How To Properly Prepare & Re-Caulk a Teak Deck Seam Part 2

[@ete4445]

I should have looked before posting as I see nobody replies. And these guys are the developers!

[@TeakdeckingSystems]

Sorry, Pete, you are absolutely right, and we have remedied that situation so as to not let this happen again.

[@hallbergrassy352]

I wonder, why is tape only used with limited repairs, and not for bigger projects? Where is the difference, apart from the fact that taping an entire deck is a lot of work? I am very hesitant to sand my deck, especially with the grids suggested here. Any suggestions?

[@TeakdeckingSystems]

In regard to sanding your deck, that is, of course, a decision that should be made after evaluating the thickness left of your deck. If it is marginal, and you only feel you can sand once (instead of before and after caulking), then one way to approach it is to sand the deck before caulking, then tape off your seams before caulking to greatly minimize sanding after caulking. You will find that sanding your deck prior to caulking will mean far less sanding after you caulk (without using tape). Since sanding helps to remove the grooves in the deck that hold the caulk after applying it to the seams, it takes a very nominal amount of sanding after caulking if the deck is already nice and flat. If you caulk before sanding with no tape, it takes far more sanding to remove all the caulk excess if no tape was used. The reason this happens is the sanding not only removes the rough, harder grain that you see when the deck has been worn over time but also flattens the teak surface; in other words, sort of surface hardens it. Teak has a lot of natural resins, and sanding is like applying a new finish to your teak that will make caulking easier and give you the benefit of a longer wearing surface. If you have any questions about how you should approach your re-seaming project, please feel free to call us. Sometimes, we will ask for pictures to help us give you the best possible recommendations.

[@hallbergrassy352]

@@TeakdeckingSystems thank you for the lengthy and informative response! It makes sense to sand before caulking as you suggest, and I think the result would be really good looking. But it would eat up a lot of teak thickness. Personally I intend to tape the entire deck before caulking as to save as much of the teak as possible. I’ve cut out 98% of the old seams by now, and still have a lot of work to finish before I can start taping and recaulking.

[@L.Scott_Music]

It probably shouldn't matter but this works with mahogany fine, right?

[@TeakdeckingSystems]

It sticks fine to mahogany, but there will be a problem if you try to varnish over it. Nothing wrong with using it as a sealing bead at a base joint, where you can varnish right up to the caulk. Some people also apply the caulk after varnishing, please read my previous reply that addresses how to best perform that task.

[@jackshea6937]

OK guys, nice job BUT after the caulking sets and deck sanded - then what?! Varnish and paint will not adhere to 440; if I want to varnish the deck do I just varnish right over the 440 seams. If I varnish before the 440 goes in won't the varnish run into the empty seams, making an adhesion problem for the 440?

[@TeakdeckingSystems]

Thank you. We are often asked about varnishing and how it can be done with our SIS440 teak deck caulk. Unfortunately, to achieve the longevity that our SIS440 is known for, it had to be made in such a way that it would withstand UV, about any chemical you can throw at it, and a considerable amount of deck flexing/wood movement. To achieve all of these things, we had to give up something, and that, unfortunately, was making a product that varnish would not stick to. Having said that, we do have some customers that are determined to work around that issue. After a phone call with a customer recently who was restoring an old Lyman runabout, we discussed how he could work out using our SIS440 and varnishing “with it”. (not over it) What he did was to varnish the deck, then carefully taped off his caulk seams. He then used some sandpaper and carefully roughed up the seams, vacuumed them, and cleaned them with isopropyl alcohol. (you don’t want acetone near fresh varnish!) He then freshened up the tape and used our white caulk in the seams. A lot of work, admittedly, but he had already experienced problems with two other popular brands that both failed. It was worth it to him to go the extra mile; the result was fantastic! If you would like to email me (Jeff) at [e-mail] I think I can find the picture he sent of the finished project. In addition to that method, some customers (especially in the UK) have sanded and then varnished over our caulk. But these boats are covered most of their life, and inside. Eventually, it can and probably will fail, but they had such bad luck with other sealants they were willing to try. There is a primer that will help if you can find it. A water-based shellac applied over the seams appears to provide enough isolation from the movement of the caulk and will bond to it, but the source we used to have for it in Florida quit making it. If you find something like that made by someone else, we’d be willing to test it. There is one other product you might want to look into that customers have used with our caulk successfully in the past, which is Deks Olje #1 & #2 wood finish. They use a special additive that makes the varnish flexible. We cannot promise success with any product/method, just trying to give you all of the information I have. ANY solution you decide to try should always be tested first before proceeding. As you can see by reading the above, there are ways to try and varnish with our SIS440, but unfortunately at this time we still have to have as our official policy that you cannot reliably varnish over our caulk.

