Planing teak decks

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Jegs

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Local expert on painting, varnishing & general treatment of wood on boats has recommended that we have the 21 year old decks planed. I seem to recall hearing that this often resulted in the need for re-caulking afterwards. Does anyone have any experience of this operation that they would be kind enough to share?

Thank you,

John G
 
Tread carefully. it really depends on the construction of the deck and how it has worn. Planing is a bit drastic, and if they are so worn that the plane will take a lot off to get it level then it is probably replacement time.

The dangers are that the teak is not very thick, that it is screwed down and plugged and the seams are not full depth. This all limits what you can do. At the age of your boat it would be quite normal to refresh it by replacing the plugs, perhaps sinking the screws lower, recaulking and sanding to get level. You are looking at big bucks as there is a lot of labour, but it might extend the life of the deck by 10-15 years.
 
Jegs said:
Local expert on painting, varnishing & general treatment of wood on boats has recommended that we have the 21 year old decks planed. I seem to recall hearing that this often resulted in the need for re-caulking afterwards. Does anyone have any experience of this operation that they would be kind enough to share?
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I'm surprised that an "expert" would suggest planing a teak deck. It's rather a drastic treatment! At 21 years old, your decks will probably need re-caulking. If they do, get them re-caulked and then sanded. I imagine your boat doesn't have the teak screwed down, so that makes things easier. On my last boat, Hallberg-Rassy 352, I renovated the decks when they were 12 years old. The teak had worn, leaving the caulking standing proud. I sliced off the excess caulking with a craft knife, then used a domestic belt sander very delicately to even up the teak. They still looked good when I sold her this year, although sections of caulking were coming loose and I replaced quite a lot last winter.
 
As others suggest, planing is too severe, especially if the decks are only cosmetic & as such thin (less than 10mm) Solid teak decks on older timber vessels could be as much as 1 1/4" thick so plenty of room.

Try a cabinet scraper, as it is surprising how effective this is if used properly & kept sharp. Only removes a few thou but leaves a much better finish than belt sanding without the risk of digging in to deep. Need to use the correct technique but plenty of info on web. A very good DIY cabinet scraper can be made using the blade of a blunt old rip saw. Use angle grinder to cut any preferred shape with as many edges as you want. Clamp the blade to a piece of wood prior to cutting as this keeps the blade flat whilst using the grinder & then sharpen & use as you would a commercial cabinet scraper. The scraper edges are not angled like knife but exactly square for the correct sharpness.

John Lilley
 
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johnlilley said:
As others suggest, planing is too severe, especially if the decks are only cosmetic & as such thin (less than 10mm) Solid teak decks on older timber vessels could be as much as 1 1/4" thick so plenty of room.

Try a cabinet scraper, as it is surprising how effective this is if used properly & kept sharp. Only removes a few thou but leaves a much better finish than belt sanding without the risk of digging in to deep. Need to use the correct technique but plenty of info on web. A very good DIY cabinet scraper can be made using the blade of a blunt old rip saw. Use angle grinder to cut any preferred shape with as many edges as you want. Clamp the blade to a piece of wood prior to cutting as this keeps the blade flat whilst using the grinder & then sharpen & use as you would a commercial cabinet scraper. The scraper edges are not angled like knife but exactly square for the correct sharpness.

John Lilley
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I would second using a scraper, depending on just how much wood needs removing. I was really impressed with the Harris Contractor Tungsten Carbide Scraper, available for about £8 on line which I used to clean up weathered teak washboards. The scraped board in the picture took me about 10 minutes.
 
Personally (we have teak decks on our Najad 343) I would not plane the decks, because I see no reason to do so, you'll take far too much teak off. Belt sander can easily leave ridges in the teak (done that) an orbital sander is much better when playing with teak decks.
But my question is why would you want/need to do this..???
Is it the look.?
 
My apologies - he did say sand not plane & the suggestion was his [I'd asked for a quote for a repaint]. There are three splits: average 150 mm & max 1 mm wide which he suggests filling with plastic wood, & some of the plugs that look as though they need to be replaced.

Mea Culpa,

John G
 
Again, personally I would not use any type of plastic wood on the decks. I've used another option on a split in my toe rail and that was to 'clean' the split with a tiny file, then I filled it with epoxy mixed with teak dust (saved from sanded teak). Then spread the dust over the top, wait to dry then gently rub back and it'll look just like the grain of the wood...
 
Jegs said:
My apologies - he did say sand not plane & the suggestion was his [I'd asked for a quote for a repaint]. There are three splits: average 150 mm & max 1 mm wide which he suggests filling with plastic wood, & some of the plugs that look as though they need to be replaced.

