My teak windows and doors were varnished but they have peeled and faded and look awful, what can I do? (M McCarthy  Blanchardstown)


All is not lost but a bit of elbow grease will be required to get them back to looking good again. Try the following which should deliver a satisfactory result.

  1. First, you must strip all the remaining varnish off and you can do that relatively simply using a paint stripper like DSP 800. Follow the maker's instructions carefully.
  2. When all the old varnish is removed, wash off all traces of the stripper thoroughly, a power washer at medium pressure would be ideal if you have one, or maybe you could just rent one down the road for a few quid.
  3. When all traces of old varnish and a stripper have been removed, you can restore the original color of the wood with Net-Trol.
  4. Wet the wood first, then apply the Net- Trol with a brush.
  5. Leave it for about twenty to thirty minutes.
  6. Agitate slightly and then rinse off. A power washer would do the best job.

You will be amazed at how new the wood will look after you’ve done this.

Now you are in a position to re-coat the wood to preserve that look. If you want to keep the natural look I would recommend two coats of  Textrol which is applied wet on wet. This stuff penetrates deeply and gives a nice matte, anti-U.V. finish.

 Another alternative if you want something really upmarket is Deks Olje (O-lea) D1, normally used on wooden boats etc this is another deep penetrating oil that leaves a matte finish, or if you would prefer a lovely high gloss finish, you could apply a few coats of Deks Olje D2, preferable on top of a coat of D1.