What and how to stick down teak

DavidJ

DavidJ

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Got some new teak steps (mounted on marine ply) for my Sealine. Still available after 20 years!!
Next, after scrapping the old ones off the grp, how and what to I stick the new ones down with. Do I apply the (unknown as yet) adhesive in ridges like tiling or as one smooth coat or indeed let it ‘worm’ out as I would doing domestic wood fittings.
advice please



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The existing

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I did some steps in fake teak on a previous boat and used Sikaflex in ridges if memory serves. Not sure of it would be the same for real teak (ridges) but my assumption would be that it is.
.
 
just use teak caulk its by sika too its black and like tar and high gloss it makes a rare old mess but if you tape it off properly looks great think its the 290 range
 
DavidJ said:
Thanks chaps
Yes tape (lots of it) is a good suggestion.
Just looking up Sika and found Sikaflex 291i which they say is used for bonding boat building materials ….got to be the one!
Click to expand...
I think it is 290 they recommend. Teak releases oils, which if I recall correctly make 291 and other products unsuitable as caulk or teak sealants. Others like 3M 4200 are attacked by deck cleaners/oil and fuel spills.

Original decks are usually fixed down with epoxy, applied with serrated trowels. TDS make a product, also a good caulk, which would probably do the job too.
 
This is the stuff that I have been using for sticking the synthetic teak down.
Much cheaper than Sikaflex.
Single part - use it like Sikaflex
The actual product name is Arbomeric MP20
See here:-
Arbomeric MP20 - ARBO

These people seem to be good at supplying it - on line as well.
ARBOMERIC MP20 Cartridge - Midland Sealants

The black can be used for caulking the edges afterwards as well.
Probably best to buy it in the 380ml cartridge.
They do supply in the 600ml foil sausage but I have only been able to get that in grey.

On a hot day in July, once spread out, we only had about 8 to 10 mins to get the panel laid.
So, in our case, we had a procedure of only doing a small section at a time.
Squirt it out onto the deck - and used a tile spreader to spread it out evenly - use lots.
Of course, we could roll up the deck, do a bit, roll out a bit, do a bit more, roll out a bit , etc etc.

I say all this to give you an idea of how it works.
Knowing the Arbomeric MP20 now, if I were doing your job, I think that is what I would use.

BTW - good luck getting the old off - thats always the difficult bit.
Remember PPPPPP - Piss Poor Preparation Produces Poor Performance.
 
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Many thanks hitch, Zing and Hurricane (sounds like a 70’s pop group)
I‘ve downloaded the Arbomeric data sheet and will browse tomorrow. It would be handy to use the same for adhesion and caulking as it’s really only a tiny job and in comparison to yours Mike it‘s a before breakfast job.
I will take your point about preparation and aim to get out there in March so will be cool.
Thanks for the spreading out evenly tip, it was my instinct so you don’t leave channels for water to eventually find its way, good to confirm.
I notice they have left ”ears” on the bull nose. If they need to be sawn off I’d rather do that at home but I can’t see that they have a purpose like fitting into the side grp. I’m just hesitant, any thoughts?
 
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DavidJ said:
Many thanks hitch, Zing and Hurricane (sounds like a 70’s pop group)
I‘ve downloaded the Arbomeric data sheet and will browse tomorrow. It would be handy to use the same for adhesion and caulking as it’s really only a tiny job and in comparison to yours Mike it‘s a before breakfast job.
I will take your point about preparation and aim to get out there in March so will be cool.
Thanks for the spreading out evenly tip, it was my instinct so you don’t leave channels for water to eventually find its way, good to confirm.
I notice they have left ”ears” on the bull nose. If they need to be sawn off I’d rather do that at home but I can’t see that they have a purpose like fitting into the side grp. I’m just hesitant, any thoughts?
Click to expand...

do the job in at least two stages
remove the old stuff, clean it all up
assess
mark the new stuff as to what needs trimming
do that where you have sturdy support / tools

then fit it, don't forget to bring some small wood trimming tools

disposable gloves as it is going to get messy
 
The comments about messy are spot on - no matter how careful I was Sikaflex seemed to find its way to somewhere it shouldn’t be and was a bu###r to remove.
 
Greg2 said:
The comments about messy are spot on - no matter how careful I was Sikaflex seemed to find its way to somewhere it shouldn’t be and was a bu###r to remove.
Click to expand...
Wonder wipes are pretty good for mopping / cleaning difficult to remove substances
 
I've learned a lot about applying silicons over the last couple of years.
Caulking is, without doubt, very difficult to get right.
If you aren't careful, you can "pull the sealant out" as you wipe your finger across it.
My final solution was to mask it all up using a good quality (3M) masking tape.
Before starting I mix a small amount of washing up liquid with water in a small pot (about 50% water 50% washing up liquid)
Then apply the sealant into the groove to be caulked - don't add too much but just enough to fill the groove.
Using a finger that has just been dipped in the washing up liquid solution, I then remove the excess caulking.
The washing up solution stops your finger from sticking to the sealant.

After you have finished you can either remove the masking tape immediately or leave the sealant to set.
There are pros and cons here.
Pull the masking tape off immediately, and you are in danger of pulling the sealant out of the slot.
Leaving it until the sealant had set makes it difficult to remove the masking tape.

If you have time, leaving it to set is the better way - I then use a modelling knife to carefully cut the edge of the masking tape.
I bought a "Super Fresco Wallpaper Trimmer" which is great for cutting/removing the tape on the longer lengths.
See it in action here:-

However, if you opt for pulling the tape off before the sealant sets, you could run over it again with a washing up liquid solution dipped finger.
Using the washing up liquid definitely helps to stop your finger from sticking to the sealant.

Thats where I am anyway.
 
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