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Author Topic:   Removing Varnish from Teak Wood

SSP posted 04-10-2011 09:56 PM ET (US)
I bought a [a Boston Whaler boat on which] the previous owner varnished the wood instead of using oil. I have looked up some old articles on the site, and a few recommended using Citri-Strip. After applying and removing the varnish, do you use a sealer before applying teak oil? Thanks for help or advice.
Jeff posted 04-10-2011 10:05 PM ET (US)
Since the wood has been sealed in varnish already you are likely best off just keeping it varnished as the oil will never penetrate into the wood like it should for a long lasting finish. This is because you will never get all of the varnish out of the pores in the wood grain without sanding A LOT of wood away. I would just keep it varnished.
If you really want the oiled look back you have two options. The easiest but most costly would be to replace all the teak with new wood. The more difficult but most time consuming would be to just sand it all down to bare wood again with a good palm sander and some heavy grit paper.
I personally have gone that route and skipped the messy strippers. In the end I just encapsulated the wood in epoxy and varnished it again as I did not like how the oil never really soaked into the wood.
Binkster posted 04-10-2011 10:31 PM ET (US)
If you take the wood of the boat, you can run the flat pieces thru a planer and plane all the varnish off. It will be like new wood only a little thinner but only a small fraction. Many including myself have done that. Old teak is very hard wears out planer blades easily.
andygere posted 04-11-2011 04:05 PM ET (US)
If the varnish is damaged, that is it's peeling, cracked or allowed water underneath it, it will have to be removed regardless of what finish will go back on top.
I had good luck removing peeling varnish from a set of mahogany plywood rod holders using a heat gun and a sharp scraper. This removed far less wood than sanding would have, was a lot faster and didn't create a lot of toxic varnish dust. Varnish tends to load up sandpaper quickly, so removing it is a lousy job. Although I agree that the pores of the wood will retain some of the varnish solids, I'm not sure that's such a bad thing. It's my understanding that good teak oils contain some amount of varnish, and the purpose of either finish is to keep water from penetrating into the wood while making the wood look nice.
I am always leery of chemical strippers since they have the potential to damage the wood, and may remove the softer wood fibers, requiring you to remove even more wood by sanding. In any case, some sanding is required, but the amount of wood will vary by the method of varnish removal.
macfam posted 04-11-2011 08:45 PM ET (US)
For removal of varnish on teak, I've had good success with "Soy-gel" or Soy-strip" from FRANMAR.
http://www.franmar.com/marine-boating.html
Virtually no smell, skin irritation, can be used indoors, and it works.
After gooping this stuff on as heavy as possible, cover with plastic wrap or cut opened trash bags to prevent drying.
If teak is removed from the boat, actually place pieces into and seal trash bag. Let sit over-night or even longer if convenient.
When removed, scrub with 3M pads and stiff brush and hose or "gently" power wash off. Be careful power washing teak
Some sanding may be required, but it works very well.
I don't used any solvent-based strippers since finding these soy-based products.
themclos posted 04-11-2011 09:35 PM ET (US)
I have had very good experience with Zip-Strip Paint and Finish Remover. It has the consistency of honey.
Spread it on with a cheap paint brush and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes at most. Then I remove it with a cabinet scraper.
I find using the scraper to remove the Zip-Strip removes it completely. I then wipe the wood down, and follow by sanding with 200 grit paper.
This leaves the wood in ready condition for an application of Daly's SeaFin Teak Oil. I apply the oil with small squares cut from old sheets. I let the oil sit for 10 minutes, then buff off the excess with small rags cut from the same old sheets.
I apply 7 to 10 applications of the oil in the same manner over the course of a week. I find it a very durable finish, and it only requires a light touch up once or twice per season.
My boat and wood are covered when not in use.
I tried sanding only, and a combination of sanding and scraping, to remove layers of old varnish or Cetol, before trying the Zip-Strip. It has saved me hours of work.
Now that the wood has been stripped of the old, failing varnish, there will never again be a need to use the chemical stripper, so I do not feel I have damaged my wood in any way. On the contrary, the wood is in excellent shape now and in better position to deal with the elements.
Dan
contender posted 04-12-2011 11:12 PM ET (US)
Has anyone ever tried a soda pressure cleaner, or walnut? I even understand that they now have rubber beads for the same...
westcoastwhaler posted 04-18-2011 01:10 PM ET (US)
I second Andy's approach. I have removed varnish with a heat gun and scraper and also with stripper. Heat gun and scraper is the least messier of the two.
