Teak cladding

missile

The teak cladding on our building is looking a bit weathered. Our management contractor wants to have it painted dark oak. I am not at all sure that this is required or this is the appropriate treatment and would appreciate any advice you may have :undecided

Please be advised:
The oldest building is six years old.
When we purchased the property the developer told us that the cladding should last 20 years before any treatment is required.

IMHO the weathering is natural and I am not convinced that any treatment is necessary. I do not think dark oak is correct for teak . I feel a clear preservative like this would be better> http://www.screwfix.com/p/cuprinol-clear-wood-preserver-5ltr/65235

capeverde

I would question whether the cladding is in fact teak. Its not one of its normal uses and the cost of proper burmese teak is extremely prohibitive. Are you sure its not cedar which is commonly used as it produces more of its natural oils with age and requires little maintenance. Both woods will turn a natural grey over a period. You must be careful before using any surface treatment because of the oils these timbers produce, they require certain treatments beforehand to chemically clean the wood so preservatives will adhere. If it is teak, or conversely cedar, it is far better to let them take their natural sheen, as any oil used will fade quickly and solid colours will really take the beauty away, may as well have had upvc.

leveller2911

If its only about 6yrs old its more likely to be Western Red Cedar.It weathers sliver/grey.Personally I prefer it when its new that nice mellow brown..If it is WRC then leave it ..

PS If it is True teak give me your address and I will pop round and sort it (nick it ).

Buying Joinery quality real Teak is currently about £6,000 per cubic metre (imagine a cube sitting in front of you 1m high x 1m wide x 1m tall)

whereas as Best quality European Oak is about £2,200 per cube and Sapele,Iroko are about £850-00


Depending on where you are you may see Cedar shingles (roof tiles) these are WRC and never treated and can last 30 yrs plus.

capeverde

leveller, we use cedar chingles in a lot of our products and have looked at ways to keep the colour as per when it is cut, but nothing seems to work for a reasonable period so its a matter of accepting they greying.

missile

You are probably correct. Do you think you could identify the wood from photos? These do not show the worst grey areas. They are difficult to reach

leveller2911

Western Red Cedar .....nice too........Like that.


In days gone by they use to line coffers (linen trunks) with Cedar as it smells lovelly and the moths don't like it....

missile

Many thanks for your prompt response :A

leveller2911

Its a bit of an odd timber WRC in that it can have almost 90% moisture content(floated down the river) and yet when you plane it up and it dries out it doesn't warp,twist or shrink in its dimensions.... Its amazingly light in weight too , when dry..........I need to get out more....

All other timbers moisture content before you saw it up is about 11% Moisture content. I'll get me coat....

iamcornholio

missile wrote: »

Our management contractor wants to have it painted dark oak.

No, no, no. If he does, he needs to be flung off that balcony with the tin thrown afterwards

Cedar does not need any treatment and can be left. In which case it will go silvery grey, but still last 60-80 years. Some people think that this looks old and tatty though

To maintain that lovely golden colour, you just need a clear preservative .... but not a surface varnish or stain which will just coat the surface and then blister away

Sikkens do some good long lasting stuff, as do Sadolin. Its expensive , but you don't want to let anyone use the £2.99 type stuff from Wilco's or similar

leveller2911

iamcornholio wrote: »

No, no, no. If he does, he needs to be flung off that balcony with the tin thrown afterwards

Cedar does not need any treatment and can be left. In which case it will go silvery grey, but still last 60-80 years. Some people think that this looks old and tatty though

To maintain that lovely golden colour, you just need a clear preservative .... but not a surface varnish or stain which will just coat the surface and then blister away





You don't put preservative on Cedar...You won't stop areas open to the weather from going sliver/grey uless you stain/paint it, which is a crime.

iamcornholio

leveller2911 wrote: »

You don't put preservative on Cedar...You won't stop areas open to the weather from going sliver/grey uless you stain/paint it, which is a crime.

True, you should not use a preservative in the normal sense of the stuff you paint on your fence, but something like Sadolin Classic is better described as such rather than the normally accepted description of 'stain' or 'varnish' .... as it penetrates the timber and provided the necessary weather protection - rather than just a surface coating

Its best to use a translucent product - which can't really be described as a wood stain