[@jovitocagampang]

Hello,what is the best glue for under net the teakwood.. I want to repair the deck in the ships..thanks

[@TeakdeckingSystems]

Thanks for your question regarding making repairs to your deck. Our purpose-made teak deck epoxy products are the best and most permanent solution for replacing or re-fastening your decking. We make two recommendations for this, FFE-200, which is a super strong adhesive epoxy that can also be used to fill voids, as it can be sanded. We also have FE-180, which is a bit thicker and has a little longer working time. Both are “equal mix” epoxies, you mix equal amounts of part A&B. Never mix more than you can use in about 40 minutes, and keep in mind that all epoxies will cure faster if a larger amount of the product is mixed at one time. Be sure to clean the area you are working in well, and wipe both the board and deck with acetone prior to gluing. We also have a one-part glue in a sausage tube for small repairs called MPS-4000. It is different than 3M 5200 and other similar glues as it has a very quick “green time”; in other words, be sure when you place the board in that glue that it is where you want it to be! The MPS-4000 is specially made to keep a part where you place it. Although we always would rather use epoxies to glue decking, the MPS-4000 is a good alternative if you want to make a quick and easy repair.

[@ete4445]

If I choose to sand (I am using sapele wood) what do I use to finish my deck? I want to use wesr systems clear epoxy followed by marine varnish or just marine varnish. However, I read that epoxy and or varnish does not adhere well to caulking!? Also the decking strips would be applied to the deck substraight via epoxy. The cured epoxy is now underneath the caulking lines! So is this problematic?

[@TeakdeckingSystems]

Hello, let me first address your question regarding the deck substrate glued with epoxy. Which epoxy did you use? Our FFE-200 or FE-180 will adhere just fine to decking with our caulk. I cannot recall having had a customer first use West Epoxy and then varnish over it, so I’m not sure how that would last long term. Most likely the West Epoxy would stay adhered to the deck due to the “bridging effect” of having the epoxy layer that adheres to the wood forming a continuous layer over the caulk seam. We don’t know how long the wood movement may occur over time before you start to see a “shadow” where the caulk may begin to separate from the epoxy. Without testing, this is something we cannot predict. Officially, we have to say that you cannot varnish or epoxy over our caulk as it doesn’t last long-term. Still, please read my prior reply to another customer who asked about varnishing for other possibilities. We have had customers who used Deks Olje #1 & #2 successfully over our caulk; it is a thinner product and has that additive they use, making it a flexible finish. These are all suggestions, but please conduct a test before proceeding with your entire deck. Unfortunately, our official policy still has to be that varnish does not adhere well to our caulk because of its composition and how much it can - and generally will move with the nature of wood, the natural expansion and contraction.

[@n1izzypugizzy94]

Boat boys💯🙌🏻😂

[@moserwilli7112]

And almost nobody explain us how to reroute the seams. Mine are 0,5 to 1 mm as everything else were sanded off. But I got 10 mm left. Next... I think you can not repair a new decking as it has only got 6mm of wood ond often not even teak. I have a plate here: 7 mm, 2mm teak and 5 mm cross layed plywood. The seams are fake ones and only 1-2 mm deep. Conclusion: never ever try to renew the teakdeck as you will get a deck that will only outlast ten years - if you are lucky. And you pay 20.000 + USD for that scrap.

[@TeakdeckingSystems]

Hello, you have some good questions and observations. Many decks are built with a “rabbet”, in other words when the deck is laid the builder cuts a “notch” usually about halfway or slightly more in the boards and that is used to space them when they are laid out on the deck for fastening or gluing. You mentioned that you have 10mm of wood depth left, but then also said 2mm? If it is 10mm of teak, then you have plenty to work with. But, if there is a thin layer of teak built on 5mm of plywood, that doesn’t leave you anything to work with. I always recommend that a customer looking to re-seam their deck to first perform a survey to determine if the process is worthwhile. Unfortunately, not all vessel manufacturers build decks the same and although I don’t know what type boat you have, I know that some powerboats from the UK, Italy, and France all may have been supplied with decks that have a thin layer of teak, and sometimes use a plywood substrate. This can be deceiving, as it appears that you have more to work with than you really do. Hopefully, a reputable company will warn you if they see that the deck really is not worth re-seaming. I recommend customers to use a pen knife and check the deck in at least a dozen different places, all over the vessel. For instance, you will find more wear up (& less depth) forward on the forward bow-weatherdeck and on the swim platform than you will find further aft on the walkways and in the cockpit. Before committing to a re-seam, educate yourself! If any doubts or if you need more information - please call us and we will help you evaluate your deck.

[@moserwilli7112]

@@TeakdeckingSystems Thank you for your reply. Well I already did it and I had 10 mm (former 15mm) of natural grown teak. Dokumentation: net.co.at/Vagabond47_Teakdeckrenovation_EN.pdf The main problem is the fast grown plantation teak on new boats. This teak is not worth to spent the money for the craftmanship required to lay it on deck. My teak is of 19981 and it was no problem at this time in Taiwan to get natural teak