If the wood is not going to be removed from the boat, I would use the heat gun/scraper method as I would not want to get chemicals all over the boat.
My personal take is that if the varnish is in good shape then I would light sand and apply a few more coats.
estern posted 04-27-2011 02:14 PM ET (US)
I concur on the heat gun method-but only if you are careful. It's easy to burn the wood if you get the gun too close, work a small area too much, etc. Start in an unexposed area, the underside of a thwart for example, and see how hot you need to get the varnish before it softens. And keep your blasted scraper sharp! Use a single-cut bastard file regularly.
PeteB88 posted 04-27-2011 04:52 PM ET (US)
Great thread. First of all, I believe ALL old growth and tropical hardwoods should be restored and not simply replaced. It is too valuable, too hard to get and agree or disagree, clear cuts and irresponsible logging ruins forests. I am not against use of these resources but these materials should be respected. If you want to throw it away, I'll take it when practical.
If your bright finish is failing, you can scrape or sand off what's left without aggressive sanding. Or, listen to [the advice from] Binkie: if your object is thick enough, use a planer or sander. I have corrected warped Whaler wood seats with planer.
Once you get the loose stuff off, you can apply marine oil to the wood as undercoat or finish coat. If there is lots of resin in the grain, the oil will, in time, dissolve or displace the resin spots. I've done it successfully many times on white water river boats out west.
You can have an oiled finish over marine mahogany or teak for years if you want and if you ever want to apply bright finish you can do it w/ great success. Marine oils like linseed oil with solvents or tung oil make fantastic base coats. Ive varnished-over boats that were oiled annually for years. Old school painters used linseed oil formulations to pre-coat wood before applying oil-based paint since the beginning of modern paints. I do it all the time.
You can remove varnish with chemical strippers. I didi it many times. [A concern with] teak is it is naturally oily compared to mahogany, sitka spruce and [Douglass fir]. There are many ways to [remove a finish] but best in my experience is real-deal-chemical stripper, gloves, respirator, scrapers, paint remover brush (a Red Devil with real;y stiff red bristles), something to lay over wet areas with stripper to slow down evaporation, a big bag of painter's rags (5-lbs to 10-lbs from a commercial laundry), lacquer thinner, acetone, two plastic squirt bottles (like old diner mustard and ketchup bottles with conical tips) and some time.
--apply stripper, heavy, cover with aluminum foil to retard evaporation; leave about 20 minutes
--once well bubbled-up, start scraping the goo, you will not get all the resin first time.
--re-distribute some of the goo then apply fresh [stripper with] brush
--repeat and then remove all goo and gunk from board.
--inspect for resiny spots. Prepare a third application (usually not necessary)
--apply copious amount of lacquer thinner from squeeze bottle, scrub out board with steel wool, keep it wet with solvent.
--wipe clean with painter's rags (use lots)
--repeat, repeat until goo, gunk and grime seems to be gone.
--attack using same method with acetone, steel wool, rags
--believe it or not you will begin to see rags that have little to almost zero gunk if you do it right
--you can also use scrub brush but you will need to fair with sanders.
--when you are satisfied, finish sanding with 120 commercial paper by hand or palm sander, finer if you use random orbital
I swear this works and is NOT as bad as it sounds.
17 bodega posted 09-02-2014 12:25 PM ET (US)
I hope it's OK to add on to this discussion, as it's the most recent I can find on the subject.
I have two teak backed RPS chairs from different model years, both of which have dried out "greyed" looking wood from years of neglect in outdoor weather.
Until recently I have just sanded the teak slightly with 120, then 220 to address the chipping and exposed wood. Both of the seat backrests responded very well to light sanding, and only required 1 or 2 small squares of sandpaper. I did however, fully remove the teak and sanded with a finish sander as well. The chairs came out great... now the familiar question came up... teak oil or seal with varnish, shellac, or polyurethane?
One of the chairs I had purchased with a fresh application of (west marine brand) teak oil, which I was not impressed with. Since I use my boat for diving, fishing and my boat is regularly exposed to the elements I decided to go with a varnish style barrier coat.
I just happened to have a product laying around the garage called "Zinsser Seal Coat Universal sanding sealer.."
http://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/zinsser/ interior-wood-finishes/sealcoat-universal-sanding-sealer
This stuff says "interior" on the can so we shall see how it holds up. I do like the way that this product "soaks" into the wood and "seals" it from water intrusion.
