Teak Swim platform and non-slip/traction?

[BigLew]

My teak swim platform is something I really appreciate. It looks good and works great. Always have cleaned and oiled it so that it maintains it's natural traction when wet (always).

I would be interested in sealing it to reduce the maintenance frequency but have been concerned about the traction of a varnish/poly type finish when wet. Can you lay in non-slip to varnish/poly and how does/would it work and how does it look? Any experience or thoughts out there?

[hugo]

never thought about it but maybe you can take a small peice of teak and try it with finish your talking about and see how it looks. i would guess as long as the non skid dries clear and not cloudy looking you would be fine.

[hugo]

the oil in the wood already thier could be a problem for the varnish to adhear properly to the teak.

[zendora]

I'd imagine you'd be revarnishing quite often. Varnish is a maintenance nightmare, and you're talking about an area that gets a lot of foot traffic and salt water exposure. I 2 parted mine and sealed with Semco. Give that a try for a season. I would avoid varnish at all cost!

[Bushwacker]

Lew,
Cleaning teak with the aggressive 2-part alkalai & acid cleaners really destroys the soft grain in the wood and you'll eventually end up with a very rough surface if you use it often. I oiled mine initially and it looked nice for about 3 months until the oil oxidized and turned dark, but then I just let it weather naturally and it held up very well. The big advantage of using teak on a swim platform is that it doesn't NEED ANY maintenance!

Here's what my old swim platform looked like after about 35 years! Denny