I am rerailing an old Kevlar Explorer. I see Watco has a Teak Oil as well as the Danish Oil I have used in the past. Anyone have experience with the Teak oil or other product that seems any better than the Danish Oil?
I use the Watco Teak oil quite a bit
I like it a little better than the regular Watco “Danish” penetrating oil. The finish seems slightly more durable (but still not durable enough) and it seems to darken slightly over time which usually looks good on pale ash, especially if you have a light-colored hull.
Virtually all of the “penetrating oils” have linseed oil as the main active ingredient but include proprietary resins, various petroleum distillates as suspending and dispersing agents, and many contain varying amounts of varnish as well. Even though the main active ingredient is the same, in my experience different oils can behave very differently.
My main complaint with the Watco oils is that they easily become “gummy” if excess is left in contact with the wood too long, or if multiple coats are applied too quickly.
The best results I have ever gotten with a “Danish oil” was with Deks Olje D1 which is difficult to find in stores these days, but can be ordered from online vendors such as Jamestown Distributors. The difference with Deks Olje is that it has a much more forgiving application temperature range than Watco and many coats can be applied “wet on wet” within a fairly short period of time which allows a much greater depth of finish to be achieved in a single day.
If you try to apply the Watco products on a very hot day or apply more than about three coats at a time you are apt to wind up with a gummy mess.
Why oil?
I would use Varithane outdoor water based urethane.
Watco Teak
I use it on a pair of wood deck/rocking chairs which are outdoors summer and winter. It penetrates well and adds a beautiful finish to the wood with good weather resistance.
I don’t spend much time wiping it down, so there is some tackiness the first 24 hours, but after that the finish hardens.
For a boat, I’d probably follow the directions and buff it more.
Pete,
that Deks looks like exactly what I need. I’ve been using the Watco for a couple of years and it’s been okay but I’ve had the same experiences you described. If I knew then what I know now I might not have bought the Explorer with the Ash trim, but man is it purty. It’s time to do the wood and I’m going to give the Deks a shot. Thanks!
Deks
Read the directions carefully and follow them. Set aside several hours for the initial application. Keep applying the Deks D1 wet-on-wet until the wood just won’t absorb any more.
The Deks D1 produces a lovely, deep matte finish. If you want a glossier finish you can apply Deks D2 which is basically a varnish-containing oil. I haven’t used D2 but you might be able to achieve the same effect by mixing a little marine varnish with the D1 for the last couple of applications. Deks suggests letting the applied oil harden for 3 days before use.
I think the thing about Deks is that you can make so many applications within a short period of time. I don’t know if it penetrates better or just disperses better. My guess is that you could probably achieve a comparable finish using Watco oil if you applied a couple of initial coats, followed by a coat every day or two for a couple of weeks, then a coat a week for a couple of months, etc. but who has the time?
With Deks the initial application takes significantly longer than brushing on a couple of coats of Watco, but the finish is better and for me it was more durable.