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Hardwood Headaches Cured with Deks Olje

As hardwood is dense, it requires a different approach as regards oiling, varnishing etc.

Teak windows and doors and sometimes various types of hardwood decking are is the most common hardwood we encounter with maintenance problems.

The biggest problem is most finishes cannot penetrate into the hardwood properly. This can be worsened by the presence of previous coatings or new wood that still has its own oils present near the surface.

Treating new teak etc.

As mentioned above, new teak has a lot of its own oil and before you apply any coating such as teak oil, varnish etc you should first ‘wash’ the teak using several clean absorbent cloths and methalated spirit to remove any surface oils present.

Apply coating after that and you can expect a longer lasting result.

Speaking of a long lasting result, one of the best know products in the World for hardwoods is Deks Olje  (Pronounced decks-o-lee-eh) which comes in two types.

Deks Olje D1 known as the saturator and Deks Olje D2 a non-peel, high gloss finish.

Deks Olje is renouned in marine / boating circles and is specified more and more by leading Architects and specifiers for the protection / enhancement of classy hardwood wooden windows, doors, cladding, decking etc. The main reason D1 is so famous is its remarkable ability to penetrate hardwoods. It is possible to apply D1 on to one side of a piece of hardwood and it will come out the opposite side given enough coats!

In simple terms, you can use the D1 by itself for a satin finish or use in conjunction with D2 for a non-peel, classy, high gloss finish.

The objective is to saturate the wood with the D1 by as many coats as it will take. Leave it like that if you don’t want it too shiny or if you do apply up to 6 coats of the D2 for a deep shiny finish.

Low Maintenance

Whether you want a satin finish or a high gloss finish, the maintenance aspect of Deks Olje is the most interesting because once you do it right the first time – the maintenance cycle thereafter is simple and low cost.

All you do is remove any ‘dead skin’ by sanding with 240 / 320 wet and dry paper dipped in D1 and wash afterwards with white spirit.

Apply a coat or two of D1 if you don’t want a shiny finish, or recoat with a coat or two of D2 if you do want a shiny finish. You can even mix D1 and D2 for a ‘somewhere in between’ finish if you don’t want a super high gloss!