Teak deck: screws sewing but no space for plugs

[Davidrivercrouch]

Hello. I am a new member but have read many informative replies in here about teak decking and followed advice to bring a neglected teak deck back to life. Very helpful (essential!) advice, thanks. But I have one question and wonder if anybody has experience of this?

On my deck, a few screw tops are now visible (shiney stainless steel) but there is insufficient space to fit the wooden plugs which I have read about in here. The space above the screw head is about 1mm.

Many screws appear to be covered in a light brown material that looks very similar to the teak and I am not sure what this is. Any suggestions for how to cover the exposed screws will be gratefully received, thanks.

 

[ghostlymoron]

The only way would be to remove each screw, deepen the hole and replace screw with a wooden plug on top. Failing that you could replace with fake teak which doesn't use screws.
Either option is a great deal of work.

 

[chinita]

As suggested above you can remove screws and drill a deeper hole using the appropriately sized Forstner bit. You may also need to examine the possibility that you may need to replace with slightly shorter screws depending on the nature of the sub deck.

It also depends on the depth of the remaining teak.

You may also look at what the screws are actually doing and whether you need to re-bed each and every one, or remove screw and plug.

I once replaced the plugs on a boat to discover that about one third of the plugs had no screw underneath!

If you go ahead make sure you invest in some proper knee pads : )

 

[VicS]

Have the screw heads merely been covered with a teak coloured filler.?

 

[pvb]

You can get special low-profile head screws which give more space for the teak plug. You'll still need to deepen the hole a little, very carefully, using a Forstner bit (which drills a flat-bottomed hole). Then fit the new plug with PVA wood glue, and after it's dried slice the top of the plug off with a very sharp chisel.

 

[BrianH]

I have invested much time and money attempting to maintain my 30 year-old teak deck. My next major project is to tear it all off, epoxy fill the screw-holes and cover the substantial (closed-cell cored base) GRP deck with deck paint. In the interim I have deepened the many, many screw-holes and plug depth and replaced screw and teak plug.

However, conscious that a deeper hole in the core doesn't seem like a good idea, I latterly have deepened only the plug depth, poured a runny, two-part, epoxy glue sparingly into the screw-hole then inserted a wooden (bamboo) stick - such as are sold to skewer grill food - short enough to only reach the base of the plug, and inserted a new teak plug. This is only practicable with a stable teak deck well secured by the hundreds of other screws, as mine is.

 

[chinita]

Sharp chisel to cut plugs is fine but you run the risk of digging in to the plug (unless you approach with the grain from two directions).

I bought these, they are the Dogs:

http://www.rutlands.co.uk/sp+woodwo...myCzn6xcepAxV1jonIJj8f9NkH6Ohe5ocYhoCiB_w_wcB

 

[pvb]

Sharp chisel to cut plugs is fine but you run the risk of digging in to the plug (unless you approach with the grain from two directions).

I bought these, they are the Dogs:

http://www.rutlands.co.uk/sp+woodwo...myCzn6xcepAxV1jonIJj8f9NkH6Ohe5ocYhoCiB_w_wcB

Yes, I bought one of those, but found that a very sharp chisel, used carefully, allowed me to simply shave the plug off flush with the surface. Might have had something to do with practice - there were hundreds of the things!

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Scary-sharp chisel, (the wider, the better), held firmly and used in a slicing motion.

 

[wazza]

I've done similar to Barnac1e, taking out the screws and filling the holes with epoxy and a plug...

 

[Ann-Marie]

Instead of raising the bridge, lower the road.http://www.yandina.com/TeakPlug.html

 

[pvb]

Instead of raising the bridge, lower the road.http://www.yandina.com/TeakPlug.html

As the OP said that the screwhead was about 1mm below the deck, I don't think the solutions you suggest are viable.

 

[john_morris_uk]

I've done a handful of these on the bits of team decking in my cockpit. I confess I didn't use a Forstner drill put bug a very sharp cobalt bit.

The trick with cutting the plugs off is a very sharp chisel and don't be too greedy with each cut. As you get closer to the surface you need to be 'shaving' layers of wood off.

Either that or get close and use a palm sander carefully. (Or a block and sand paper.)

 

[Orla]

I've just completed my whole deck and replaced about 600 screws.

As others have said remove the old screw re-drill the hole with the appropriate Forstner bit, re-fit the screw then re-plug, I mixed a little epoxy for this to glue the plug in place, but other glues may work just as well, then chisel of the excess plug material and after a light sanding should look really good.

A lot depends on how much teak you have left on your deck, also how the deck was first laid, if the deck was well glued down you may get away with not refitting the screw and just plugging.

Here's my story:-www.youtube.com/channel/UCKnij5kpuAcRxuYXa5m8QiQ

Doug