A side note: I did NOT sand all the "mold" out of the wood, so after applying the sealer, the grain does have black highlights which gives the wood a natural aged look, similar to an old piece of furniture that shows the natural age of the wood. I think it looks pretty nice! This product also claims to NOT yellow or be affected by sunlight or UV rays. We shall see...
At this point I have not added any other product, and will field test this sanding sealer with much saltwater fishing and diving and will report back my results. I will also add a link with some photographs, so folks can look for themselves.
Finally I would like to hear from people here what VARNISH style finishes have worked the best for your teak or mahogany on your whaler.
Steve
jimh posted 09-05-2014 07:43 PM ET (US)
The WEST MARINE branded teak oil I tried was worthless as a wood coating.
For several years I have been using WATCO TEAK OIL. It is a very good teak oil and seems to keep the teak from absorbing water. Rain will bead up on the wood surface. If looking for a teak oil finish, I suggest giving WATCO TEAK OIL a try.
deepwater posted 09-06-2014 12:33 AM ET (US)
Teak is a wood that weathers very well naturally. If anything is put on it, then it should be natural. Varnish is only so deep. Hand sand it and apply an oil. Next year sand it and apply an oil. Next year sand it and apply an oil. The sanding will work, the oil will reach all parts of the wood, and the time spent over the next three years brings ya close to your Whaler.
Stoff posted 09-07-2014 09:44 AM ET (US)
I, too, have been using WATCO TEAK OIL for quite a few years and been very pleased with how long it protects the wood before I need to reapply it.
Jefecinco posted 09-07-2014 10:07 AM ET (US)
Interesting thread. All the wood on my Sport 13 appears to be mahogany. Did Boston Whaler use teak before or after 1981 or did different models get different woods?
Butch
PeteB88 posted 09-08-2014 10:21 PM ET (US)
I used to use various marine oil mixes, my own and commercial on wood drift boats in Oregon. I used Watco Marine Teak oil on boats all the time over [Douglass fir] marine plywood, mahogany marine plywood, white oak, sitka and [Douglas fir] frames, and all with great results. You should know when it's time to reapply oil. [The finish] gets dull and seems dry. When applying it's pretty easy to determine saturation point because oil will pool or simply stay on surface and not absorb. It's important to know that marine oil oxidizes into sort of a hard, resin finish, and that is good. Oil soaked rags are a fire hazard so use caution when discarding.
I just scrubbed up the surface, some scuff sanding if it seemed necessary, and slopped [the oil] on, taking great care to remove any that was pooling or not absorbing into wood fibers.
On a previously varnished surfaces and if the varnish is peeling and old, don't strip and recoat with bright finish. I just peeled and scraped off what I could and oiled the surface right over the deteriorating varnish. In time it all degrades to the point where it flakes off or is easy to peel or scrape. Once the wood is oiled or varnished you cannot ever do an epoxy base coat finish. However, oiled wood, whether new wood, never finished or old finish you can scrape, peel or sand away; it is a fantastic base for spar varnish applications. I didi quiet a few of them. Good luck!
Mike Brantley posted 03-14-2015 12:32 PM ET (US)
Oh man, due to inattention and prolonged exposure uncovered in the south Alabama sun the last couple of years, my once beautifully varnished teak gunwales are flaking and peeling. Got to get the stuff off and make the 1980 Revenge look right again. Bought a new palm sander and bunch of discs last night, but after reading some old threads here on CW I think I will try heat gun approach instead. A variable temperature heat gun has been ordered. That will give me time to clean up the boat before it arrives. I will post how I make out. Advice here has always been helpful.
PeteB88 posted 03-14-2015 04:10 PM ET (US)
Get off the varnish. Scrub the [wood] pores with solvent, stiff brushes, and steel wool. Scrub grub off with solvent and clean rags, over and over, again. Then put base coat of marine oil and let it oxidize. Then leave it, planning to re-coat occasionally or varnish over it. Marine oil makes a great base for marine spar varnish. The technique is so old-school it was invented before Old School was cool. Don't trip on it.
vkg65 posted 03-23-2015 07:42 AM ET (US)
Heat Gun
Hoosier posted 03-23-2015 11:24 AM ET (US)
Don't use steel wool, you'll never get all the residue out and you'll have rust stains in your wood. Use Scotch pads, the green ones.

