Hello:
I’ve been restoring some teak outdoor furniture for the last several months. I carefully disassembled a chaise lounge, carefully cleaned and sanded all the pieces.
I’m using Epifanes WoodFinish, rubbing the boards with denatured alcohol between coats. I noticed before applying the 3rd coat that one of the slats has 3 soft spots which I can dig into with my fingernail. I’m in the process of sanding the chair frame and I noticed a corresponding soft spot on the frame which you can see in the attached.
It’s almost like the wood is rotting from the inside out. This chair was outside in the elements (I live in Austin, TX) and was ignored for 2 years. I lost my job recently so I decided to restore the beautiful teak. Now I’m worried that the there’s some type of fungus in the wood that will get worse over time. I know that I can use teak sanding dust with epoxy to fill the hole but I’m concerned that it will return and/or start popping up elsewhere.
Thank you for your help!
Replies
I don't think it's rotting or being eaten. That area seems to be surrendering to the elements.
I'd soak some epoxy into that area until it won't take anymore and any other spots to lock the fibers in.
I encountered similar punky spots in a boat restoration project last summer. The epoxy worked fine as long as a coating with UV filters was applied over it.
OK, that's what I was hoping to hear!! Thanks so much. Mixing up some epoxy now :)
Jeff
I have had teak on boats and finished it with either Epiphane varnish or an oil. I also have seen many boats, even in the tropics, with no finish on the teak with very few problems. Fungi just don't like teak and it weathers well.
Is there any chance that the wood is not teak or that it's a teak overlay with a less durable wood on the inside? It seems like there are two colors (lighter on the left) in the photo. I would have expected a dull reddish-brownish, maybe brown-yellow color on a sanded teak surface. I've sanded a lot of boat teak and the color doesn't look quite right. Just a suggestion. I could be very wrong, and it is teak. Photos can be deceiving.
Guilded Splinters offers a good suggestion. The epoxy fill is a standard way to fix wood in boats. It's best if you get all the rot out. To me, that spot looks like white rot just because of the way the fibers are separating.
Hi and thanks for your comments. I'm about 99% sure this is teak. I have another chair that's mahogany and it's in worse condition. This surface was cleaned and then sanded with 80, 120 and 220 grit before finishing with Epifanes.
I'm attaching a picture of the first section that caused me to start wondering what was happening. Unfortunately I've already filled this piece with epoxy - the dark color comes from the teak dust I blended. My concern is that the weakness in the wood didn't show up until after sanding and 4 coats of varnish. Very strange.
Epifanes recommends rubbing with denatured alcohol between coats of their WoodFinish product. Could drips of denatured alcohol cause the "punky" wood? It's possible that some of the denatured alcohol dripped on the board before the last coat.
Thanks again for your help!
Jeff
A little alcohol could not cause that.
Could acetone? I was using acetone to clean the joints where I'm using epoxy. It just seemed really strange that the weakened area would not appear until after I applied 5 coats of Epifanes.
Teak furniture can develop soft spots due to moisture and neglect.
To address this, inspect the wood, remove affected areas, clean and treat, use epoxy repair, and maintain the furniture regularly. Proper drainage and indoor storage can prevent moisture and rot issues.
Regular maintenance and addressing soft spots can extend the life of your teak furniture.
Thanks @finley. I'm doing everything you've suggested except "treat". How would I treat the affected areas?
Thanks!
Jeff
If your undecided as to whether its teak..smell it.
After you sand through the silver and get back to brown wood, there will be (if it's teak) an unmistakable smell. Nothing smells like teak.
Circling back to my earlier question. @finleyannie is correct about the soft spots. I just pulled a mahogany chair out of the same storage area and it has sections of a white webby mold. When I clean the mold there are whitish streaks, some of which are soft.
What's the best way to treat the soft spots to kill the mold? Will a 4 to 1 solution of water to bleach be sufficient to treat? Also, can I use varnish as a sealer on sections that have a shallow soft spot that is not structural?
“[Deleted]”
Any chance that it's cypress instead of teak?
I don't think so. Is there a definitive way to identify cypress vs teak? Would cypress last 25+ years outside in the TX sun without being refinished?
https://www.wood-database.com/bald-cypress/
Color tends to be a light, yellowish brown. Sapwood is nearly white. Some pieces can have scattered dark pockets and voids where the wood has been attacked by fungi—called pecky cypress.
Common Uses: Exterior construction, exterior furniture, docks, boatbuilding, interior trim, and veneer.
Quick update on this topic. It turns out that portions of the teak had significant white mold. I've cleaned with a mild detergent followed by vinegar. Aesthetically the mold is gone - for a while. The wood is in my garage (I'm in the south) and not exposed to moisture. The white streaks pop back up after several weeks. I was told vinegar kills the mold spores but now I'm not so sure. Does anyone have experience with white mold and how to get rid of the spores so it won't come back from inside the wood?
I don’t think vinegar will do much, bleach on the other hand will.
Boracare may do the trick. Expensive but lasts a long time. I used it on a walnut slab and mesquite slab for powder post beetles. Made a bunch of live edge shelves with the walnut and have not had any issues. Did not affect sanding or Rubio finish. In addition to bug mitigation it is also a mold preventative. Not sure if it kills existing mold, though.