finishing teak?

Neal Haarberg

Neal Haarberg

Active member
I haven't done any decoys yet this year because I built a potting bench for my wife out of solid teak. It has tuned out great but due to teaks oily nature I am not sure what to finish it with. I have even read not to finish it at all. Since Teak has been used in boats forever I figure there may be some input on the subject here.

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Look up a product called "Honey Teak". I have not used it myself yet, but have heard great things about it and will be orderring some in a couple of weeks to do my furniture also. It should last for several years. I oil the teak on my fishing boat(1981 Robalo), but that has to be done continuously over the summer to keep it looking nice. Honey teak will put a hard finish on it.
 
Neal- I've worked on big sailboats in the past, and it was always a big controversy wether to oil or not to oil. As a deckhand, not oiling gave us more time to drink beer and fish. Plus, it wasn't as slippery with bare feet in the tropics.
Some yacht owners I remember even liking the grey teak as it ages in the sun.
They do make a two part teak cleaner we would use to clean it before we oiled it.
Sorry, never heard of Honey Teak. Nice job on the project by the way.
Good luck.
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Your a smart man Neal ....... keep the wife happy and you get to do your own pet projects. Nice looking potting bench ....... good work.
 
Neal
You might ask your wife's preference. What ever you use it eventually will have to be redone. I'd leave it natural and get to your decoys. :-)
wis boz
 
Beautiful work, my wife needs one too. There are tons of products out there to treat teak. What I would say coming from someone who knows how a potting bench is used and abused, I would not use a finish that dries hard on the surface, I would go with an teak oil. It is giong to get scratched up much more than a boat and the oil will protect it and can be touched up by anyone (read you since the wife won't) with a glug of oil and a rag. I wouldnt' leave it plain either, because of the humic nature of a lot of potting soils, it is going to get stained deeply if not sealed and that stain won't come out. By a gallon of teak oil and get a rag and in 2 15 minute application it will be good.

T
 
Teak oil would be fine, just dont expect it to have a high gloss finish or anything. But then it is a potting table, its gonna get dirty anyway
 
Tod I think you got it right this Bench will be getting used and abused. I'm going to go out and some get some teak oil and call it good. I don't expect this to look new forever. This was my first time using teak. I lucked out and ended up getting pile of rough cut for free and thought it would be a great material for the bench. Well not totally free a half gallon of Yeager as a thank you and a nasty hangover.... Teak is different to work with, You can feel the oil in wood when you cut it. And for My wife she does't care, she's just happy to finally have a bench. Thank all for the kind words and advice.
 
Free........
we see it priced at up to 45 dollars a board foot!

I think even with the Yeager issue you got a screaming deal.

Bench looks great.
 
I think it was more than just a screaming deal. I started to price it all out after I had it at home and about crapped myself. The guy I got it from had Oregons largest importer of wood as a client and sometimes stuff would not get claimed when it came out of the container. After it sat around for some period of time it became available to employees. I got some nice big chunks of mohogany from him too that I used as the chines for my boat. He actually was using two 2x14 piecing of teak for loading his quad into his pickup becasue he got them for free. Another wood worker replaced them for him with an aluminum set.
 
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