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Author	Topic: Removing Varnish from Teak Wood
SSP	posted 04-10-2011 09:56 PM ET (US) I bought a [a Boston Whaler boat on which] the previous owner varnished the wood instead of using oil. I have looked up some old articles on the site, and a few recommended using Citri-Strip. After applying and removing the varnish, do you use a sealer before applying teak oil? Thanks for help or advice.
Jeff	posted 04-10-2011 10:05 PM ET (US) Since the wood has been sealed in varnish already you are likely best off just keeping it varnished as the oil will never penetrate into the wood like it should for a long lasting finish. This is because you will never get all of the varnish out of the pores in the wood grain without sanding A LOT of wood away. I would just keep it varnished. If you really want the oiled look back you have two options. The easiest but most costly would be to replace all the teak with new wood. The more difficult but most time consuming would be to just sand it all down to bare wood again with a good palm sander and some heavy grit paper. I personally have gone that route and skipped the messy strippers. In the end I just encapsulated the wood in epoxy and varnished it again as I did not like how the oil never really soaked into the wood.
Binkster	posted 04-10-2011 10:31 PM ET (US) If you take the wood of the boat, you can run the flat pieces thru a planer and plane all the varnish off. It will be like new wood only a little thinner but only a small fraction. Many including myself have done that. Old teak is very hard wears out planer blades easily.
andygere	posted 04-11-2011 04:05 PM ET (US) If the varnish is damaged, that is it's peeling, cracked or allowed water underneath it, it will have to be removed regardless of what finish will go back on top. I had good luck removing peeling varnish from a set of mahogany plywood rod holders using a heat gun and a sharp scraper. This removed far less wood than sanding would have, was a lot faster and didn't create a lot of toxic varnish dust. Varnish tends to load up sandpaper quickly, so removing it is a lousy job. Although I agree that the pores of the wood will retain some of the varnish solids, I'm not sure that's such a bad thing. It's my understanding that good teak oils contain some amount of varnish, and the purpose of either finish is to keep water from penetrating into the wood while making the wood look nice. I am always leery of chemical strippers since they have the potential to damage the wood, and may remove the softer wood fibers, requiring you to remove even more wood by sanding. In any case, some sanding is required, but the amount of wood will vary by the method of varnish removal.
macfam	posted 04-11-2011 08:45 PM ET (US) For removal of varnish on teak, I've had good success with "Soy-gel" or Soy-strip" from FRANMAR. http://www.franmar.com/marine-boating.html Virtually no smell, skin irritation, can be used indoors, and it works. After gooping this stuff on as heavy as possible, cover with plastic wrap or cut opened trash bags to prevent drying. If teak is removed from the boat, actually place pieces into and seal trash bag. Let sit over-night or even longer if convenient. When removed, scrub with 3M pads and stiff brush and hose or "gently" power wash off. Be careful power washing teak Some sanding may be required, but it works very well. I don't used any solvent-based strippers since finding these soy-based products.
themclos	posted 04-11-2011 09:35 PM ET (US) I have had very good experience with Zip-Strip Paint and Finish Remover. It has the consistency of honey. Spread it on with a cheap paint brush and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes at most. Then I remove it with a cabinet scraper. I find using the scraper to remove the Zip-Strip removes it completely. I then wipe the wood down, and follow by sanding with 200 grit paper. This leaves the wood in ready condition for an application of Daly's SeaFin Teak Oil. I apply the oil with small squares cut from old sheets. I let the oil sit for 10 minutes, then buff off the excess with small rags cut from the same old sheets. I apply 7 to 10 applications of the oil in the same manner over the course of a week. I find it a very durable finish, and it only requires a light touch up once or twice per season. My boat and wood are covered when not in use. I tried sanding only, and a combination of sanding and scraping, to remove layers of old varnish or Cetol, before trying the Zip-Strip. It has saved me hours of work. Now that the wood has been stripped of the old, failing varnish, there will never again be a need to use the chemical stripper, so I do not feel I have damaged my wood in any way. On the contrary, the wood is in excellent shape now and in better position to deal with the elements. Dan
contender	posted 04-12-2011 11:12 PM ET (US) Has anyone ever tried a soda pressure cleaner, or walnut? I even understand that they now have rubber beads for the same...
