Best coating for original wood handrails

[Hawk]

I refinished my teak with Signature Honey Teak two part. A bit more mixing is required but it looks like varnish and holds up well. You can give it a quick overcoat each year for the UV and seems to to work well.
I don't like the the orange blah look to Cetol but each to his own.

Hawk

[Clay Greene]

I've heard that "orange" comment about Cetol from many people and I don't think it is correct as it relates to the Marine Natural Teak product, which I think matches up exceptionally well with the good varnish jobs I have seen. Everyone is entitled to their preference, of course, but I don't think the Cetol products are all the same.

[mregan]

I think the new Cetol has better UV inhibitors so it doesn't turn the orange color anymore.

[Clay Greene]

Attached are a couple of photos of our brightwork before I added the Cetol Gloss top-coating.  This may give you an idea of the color you will get from the Cetol Marine Natural Teak. 

[dc600]

Sand with 80 grit, finish with 120
Epifanes Woodfinish Gloss 8 coats ( no sanding between coats required)
Finish with Epifanes ClearvGloss
1 coat in spring and 1 in fall to maintain
Use Sunbrella covers whenever possible
Get Rebecca Wittman's the Brightwork Companion

[Clay Greene]

I love that everyone thinks that their method/product is the best, which is as it should be.  The opposite is the boat owner who doesn't care, which is as it too often is. 

[Indian Falls]

I use Cetol Marine, translucent.  No color is stated on the can but it has that fresh ground cinnamon color.
I don't sand. I use Utility razor blades as a scraper, way faster than sanding and no dust, just fine shavings.
A used  blade is better than a new one in that it's not quite so sharp.  But the new ones don't stay sharp for long. Also:  Cetol clogs sandpaper in seconds.
Dont forget to bleach the teak before application of the Cetol or the black fungus will continue to grow under the finish.

I was sitting on the cabin top with a beer in one hand and a razor blade in the other on a nice day underway for about 4 hours... spent an hour or two scraping the old Cetol off.  It only takes about 2-3 blades to do both rails on the cabin top.

Not saying this is the best way or the right way but the results speak for themselves.

Good luck!

[TonyP]

Advice I was given years ago for canvas is that bleach does NOT kill the fungus, only takes away any colour. High concentrate saltwater will kill the fungus and then brush away when dry. Maybe would work on the teak too?

Tony

[RobertSchuldenfrei]

Tomorrow I will post a picture of the finished motor mount after Cetol.  I have been posting high resolution pictures by referencing the images on my website.  I want to try using a low-res picture directly attached to this post.  Bob

The second picture is the "after."  The glare is really the reflection of a shiny surface.  I am very pleased with the result of Cetol.  Once I have removed all of the old varnish from the handrails I will Cetol that too.  Doing a careful finish removal is a slow job.  It may take me a few weeks to get this job done.