Best glue for teak toerail

robmcg

robmcg

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My teak toerail has come apart at the join. It was screwed and capped with a teak plug but I think it needs gluing. What's everyone using these days for a more permanent repair?
 
PU Glue Exterior grade.

It is Seawater Proof ..... cures by using the moisture in the wood and air .... expands to fill all cracks / crannys and is easily sanded back and painted.

There are various brands on the market ... Gorilla Glue is well known ... but you can find generic in DIY / Builders Merchants ....

Bison PU is similar price for the large bottle as the smaller GG bottle here (they are same product) :

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I have had the same experience, teak plugs popping out and a piece set in to repair damage. I used epoxy, strong and no shrinkage but not the best UV resistance. Woodskin on top seems to have solved that problem.
 
Only reservation I have with Epoxy ... and I am a regular Epoxy user in modelling / domestic stuff ... is that it does not bond well with such as Teak - which are 'oily' woods.
Its why I use PU Glue which does bond well and unlike Epoxy does not break down over time from the seawater etc.
 
Refueler said:
Only reservation I have with Epoxy ... and I am a regular Epoxy user in modelling / domestic stuff ... is that it does not bond well with such as Teak - which are 'oily' woods.
Its why I use PU Glue which does bond well and unlike Epoxy does not break down over time from the seawater etc.
Click to expand...
See #2
It's specifically designed for it ?
 
Clean old glue out of joint with sharp chisel, wipe teak joint down with acetone, GLUE WITH EPOXY, hold together with clamps or scotch tape if necessary,
clean up with 120 grit on soft wood or cork block if necessary.
 
Epoxy. Bonds just fine with teak. Perhaps not brand new teak, but then it probably isn't! If there's gaps to fill, thicken the epoxy a bit. Epoxy is totally waterproof, but not very UV resistant - but normally it doesn't stick out much in this application.

We've have teak plugs with epoxy on the cap rail and at 22 years of age the teak has weathered away faster than the epoxy :)
 
You can use either. If epoxy clean surface with acetone, prime with thin coat of epoxy and then apply thickened coat and clamp well. Epoxy does break down with UV (although you won’t have much glue line showing) a coat of a UV absorbing varnish would be good. If using exterior grade foaming PU then clean joint as above dampen with water, apply PU and clamp. If you use any backing pads with either method then make sure you cover with something like packing tape.
 
Quick update so far it's Gorilla glue 1 - epoxy 0. Cleaned and acetoned the join and used some thickened epoxy. Clamped solid for 24 hours. It seemed to work fine but after the first heavy rain the join came apart again. Gorilla glue still holding in there after a few soakings. If that fails, I will try option 3 suggested by Ammonite ?.
 
The problem is that toe-rails are always under stress - regardless of how much steaming to get the curve etc. That means any glue used - unless it binds well with the wood - will not hold for long. GG (generic term PU) has a better bind with the wood than any regular resin.

Quite often also - by time this sort of event happens - the toe-rail material is soft or even rotten and the fastenings to hull do not hold well enough to help you glue.

My toe-rail (teak) is well past its replacement date and I am doing same as OP to eek a season or so longer before succumbing to the inevitable. This year is headlining .. next is toe-rail.
 
Refueler said:
The problem is that toe-rails are always under stress - regardless of how much steaming to get the curve etc. That means any glue used - unless it binds well with the wood - will not hold for long. GG (generic term PU) has a better bind with the wood than any regular resin.

Quite often also - by time this sort of event happens - the toe-rail material is soft or even rotten and the fastenings to hull do not hold well enough to help you glue.

My toe-rail (teak) is well past its replacement date and I am doing same as OP to eek a season or so longer before succumbing to the inevitable. This year is headlining .. next is toe-rail.
Click to expand...

er… snap! Teak toe rail capping on last legs. But you can’t get teak now and nothing else is as good for this job. I have one split and I think I can get a couple of #4 bronze screws sideways to help the glue. (will use epoxy as that’s what I’ve got!)
 
Athomson said:
Do you have experience to say how long does this lasts once opened?
Click to expand...
The manufacturers suggest using it within a year once opened. Unopened it will last 5+ years so buying the smaller syringes may prove more economical in the long run. Mine has been opened a couple of years and the last time I used it was in March to glue back a 3ft long piece of teak toerail that had been pulled off in a storm. This is below one of the aft cleats so there tends to be a fair bit of downwards pressure on it when moored up and so far it's holding up fine. When I tested it on a scrap piece of teak the wood gave up first so it appears to live up to their claims. Unlike regular epoxy you don't degrease it. There's full instructions in my initial post.
 
Last edited:
robmcg said:
Quick update so far it's Gorilla glue 1 - epoxy 0. Cleaned and acetoned the join and used some thickened epoxy. Clamped solid for 24 hours. It seemed to work fine but after the first heavy rain the join came apart again. Gorilla glue still holding in there after a few soakings. If that fails, I will try option 3 suggested by Ammonite ?.
Click to expand...
I expect the epoxy failed because of glue starvation in the joint - should not be clamped hard, only enough to hold it in place while the epoxy cures. When I have fixed toe rail scarf joints with epoxy I have used pan head self tappers to hold the joint closed, then removed and bored for a plug. The plug long enough to go through both pieces of wood and epoxied in.
 
Tranona said:
I expect the epoxy failed because of glue starvation in the joint - should not be clamped hard, only enough to hold it in place while the epoxy cures. When I have fixed toe rail scarf joints with epoxy I have used pan head self tappers to hold the joint closed, then removed and bored for a plug. The plug long enough to go through both pieces of wood and epoxied in.
Click to expand...

I agree and like the plug idea
 
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