Sceptre Cabin Door - Teak (Wanted)

[htillman]

Teaks weathers gray as a way to protect itself. I would recommend using something such as Tip Top Teak or Teka to clean and then bleach the wood. Use scotchbrite to clean the louvers with the cleaner. Then sand to remove the "raised hair" and varnish. The first couple of coats will help build the surface. Another product to finish the door instead of varnish is Decks Ole.

[Bushwacker]

That boat really cleaned up nice! You should have shown us the "before" picture before! Bleaching the wood is a good idea and should not hurt it much but I would not use the Tip Top Teak if you're worried about getting the louvers too thin, as it will remove a lot of the soft grain. I've also used Deks Olje #1 & #2. It's not bad but will not hold up like Epifanes.

One tip when you're applying varnish, prop the door up on one end so the louvers are horizontal. That way the varnish will fill in the low spots in the wood. After about 6-7 coats, it'll be pretty smooth. You can wet sand any rough spots between coats with 220, or scuff it with a red 3M pad.

[MasterBaiter]

My transom doors (and the rest of my teak) looked like yours. Being a wood guy I restored all of mine last winter. It took some time but the end result was worth it. I power washed at the end of the season. Took a piece at a time in the garage and sanded and oiled them. I used a name brand profile sander, hand sanded with 60 first. The fast growth is softer but I was oiling the wood so it didn't matter.

The boat spent the summer in the Keys and the Fall in NJ. I oiled twice this year as maintainence. I don't think I'd ever varnish again.

[abl1111]

If and when you find a new door - I will buy your old one...

Just PM me when you're ready...

[riptide]

My door looked like yours.I cleaned it up the best I could and then used a palm sander.I used a quality teak oil and just reapply some about twice a year.

[77SceptreOB]

makoman,

That looks beautiful!! I'm thinking of cleaning, bleaching, sanding, then oiling ---- just like you. Hope I get the same awesome results. Great looking boat BTW.

[Bushwacker]

That IS a nice looking rig! I guess oil might hold up ok in a colder climate, but down here it will oxidize in just a few months and turn very dark, even if you keep a cover on boat. I used the clean/bleach/oil routine the first 15 years or so that I owned the boat, but I switched to varnish about 15-20 years ago. The varnish is more work initially, but once you've built up a good finish, the varnish is an order of magnitude easier to keep up, especially with the newer stuff. Just a minor touch up or coat or two every 4-5 years, although maybe less if you don't keep a cover on boat. At least it won't oxidize while covered!

[Entourage]

Or you could go the starboard route.