westcoastwhaler	posted 04-18-2011 01:10 PM ET (US) I second Andy's approach. I have removed varnish with a heat gun and scraper and also with stripper. Heat gun and scraper is the least messier of the two. If the wood is not going to be removed from the boat, I would use the heat gun/scraper method as I would not want to get chemicals all over the boat. My personal take is that if the varnish is in good shape then I would light sand and apply a few more coats.
estern	posted 04-27-2011 02:14 PM ET (US) I concur on the heat gun method-but only if you are careful. It's easy to burn the wood if you get the gun too close, work a small area too much, etc. Start in an unexposed area, the underside of a thwart for example, and see how hot you need to get the varnish before it softens. And keep your blasted scraper sharp! Use a single-cut bastard file regularly.
PeteB88	posted 04-27-2011 04:52 PM ET (US) Great thread. First of all, I believe ALL old growth and tropical hardwoods should be restored and not simply replaced. It is too valuable, too hard to get and agree or disagree, clear cuts and irresponsible logging ruins forests. I am not against use of these resources but these materials should be respected. If you want to throw it away, I'll take it when practical. If your bright finish is failing, you can scrape or sand off what's left without aggressive sanding. Or, listen to [the advice from] Binkie: if your object is thick enough, use a planer or sander. I have corrected warped Whaler wood seats with planer. Once you get the loose stuff off, you can apply marine oil to the wood as undercoat or finish coat. If there is lots of resin in the grain, the oil will, in time, dissolve or displace the resin spots. I've done it successfully many times on white water river boats out west. You can have an oiled finish over marine mahogany or teak for years if you want and if you ever want to apply bright finish you can do it w/ great success. Marine oils like linseed oil with solvents or tung oil make fantastic base coats. Ive varnished-over boats that were oiled annually for years. Old school painters used linseed oil formulations to pre-coat wood before applying oil-based paint since the beginning of modern paints. I do it all the time. You can remove varnish with chemical strippers. I didi it many times. [A concern with] teak is it is naturally oily compared to mahogany, sitka spruce and [Douglass fir]. There are many ways to [remove a finish] but best in my experience is real-deal-chemical stripper, gloves, respirator, scrapers, paint remover brush (a Red Devil with real;y stiff red bristles), something to lay over wet areas with stripper to slow down evaporation, a big bag of painter's rags (5-lbs to 10-lbs from a commercial laundry), lacquer thinner, acetone, two plastic squirt bottles (like old diner mustard and ketchup bottles with conical tips) and some time. --apply stripper, heavy, cover with aluminum foil to retard evaporation; leave about 20 minutes --once well bubbled-up, start scraping the goo, you will not get all the resin first time. --re-distribute some of the goo then apply fresh [stripper with] brush --repeat and then remove all goo and gunk from board. --inspect for resiny spots. Prepare a third application (usually not necessary) --apply copious amount of lacquer thinner from squeeze bottle, scrub out board with steel wool, keep it wet with solvent. --wipe clean with painter's rags (use lots) --repeat, repeat until goo, gunk and grime seems to be gone. --attack using same method with acetone, steel wool, rags --believe it or not you will begin to see rags that have little to almost zero gunk if you do it right --you can also use scrub brush but you will need to fair with sanders. --when you are satisfied, finish sanding with 120 commercial paper by hand or palm sander, finer if you use random orbital I swear this works and is NOT as bad as it sounds.
17 bodega	posted 09-02-2014 12:25 PM ET (US) I hope it's OK to add on to this discussion, as it's the most recent I can find on the subject. I have two teak backed RPS chairs from different model years, both of which have dried out "greyed" looking wood from years of neglect in outdoor weather. Until recently I have just sanded the teak slightly with 120, then 220 to address the chipping and exposed wood. Both of the seat backrests responded very well to light sanding, and only required 1 or 2 small squares of sandpaper. I did however, fully remove the teak and sanded with a finish sander as well. The chairs came out great... now the familiar question came up... teak oil or seal with varnish, shellac, or polyurethane? One of the chairs I had purchased with a fresh application of (west marine brand) teak oil, which I was not impressed with. Since I use my boat for diving, fishing and my boat is regularly exposed to the elements I decided to go with a varnish style barrier coat. I just happened to have a product laying around the garage called "Zinsser Seal Coat Universal sanding sealer.." http://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/zinsser/ interior-wood-finishes/sealcoat-universal-sanding-sealer This stuff says "interior" on the can so we shall see how it holds up. I do like the way that this product "soaks" into the wood and "seals" it from water intrusion. A side note: I did NOT sand all the "mold" out of the wood, so after applying the sealer, the grain does have black highlights which gives the wood a natural aged look, similar to an old piece of furniture that shows the natural age of the wood. I think it looks pretty nice! This product also claims to NOT yellow or be affected by sunlight or UV rays. We shall see... At this point I have not added any other product, and will field test this sanding sealer with much saltwater fishing and diving and will report back my results. I will also add a link with some photographs, so folks can look for themselves. Finally I would like to hear from people here what VARNISH style finishes have worked the best for your teak or mahogany on your whaler. Steve
jimh	posted 09-05-2014 07:43 PM ET (US) The WEST MARINE branded teak oil I tried was worthless as a wood coating. For several years I have been using WATCO TEAK OIL. It is a very good teak oil and seems to keep the teak from absorbing water. Rain will bead up on the wood surface. If looking for a teak oil finish, I suggest giving WATCO TEAK OIL a try.
