Teak Oil Blues

Use Penofin for Beautiful Teak

After peeling off what seemed like miles of potato chipped varnish with a heat gun I promised myself I would never varnish again. After trying many different types of teak oil, I found Penofin Marine to be the best teak oil on the market. It actually has a rose wood oil base with a bit of wax which creates a long lasting, wet sandable finish.

Yes, there's no doubt it takes a lot of work. Between the annual cleaning, light sanding, emulsifying and oiling it might not save you time over varnishing, but to me the look of hand rubbed teak is worth it over the long term.

Here's my yearly maintenence scheme:

Winter: Around December the boat is looking a bit green so I usually try to wash the boat once every winter. I've discovered that a couple ounces of bleach mixed in with the boat soap kills the algae on the deck and when applied to the teak, can also slow the growth there as well.

Spring: I start with a good soap and water cleaning. I then apply oxcalic acid on a 3M pad to spread the granuals out over the teak. Use plenty of heavy duty rubber gloves. Let the oxcalic acid sit for 5-10 minutes, and re-wet with a fine spray if it starts to dry out too quickly. Then work the emulsified acid with the 3M pad rinsing often. The 3M pads do a great job of working the acid or a medium bronze wool works just as well. Rub and rinse, rinse and rub. Cleaning all the teak can take about 3 hours.

Oxalic acid is also great for removing rust and stains on the deck and hull.

Once clean and dry and warmer than 45 degrees, simply apply the Penofin with a nap-free cloth for a flat matte finish. Multiple coats may be wet-sanded with 400 to 600 grit wet dry sandpaper. Sand with the grain and keep the area wet to build a self-filling, hand-rubbed finish. Due to its unique penetrating abilities, any area that is scratched or stained may be repaired using the wetsanding method.

I may be more sensitive than most but can get a headache if I breathe too much of this stuff so use a respirator or keep yourself upwind.

Penofin's Marine Oil is non-yellowing, non-darkening and fast drying. No more sanding, scraping or stripping. Eliminates the cause of cracking and peeling. Best of all, no more varnishing.

• 550 VOC
• Two-coat application
• 99% UV protection via transoxide pigments
• Added high-grade mildewcide
• For use where wood is exposed to harsh conditions
• Translucent Natural