Polyurethane and teak?

[James Brothers]

I am in the process of building a wet bar and I am planning to use teak for the top and trim. As this is my first time working with teak I am doing a little research to insure that I will end up with a lasting and beautiful finish.
So my questions are, first will polyurethane such as Minwax fast dry poly hold up on teak? Second will I find any unexpected surprises if I use a pourable clear epoxy for my bar top? And also if poly will work, will it also work if I stain the teak.
I have already played around a little bit with some scrape pieces and have found a finish that I like. I’m just not sure if it will last.

Any info that you can share would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

[Steve Schoene]

Just say no--to pourable epoxy. So thick that in a few years crazing is entirely possible, application is tricky, and if not absolutely perfect it can look tacky.

I would recommend a good traditional resin varnish such as Behlen Rockhard or Pratt & Lambert 38. Polyurethane varnish has no advantages for that application where the hazard is water not abrasion. This means you need film thickness, and after about 2 coats of full strength polyurethane varnish you start to get the plastic look it is famous for. Teak is an oily wood. Manufacturers differ as to whether or not to wipe down with acetone before varnishing, but either way traditional resin varnish has better adhesion qualities than polyurethane varnish. (By the way, while spar varnish is used on teak in marine environs it is not a good choice for a bar top, being too soft. It is formulated to withstand full sun and wide temperature ranges.)

I can't imagine staining teak. Why pay $15 plus a board foot and then change it?

[Jerry Olexa]

What Steve said...Well statedIMHO

[James Brothers]

Well I guess theirs no hiding that I’m pretty new to this. I’m actually a drywaller by trade but I have recently found that I enjoy this type of work more. So being that this is only my third project I guess its more of a hobby.

But anyways, thanks for the advise I think I will try varnish rather than the epoxy. As far as staining the teak you make a good point, I guess the idea was just to give it a slightly darker tone. If I could I would have done a few things differently but I’m to committed now to back out or drastically change the original plan. So it may be a horrible waste of a beautiful wood, but can anyone tell me if stain will work on teak.

[John Wagner]

James, I have worked with teak and have always wiped the teak down with laquer thinner immedatley before varnishing. It removes the natural oil on the surface of the wood and gives a better bond. I agree that spar varnish might be too soft, but it will keep the water out ! I would not stain it either. Good luck.
John Wagner

[James Brothers]

:confused: :oWell I guess I have a lot more thinking to do. Thanks for the help Ill post a reply later so you’ll know how things are going.