deepwater	posted 09-06-2014 12:33 AM ET (US) Teak is a wood that weathers very well naturally. If anything is put on it, then it should be natural. Varnish is only so deep. Hand sand it and apply an oil. Next year sand it and apply an oil. Next year sand it and apply an oil. The sanding will work, the oil will reach all parts of the wood, and the time spent over the next three years brings ya close to your Whaler.
Stoff	posted 09-07-2014 09:44 AM ET (US) I, too, have been using WATCO TEAK OIL for quite a few years and been very pleased with how long it protects the wood before I need to reapply it.
Jefecinco	posted 09-07-2014 10:07 AM ET (US) Interesting thread. All the wood on my Sport 13 appears to be mahogany. Did Boston Whaler use teak before or after 1981 or did different models get different woods? Butch
PeteB88	posted 09-08-2014 10:21 PM ET (US) I used to use various marine oil mixes, my own and commercial on wood drift boats in Oregon. I used Watco Marine Teak oil on boats all the time over [Douglass fir] marine plywood, mahogany marine plywood, white oak, sitka and [Douglas fir] frames, and all with great results. You should know when it's time to reapply oil. [The finish] gets dull and seems dry. When applying it's pretty easy to determine saturation point because oil will pool or simply stay on surface and not absorb. It's important to know that marine oil oxidizes into sort of a hard, resin finish, and that is good. Oil soaked rags are a fire hazard so use caution when discarding. I just scrubbed up the surface, some scuff sanding if it seemed necessary, and slopped [the oil] on, taking great care to remove any that was pooling or not absorbing into wood fibers. On a previously varnished surfaces and if the varnish is peeling and old, don't strip and recoat with bright finish. I just peeled and scraped off what I could and oiled the surface right over the deteriorating varnish. In time it all degrades to the point where it flakes off or is easy to peel or scrape. Once the wood is oiled or varnished you cannot ever do an epoxy base coat finish. However, oiled wood, whether new wood, never finished or old finish you can scrape, peel or sand away; it is a fantastic base for spar varnish applications. I didi quiet a few of them. Good luck!
Mike Brantley	posted 03-14-2015 12:32 PM ET (US) Oh man, due to inattention and prolonged exposure uncovered in the south Alabama sun the last couple of years, my once beautifully varnished teak gunwales are flaking and peeling. Got to get the stuff off and make the 1980 Revenge look right again. Bought a new palm sander and bunch of discs last night, but after reading some old threads here on CW I think I will try heat gun approach instead. A variable temperature heat gun has been ordered. That will give me time to clean up the boat before it arrives. I will post how I make out. Advice here has always been helpful.
PeteB88	posted 03-14-2015 04:10 PM ET (US) Get off the varnish. Scrub the [wood] pores with solvent, stiff brushes, and steel wool. Scrub grub off with solvent and clean rags, over and over, again. Then put base coat of marine oil and let it oxidize. Then leave it, planning to re-coat occasionally or varnish over it. Marine oil makes a great base for marine spar varnish. The technique is so old-school it was invented before Old School was cool. Don't trip on it.
vkg65	posted 03-23-2015 07:42 AM ET (US) Heat Gun
Hoosier	posted 03-23-2015 11:24 AM ET (US) Don't use steel wool, you'll never get all the residue out and you'll have rust stains in your wood. Use Scotch pads, the green ones.