Minwax Polycrylic

[TortolaTim]

Hey all, I'm in the process of re-oiling the interior teak. I'm using the Watco product and it looks great so far. I've seen Minwax Polycrylic mentioned here a few times as an overcoat to finish the job. What's the purpose of putting it on? Does it add a layer of protection and prolong the life of the teak oil? Does it add a nice gloss? Are there any negatives? I picked up a can at Ace, but haven't opened it yet. Just wanted to see what other opinions are of the stuff. Thanks!

[Noah]

I wouldn't recommend it. Sounds like an unnecessary step and possibly fraught with compatibility issues. Oil is easy to just touch up and add more without sanding. Sealing it with any topcoat defeats that. If you want to go with a poly or varnish don't use teak oil under it. My interior is oiled and exterior is gloss varnish.

[waughoo]

I second that reluctance to go with a polycrylic over the oil.  I would do one or the other.  In addition to Noah's point, once you do a hard finish, sanding and removal play a roll for touch up in the future.

[TortolaTim]

Cool, thanks for the input. I certainly don't need to create any more work for myself!

[KWKloeber]

@Tim

From Minwax:

If the teak oil that was used is a pure teak oil, none of our products would be able to adhere.
If the teak oil has a finish it in, such as a poly, then the surface can be lightly scuffed and either product (Helmsman or Polyacrylic) would work.


**in the past I have applied Minwax Helmsman (helmsperson?) over well aged not recently teak oiled woodwork with no issue.  I have not tried polyacrylic.

[WTunnessen]

I have used Minwax polycrylic over teak oil without any problems. In fact, if you read the label it and says you can apply over oil based coatings.

So why did I use it? I wanted a glossy finish and also one that didn't get dull, dark, and grow mildew/mold. Also, wanted a coating that was easier to clean sunscreen smudges off.

I lightly sanded all the teak and then rubbed in some teak oil in order to get a richer color and hue from the wood.  Then about 24 hours later, I put on 4 coats of polycrylic. The main reason I used the polyacrylic was because it's a water-based coating with almost no fumes. It also dries super fast which is both good and bad. The good part is that I could get a whole bunch of coats done in a day, basically allowing me to refinish the entire main salon in 2 days. 1 day sanding  and teak oil. Day 2 finishing with polycrylic.  Note doors/ drawers where brought home to work on. The downside of polycrylic driving fast is that it's not very forgiving. You have to work fast and requires multiple thin coats. So far it's worked and held up well.  Oil based polyurethane is probably a bit better but I find it's more of hassle to clean brushes, takes longer to cure, and the fumes can be overwhelming when the hatches are closed to prevent dust. Since I want to be sailing not varnishing and have limited project time, it's been a good solution for me. I've posted some pictures in some other posts of my results. See
https://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,9863.msg75270.html#msg75270