How thin can i sand my teak deck?

[AleCiotti]

Hi guys my teak deck is approximately 6-7mm and in some points 8mm, and it's looking very bad, just cleaning it with some products won't change much, so my only option at this point is to recaulk and then sand.

Do you think I will be able to sand it a little bit without it becoming too thin to the point where it can break?

 

[PCUK]

You can safely go down to about 4mm before it becomes liable to cracking. Just take off as little as possible.

 

[AleCiotti]

You can safely go down to about 4mm before it becomes liable to cracking. Just take off as little as possible.

will do, thanks for the fast reply!

 

[Hunterlees]

Is the deck held down with screws and plugs or just glued`?

 

[Refueler]

A light sand just to remove 'grey' .... then Decking stain to UV / weather protect ... no need to reduce thickness unless you are removing dips / chips etc.

 

[AleCiotti]

Is the deck held down with screws and plugs or just glued`?

the deck is glued with epoxy I think. no screws

 

[AleCiotti]

A light sand just to remove 'grey' .... then Decking stain to UV / weather protect ... no need to reduce thickness unless you are removing dips / chips etc.

ok, what about seam depth how shallow is too shallow? currently have 2mm which is very bad, I will be changing the teak deck in September but I will be using the boat this summer and i would like to do a bit of recaulking, is it possible? will it at least last until September?
Thanks

 

[Ray Purchase]

Before you ruin your knees and back sanding, try this stuff out, no connection to the company just had great results with it.

COMBO PACK | Teak Wonder

 

[AleCiotti]

Hi Ray, i appreciate the suggestion, though i don't really like Teak Wonder as it's a very acidic product and it can damage the teak and the caulking if not compatible.
I prefer to use something like eco 100 eco 300 from teak decking systems for regular cleaning

I will probably not be sanding as my teak deck is already thin as well as the seams, so at most I will recaulk using masking tape and sand as little as I can.

 

[Ray Purchase]

Hi Ray, i appreciate the suggestion, though i don't really like Teak Wonder as it's a very acidic product and it can damage the teak and the caulking if not compatible.
I prefer to use something like eco 100 eco 300 from teak decking systems for regular cleaning

I will probably not be sanding as my teak deck is already thin as well as the seams, so at most I will recaulk using masking tape and sand as little as I can.

OK, good luck with the project

 

[Nina Lucia]

Before you ruin your knees and back sanding, try this stuff out, no connection to the company just had great results with it.

COMBO PACK | Teak Wonder

We use "Semco Clear" after Teak Wonder and I think make big difference

 

[MattK1969]

After having an old teak deck for a few years I have learnt;
1. Never sand it, you are just accelerating the wear process. After sanding it soon looks like you didn't sand it.
2. You can remove the screws and glue in new plugs no problem.
3. Use the two pack teak cleaner, which is basically bleach followed by oxalic acid. It looks great after this, but this does accelerate wear a bit IMHO.
4. Don't scrub as a matter of course, you will wear it out.

Picture shows recent two pack teak cleaner application. Don't sand it!!