swim platform maintenance

Tim
The wet sanding with the oil is an old woodworkers trick used when putting on a "Danish oil" finish. On open grain woods such as Walnut (commonly finished with an oil) the technique really smooths it out by leaving some of the sanding dust in the pores. Now, it's not like going all the way with a paste grain wood filler for the "bar top" finish but does fill the grain some. You use it when getting down into the 800 grit and finer paper.

Tim,
No, it doesn't ball up since you are doing the sanding before the oil dries. If a previous coat balls up, just as you said, it wasn't completely dry. But, I feel you would have less of a problem with the oil than water.

Give it a try next time.

(by the way, I tend to ask a lot of very detailed questions when I have no idea what I'm doing, so all the advice is greatly appreciated)

It seems like there would be a tremendous time savings using Pete's wet oil method...I could basically increase the grit on the sandpaper with each oiling but have it done in one afternoon, then only have to wait for a week while it dries once. From that perspective it seems like a slam dunk.

adding/emphasizing pete's earlier statement I wouldn't wetsand with the oil below 600ish grit. Reason being, or what I experiences anyways was that the amount of wood material you are removing isn't fine enough to settle into the pores and ended up 'clogging' up the sand paper. I oiled, dried, dry sanded till i got to 600+, then I wet sanded after that point as I felt the material was powdery enough to fill in. Again just my observation and I'm by no means an expert.

one other thing, probably a dumb question again, but will I have to do this twice? once on the top and once on the bottom? or can I do both in one fell swoop and just get creative with the way I lay it out to dry?

see, that's why I ask...I am way too dumb to have thought about that on my own. I would have done it in two steps and taken two extra weeks while it dried.

This thread inspired me to refinish my old and tired looking platform. I used the products shown and the procedures described above (sort of). Power washed then used the cleaner multiple times then dry sanded with 150. Applied oil then let dry and wet sanded with 320 and oil for first coat and did a combination of wet sand with water or oil for the remaining coats. It's very hot and dry in Tucson already so drying time was about 24 hours or less. Thanks for the info. It's the best it has ever looked in the 18 years I've owned it.

What type of caulk/sealer is recommended to place in the screw holes when reattaching a platform after refinishing?

Thanks Pete

newguy1986 wrote: soo.... I am now guessing I have wasted my time this past weekend...

I have trouble believing that it was a waste of time. It sounds like you are doing the most important parts, cleaning it good, then applying layers of teak oil and letting them sun dry in.

Some of the details are a matter of personal preference.

Certainly not a waste of time, but I do think that sanding to finer grits has the added bonus of extending the life of the finish. So its not all a matter of personal preference.

newguy1986 wrote: .... I guess I will just keep applying until it stops taking it in?

That sounds right to me.

Thought id share some pics of my platform transform. The PO had stained it black and coated in poly. YECH.. what fun to get rid of too. I started thinking id just strip it mechanically. But i was going no where fast.


To make it easier to rid the platform finish and stain I ended up getting some CitrusStrip to remove the old finish. I let the stripper sit on the platform over night and it did a good job of removing the finish, scraped with a plastic scraper and brass brush for the crevices. It was still dark after removing the finish. After this i started using the wood cleaner. Several times.


The platform was pretty rough and I wanted a real smooth surface, so I sanded the entire top with 120 and 220.




I used the cleaner one more time after sanding figuring it may open up the wood a bit during sanding. Then used oil and wetsand with oil technique I learned from you guys here. And its looking great. Its amazing just how nice the wood feels now. It is incredibly smooth.




I am happy with how it turned out. Worlds apart from the dark platform prior.

Great job, your hard work really paid off!