Semco Teak Sealer

Anyone been using this product for a while? I have found some posts where it is mentioned. The reviews look very favorable.

Cleaned our teak cockpit sole this AM from blackish grey to nice clean red. The idea of putting it on and just seasonally topcoating sounds like a win - beats seasonal bleaching/scrubbing/re-oiling.

Curious if a) the appearance is like teak oil (which is my hope) I presume the "natural" color will bring out the same color as mineral spirits wiped on my clean teak? ...and b) if it wears down at an acceptable pace - obviously applying in a high foot traffic area.

Attachment 7703

Kyle,

I have been using Semco Teak Sealer for over ten years. I love the stuff. I use the natural shade. The shades are shown on the Semco Website located
at: http://www.semcoteakproducts.com/semco_products.htm. See their own write up about the various shades below my comments in this reply.

The sample photos shown there are fairly accurate, but I did use the Goldtone back in 2001, and I found it too orange. It reminded me of Cetol Marine, but flat. The orange effect was not what I wanted. I immediately removed the Goldtone (I stripped it with a two part teak stripper) and used the natural shade thereafter. I like the photo of the Cleartone sample, but the warning that this shade is not as weather resistant was a factor in my choice of "Natural."

The Natural looks like new teak that has not been exposed to sunlight. It has a definite yellow shade, but right after I apply a coat of Semco Teak Sealer natural shade, people ask me if I just installed new teak, so it is pretty realistic. I initially stripped my previously oiled teak in 2001 and then added Semco Teak Sealer with two coats. Since then I merely go over the teak with some 220 grit sandpaper to knock off any loose pigment. I am not sanding wood away. I am merely knocking off loose pigment. I then add two coats in the same afternoon. I do this in late fall and late spring. The entire time from sanding lightly to rubbing down the second coat with a paper towel takes about three hours to refinish the teak on deck including the standard cockpit teak, hatch board, pin rails, hand rails on top of the cabin, boarding steps and flag pole. I apply Semco Teak Sealer with a brush. I will say that on my boarding steps, it does wear down faster. This is also true to a lesser degree on any horizontal surface: solar exposure I suppose.

The product does not look like teak oil. It looks like fresh natural unfinished teak, and it stays that way for months. In ten years I have never had to strip it. The appearance is flat like new wood. There is no gloss to the finish. Water beads and runs off the finished surface for months. The pigment will stain gelcoat, so apply carefully with a brush and clean up any spills or splatters with an appropriate solvent. I generally use acetone for this purpose. Acetone can dull a gelcoat surface, but I have not had a problem with this. Then again my gelcoat is forty-six tears old for the most part.

#1
Cleartone
Contains no pigment, looks like oil; not as weather resistant.
#2
Natural
Our best seller for boats; gives wood the golden-tan glow of slightly weathered teak.
#3
Honeytone
Our most popular among teak furniture clients, it is a rich honey color that looks like new teak.
#4
Goldtone
Original shade gives wood the reddish-brown luster of freshly sanded teak.
#5

Classic Brown
Darker brown similar to the color when wet.

The photo below is of my boat, "Augustine." hull #330 with the Semco Teak Sealer Natural Shade on the teak

One more thought: I did not use Semco Teak sealer on my cabin sole. I used teak oil on my cabin sole. I have only applied teak oil to the cabin sole twice in the past ten years, once right after I purchased the boat and once after the floor was scuffed up when some yard work was done in 2004. I do not know how Semco Teak Oil would wear in that location. As I wrote in an earlier post, the Semco Teak Sealer that I applied to my boarding steps does seem to wear faster and get down to raw wood sooner than when applied to other locations.

Thanks Scott. I like the low maintenance, but I have to say I like the dark teak-oiled finish. I wonder what the dark brown version looks like - I can see the sample, but in real life. Will have to investigate that.

In the mean time, I got the Practical Sailor April 2008 review on the subject - Semco and Interlux shared top honors for initial application. The test report was prefaced by the comment that although there’s a big up-front investment in time and energy with varnish, the coating can last multiple seasons instead of requiring several applications per season.

PS's 6-month extended test follow-up for 1-part and 2-part varnishes, as well as the teak oils and sealers was in May 2009. Results can be summarized as follows:
· None of the oils and sealers held up well for 6 months. Coating integrity, gloss, and color retention were all ranked as uniformly poor, with the exception of Star Brite Tropical Teak Sealer (Classical Teak), that was ranked as fair/NA/poor.
· Epifanes Wood Gloss and Petit Z-Spar Captain’s EZ Care were the only 1-part varnishes that require no sanding between coats that held up well. The Z-Spar required only 3 coats against 5-7 for the Epifanes, so that would argue for the former.
· A number of the 2-part systems that require no sanding also did well. Among these, Epifanes Rapid Clear and various formulations of Interlux Sikkens Cetol did the best job for the least money (and the fewest coats in the case of Cetol). (Though I personally don't think the yellowish appearance is best) West Marine WoodPro Plus Semi-gloss also did well, but it’s just rebranded Epifanes Rapid Clear with a 25% mark-up.