Teakguard...

[BrianH]

As I'm intending on sanding down the deck should or could I caulk first then sand as I wouldn't need to do the painstaking & time consuming job of taping off the planks???

I think not, the caulking black can stain deeper than you may wish to sand down to - it is vile stuff that in my hands gets everywhere, marking everything; I would never dream of not masking everywhere it should not be that is anywhere near adjacent to where it should.

Tranona has the right technique; the caulking should be applied well proud of the deck level - it will shrink considerably on hardening and if it sinks below deck level it will retain a shiny surface and look out of place with the cut and sanded matte surface of all the other caulking.

A bond breaker tape should be run at the bottom of the groove so that only the sides have a caulking bond. I didn't do that and many of those caulking bonds have broken, probably because I didn't.

Barnac1e, your deck looks the bees knees... Very nice sir..!!!!!

Like I said, They always look good at a distance - even mine. Close up, it's a disaster.

BTW, I don't think much of your oiling plan - I once did that, big mistake, like the Coelan, It all had to come off.

 

[wazza]

I am using Sabacaulk on the new teak deck I am laying. Recommendation is to fill with a nozzle exactly the width of the seam to 2mm above the timber, then pare of (at least 7 days later) with a sharp chisel before sanding with an orbital sander and 120 grit. Not yet done it (still gluing the teak down), but makes sense.

And sand with what grade of gritt is recommended?
And are you going to lay anything in between the teak before the caulk?

 

[Twister_Ken]

Current PBO has some tips on using sealants from the man at Sika.

 

[Tranona]

And sand with what grade of gritt is recommended?
And are you going to lay anything in between the teak before the caulk?

As I said - recommended 120 grit. Saba is a Dutch competitor to Sika. They have good information on their site. The distributor in UK is Marineware, and one of the reasons why I chose them is that they are local to me for technical support. If you have the usual rebated seams then the recommendation is breaker tape so that the sealant does not stick to the bottom and a primer for the edges to ensure good adhesion to the teak. Saba (like Sika) is a moisture curing polyurethane, which I think is different from the sealant used in older Scandinavian boats. Best to take advice from the manufacturer of the chosen sealant.

 

[BrianH]

Saba (like Sika) is a moisture curing polyurethane, which I think is different from the sealant used in older Scandinavian boats.

My old HR has a silicon-based caulking, which I have been told is harder than polyurethane and when the wood wears the seams are left proud on the deck. With traffic across the seams, this tends to loosen the bonding. When I tried to cut back with a sharp chisel the hardness caused a ripple effect, visible because it also was reflective. This needed a sander to restore a flat and matte appearance.

To think I could have been sailing instead of working on my hands and knees in the hot sun all those years!

 

[wazza]

Barnac1e I have a Najad so the same type of caulking. But when I coated the coach roof with xtreem coat I used a MS Polymer as you can paint over it unlike silicon.

My original post regarding this 'Teak Guard' look at their website. The job of recaulking & sanding still needs doing but to keep the beautiful golden brown colour the whole season..

 

[BrianH]

My original post regarding this 'Teak Guard' look at their website. The job of recaulking & sanding still needs doing but to keep the beautiful golden brown colour the whole season..

I must admit I did not look at their website - nothing like sounding off in a thread and ignoring the original question. But without actual experience of the product it would be pointless giving an opinion, so I didn't, just commented on another's comment about a similar product.

Now I have looked and it tells me very little:

"How is Teak Guard different from normal teak-oil or teak sealer?
Unlike other coatings , the UV protecting features are made to protect the wood itself from UV radiation and not only the coating. Due to the small size of the UV absorbers, it is invisible. Teak Guard® Marine is the first marine Teak protection utilising this technology in a clear impregnation. The nanoscale blend enables the treatment to penetrate deep into the substrate without altering the natural look and feel of the Teak. Furthermore is it stain resistant and extremely water repellent."​

Any of that could be written by any one of their teak sealer competitors.

A comment about "teak oil" suppliers. There are two types of oil sold as teak oil - tung oil and linseed oil .. the former is infinitely better than the latter - and more expensive. But when you look at all the "teak oils" on the market where I am, you will be hard put to find a list of ingredients on the container because they are all proprietary products and want to keep their recipes secret. And they will invariably have some "special ingredient", which is often a varnish type additive (sometimes not even hinted at on the tin) ... and therein lies an unwanted component - initially attractive but a long-term disaster. Below is my deck after applying such a product, which subsequently had to be removed with a lot of work ... again.

 

[ccscott49]

Just had a look at the teakguard prices! They charge like a wounded bull!
Stuff that, I'll continue with my once a year cleaning with Wessex teak cleaning products! Leave the deck un-treated and sluice down with salt water, which I do everyday anyway, due to being in the meddy.