Refinishing Teak Swim Platform

[Michigan_SAN]

I’m in the process of refinishing the teak swim platform on my ‘02 SAN. The previous owner put some sort of sealer on it so I’ve had to sand that all off. It’s coming along fine on the top but the bottom has been a different story. It doesn’t appear the bottom was sealed, or possibly cared for at all for 20 years. It had some white spots and some black spots, possibly from the exhaust. The issue is that sanding hasn’t been working well on the bottom. I’ve been using 80 grit sandpaper but it gets gummed up almost instantly. Also the dust being generated is much darker and clumpier then what comes off the top side. And after sanding an area for quite a while it still looks bad. I don’t get nice clean grain like you would expect, the wood still looks hazy or cloudy and discolored. Does anybody have any experience with this or know what I can do? What is the best way to treat the underside? Just use teak oil the same as the top?

[NautiqueJeff]

You could take it all apart like I did here. That way you can sand each individual piece and get through all of the bad wood.

Be careful though. If you sand too much, the screws will poke through the top, and can stab your feet. I had to cut the tips off of some of my screws after doing this.

https://www.planetnautique.com/vb5/f...204#post484204

[bturner]

I've been in this situation a couple times on temporary boats, OK flip boats. My first step is always the same and that's a trip to the quarter (should be call $5) car wash to see how much will come off with soap adn some water pressure. You'd be surprised. I've also had some luck with acetone on that gooey junk people were using at one time but be careful with this and try it somewhere safe before committing. Last is teak cleaner which is also the most expensive.

I haven't dissembled a platform since the 90's where someone used floor paint on one. As Jeff states you only get so many sandings before you start sanding the heads off the screws. The methods I've mentioned above have worked for me but your mileage may vary.