Treatment for Teak Swim Platform

The Dog House · Post by **The Dog House** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 4:48 pm

My teak swim platform is a bit weathered. What would be a good wood treatment that would not be slippery when wet? A lot of the typical wood treatments are not really suitable for a swim platform.

captainmaniac · Post by **captainmaniac** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 7:28 pm

I use Cetol. There is 'regular' (that has some tint to it), 'light' (that has no tint) that are both safe for surfaces under foot. There is also a Cetol Gloss that can be applied over top of a Cetol finish, but Gloss is not good for platforms as it does get slippery when wet.

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jefflaw35 · Post by **jefflaw35** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 8:01 pm

WOW what a pretty swim deck Capt!!! very nice!

The Dog House · Post by **The Dog House** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 9:43 pm

If Cetol can make my swim platform look like that, count me in! Your swim platform is beautiful. Mine is very weathered (see avatar), and my goal is to get it looking like yours.

captainmaniac · Post by **captainmaniac** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 10:24 pm

Give it a good cleaning (strip first if needed), then a bit of a sanding.

Depending on how weathered or rough it is it might take just a light sanding, or a bit more effort. When I restore my platform I used a 9" random orbital sander with 120 grit. If yours is a mess you might start with something more coarse to get the worst off, then go 120 or 150 to smooth it out.

I actually took mine apart and took it home in pieces so I could sand and properly Cetol all sides ... for you, getting into those slots is going to be the painful part (use a small piece of 1x2 as a sanding block with 120 grit on it).

First coat will sink in a lot, as the wood sucks it up. Second coat will start to seal and sit on the surface in spots, while still absorbing in others. Third coat will pretty much sit on top and seal. Fourth coat is a solid seal. Go for 5 if you wanna really hedge your bets. Best of all - no sanding between coats. Just wipe down to remove any dust or dirt that may be sitting there, and splash the next coat on.

4 coats Cetol will probably look good for 3-4 years before you need a maintenance coat. Quick hand sanding or really quick pass with fine 150+ grit paper on a random orbital finishing sander, then splash it on (after removing dust, of course).

I first did mine about 10-12 years ago. I think I have applied 1 or 2 mtce coats twice since then, about 4 years apart. What you see in the pic is 2 or 3 years old. I am in fresh water (Lake Ontario) vs salt, but climate and sun are probably pretty similar between where you and I are.

The regular Cetol (with pigment) helps hide blemishes and colour differences in the wood. The pigment in it makes everything a uniform colour. Some people think it looks orange-ish and don't like it for that reason. I don't have a problem with it, and lots of people stop me to ask what I used, so it can't be that bad!

Cetol Light (without the pigment) lets more of the original wood colour and grain show through. With it you end up with a lighter colour result, but any inconsistent sanding or prep, or staining in the wood that you don't get out in your prep, will show through.

Here are links to my 'wood finishes' gallery:
Wood Finish examples (part 1)
https://www.trojanboats.net/wforum/view ... f=1&t=3206

Wood Finish examples (part 2)
https://www.trojanboats.net/wforum/view ... =1&t=12738

The pulpit picture gives you better idea of Cetol light colouring and how grain etc shows through. This is Gloss - which is colourless and just adds shine - over Cetol Light, applied to teak. You DON'T want Gloss on your platform... too slippery.

The speaker and VHF box on the bridge are regular Cetol over oak, while the drink holder and board the VHF box is attached to (and holds my stereo) is regular Cetol over teak. You will notice that the regular Cetol 'hides' the natural differences between the teak and oak - that's an example of how it can hide blemishes.

Regardless of what you choose - good luck, and glad that you know you need to find something that is not slippery when wet!

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 10:51 pm

Captainmaniac is right on the money. I did mine the same way and find that it requires maintenance every 3-4 years. It was time for maintenance last year so I took the opportunity to also powrercoat the aluminum castings in gloss white.

captainmaniac · Post by **captainmaniac** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 11:06 pm

Not to hijack... but hey Paul - have you ever had to repair the cast aluminum pieces? Where the bolts go through for the 2x2s (at the aft end), there is a 'tab' on each side. For a couple of my supports, a 'tab' has snapped off at the bolt hole. I used alumiweld or something like that (that 2 part epoxy putty that you can get for glass, aluminum, steel, etc...) to fab a new tab for a temp fix about 4 years ago and still holding, but not sure about how best to permanently fix...

randyp · Post by **randyp** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 10:01 am

Cetol is the winner. Used the light one time and the last time I used the natural, which does not have an orange tint to it. Sand it down, cetol it and just relax for a couple-three years. I have touched mine up in the last 4 years without any need to redo the whole thing. I mixed in some anti-skid powder with the final coat because it can get slippery when wet.

jhalb · Post by **jhalb** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 2:09 pm

I use Silkens Cetol Marine Light.

gettaway · Post by **gettaway** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 3:42 pm

cetol for me too

rickalan35 · Post by **rickalan35** » Sat Jun 09, 2012 7:00 am

,

Regular Cetol on my Tri

Rick

RWS · Post by **RWS** » Sat Jun 09, 2012 7:20 am

jhalb wrote:I use Silkens Cetol Marine Light.

=================================

John,

could you snap a close up photo of the ladder support you have on the edge of your swim platform?

That would be a definate improvement to what I presently have (rubber bumpers)

THANKS !

RWS

jhalb · Post by **jhalb** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 9:06 am

Not a great pic. They are held on by 2 screws each from the bottom.

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 6:52 pm

captainmaniac wrote:Not to hijack... but hey Paul - have you ever had to repair the cast aluminum pieces? Where the bolts go through for the 2x2s (at the aft end), there is a 'tab' on each side. For a couple of my supports, a 'tab' has snapped off at the bolt hole. I used alumiweld or something like that (that 2 part epoxy putty that you can get for glass, aluminum, steel, etc...) to fab a new tab for a temp fix about 4 years ago and still holding, but not sure about how best to permanently fix...

Captainmaniac, lucky for me that all of my castings are in good shape with no cracks. If I was to have one of those tabs break however, or any other part of these castings, I would bring it to a fab/tool shop and have it TIG welded.