the oil immediately brings out the beauty of the grain.
5. Follow up with additional coats: Let the first coat of oil soak into the wood and follow up with additional coats of oil until the wood is saturated and won’t accept any more. This usually happens on the third coat.
6. Wipe off the excess: After the last coat of oil has soaked in, use a clean, dry cloth to wipe off any excess oil. Make sure to wipe in the direction of the grain to avoid leaving streaks or marks.
7. Let it dry: Allow the teak oil to dry completely before using the boat. This may take several hours, depending on the temperature and humidity.
8. Step back: And enjoy the complements!
Periodic Maintenance
Regularly maintain your teak wood finish by applying teak oil every 3 to 9 months, depending on the level of exposure to the elements. This will help protect the wood from moisture and prevent it from drying out or cracking.