Mea Culpa,

John G
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But why? Not really able to talk about solutions unless you tell us what the problem is. Why does it need sanded? If he suggested it perhaps you were perfectly happy and he is pulling your chain for a quick buck. Also, you don't say what kind of teak deck. Is it screwed or glued? The more you sand the less deck you have left. It is generally only required after you recaulk if you don't make the effort to be tidy. Worn teak is perfect for its job as it has ridges of hard grain making it slip proof. If you sand it then you need to wait a while for this to redevelop and you lose more teak.
 
pmagowan said:
But why? Not really able to talk about solutions unless you tell us what the problem is. Why does it need sanded? If he suggested it perhaps you were perfectly happy and he is pulling your chain for a quick buck. Also, you don't say what kind of teak deck. Is it screwed or glued? The more you sand the less deck you have left. It is generally only required after you recaulk if you don't make the effort to be tidy. Worn teak is perfect for its job as it has ridges of hard grain making it slip proof. If you sand it then you need to wait a while for this to redevelop and you lose more teak.
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The 'problem' is that it has three small splits, a few of the plugs over the screwheads need replacing & after rain/washing there is a small amount of puddling in one or two places also against the raised caulking. Susan likes the smooth honey coloured section that is always protected by the door mat & the expert said that he worked on a boat from the same manufacturer with excellent results. My general view is don't fix until broken, subject to normal maintenance & I would be happy to have the cracks repaired & the plugs replaced and, in spite of my nine thumbs might well end up trying that.

Why does it need to be sanded? I suppose it seemed likely, in view of it's age that it would need refurbishing & I was hoping that someone would say I've had that done & it was wonderful/don't do it. He also said that he would treat it with teak oil & recommended subsequent annual coatings.

Thank you for your trouble.

John G
 
Splits should be dealt with by cutting out that part of the plank and scarfing new wood in to fix.

If the teak deck is knackered, do as I did......get rid of it and re-glass and epoxy instead.

Old boats with teak decks are a devil to sell so if in doubt, cut your losses.



S.

Do I sound morose and negative? Just tried to watch England play football and had to walk out after 70 mins'.
 
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+ 1 for Boracol 10. Cheapest supplier I know is http://www.diyrefurb.co.uk/buy/boracol-10rh_67.htm

Forget the "honey-coloured" teak, that's only achievable by removing a layer of teak each year which you just don't have to spare. Boracol 10 is a biocide and fungicide which simply prevents anything growing on or in the teak. It's the consistency of water and you simply paint it on to the teak........ takes me 2-3 hours on a 36 footer. I apply twice a year, once at the start of the season and again at the end to see it through the winter. Five litres lasts me approx. 3 years. Also recommended by Hallberg Rassy. Use sensibly with eye protection and nitrile/latex gloves.
 
Jegs said:
The 'problem' is that it has three small splits, a few of the plugs over the screwheads need replacing & after rain/washing there is a small amount of puddling in one or two places also against the raised caulking. Susan likes the smooth honey coloured section that is always protected by the door mat & the expert said that he worked on a boat from the same manufacturer with excellent results. My general view is don't fix until broken, subject to normal maintenance & I would be happy to have the cracks repaired & the plugs replaced and, in spite of my nine thumbs might well end up trying that.

Why does it need to be sanded? I suppose it seemed likely, in view of it's age that it would need refurbishing & I was hoping that someone would say I've had that done & it was wonderful/don't do it. He also said that he would treat it with teak oil & recommended subsequent annual coatings.

Thank you for your trouble.

John G
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As others have pointed out teak is not supposed to be honey coloured unless it is on indoor furniture. A deck should be silver with the odd bit of green(:)). If there is a minor split then you can clean it out an glue it together with epoxy an wood flour. Alternatively, if you like it perfect, replace the plank. Plugs can be replaced but if they are loose on a screwed deck then you must wonder if water has been getting in. It all depends on the initial decking and how it was done. If redoing it then make sure screws don't penetrate the substrate or if they do that epoxy is put in to seal it. If the problem is cosmetic then simply patch it up to your satisfaction. Sanding it is generally a big no no and the only reason to do it is when major work has been done and the levels need to be evened out. If it needs any more than cosmetic work then you might need to take the whole thing up. I am about to do this on mine and I may sand it as part of the levelling procedure when it is put back down.

If this guy thinks he knows his stuff yet he advises sanding and oiling to keep a nice honey colour then he is talking out of his ars!
 
+2 for Boracol, I use this stuff every other year and it's great... Teak should/will be silver when it's aged, live with it or change decks.!!
Do NOT oil it unless you have she'd loads of time on your hands to do this procedure over & over again, at least twice a year..!!!!!
 
wazza said:
+2 for Boracol, I use this stuff every other year and it's great... Teak should/will be silver when it's aged, live with it or change decks.!!
Do NOT oil it unless you have she'd loads of time on your hands to do this procedure over & over again, at least twice a year..!!!!!
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And you only want your teak to last a few years! Oil and elbow grease equals thin teak. I use salt water on mine. Works great, relatively cheap at most chandlers and cleans off easily. Remember to dilute in lots of salt water during use and rinse off with salt water. If your chandler doesn't stock it try a sea near you. I can lend you some of mine at cost plus p&p!
 
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