Can I use a less expensive caulking as a bedding layer?

[Cornishkiwi]

Hey guys

So I'm not to far off from re caulking my teak deck, however my planks still have a bit of thickness to them (12mm). I'm going to use sikaflex 290dc as the main caulking however its pretty expensive stuff, so was wondering if could put a layer down first of cheaper non UV sikaflex and then run the expensive stuff on top, however I'm not sure if they would react differently with each other and just cause it not to work altogether?

Thanks

Keiron

[Cheechako]

I think you will find the reality is it's too hard to do 2 layers. You need a homogeneous caulk so fill it up in one pass completely as you go! That's a lot of work to be risking anything for a few bucks. You are going to end up with lumps and bumps in the groove, full in some places and not in other places if you try to partially fill.
Or you could use the two part deck caulk that most use instead. Not sure but I don't remember it being too expensive.

[Arthurwg]

Er... what's the "two-part deck caulk"?

[ThereAndBack]

Why cheap out on this job? The cost of a teak deck job is all in the labor. No matter which caulk you use it is very cheap compared to the cost of man hours involved. Use the best caulk you can find. Personally I've used Teakdecking systems caulk sis440 with great success.

Put bond breaker tape in the bottom of the grooves before you caulk.

[gmakhs]

If you use sikaflex don't use 295uv it will start going out and making your clothes dirty .
Sikaflex has a special propose product for this job .

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Arthurwg

Er... what's the "two-part deck caulk"?

You know I dont know, a boatwright did my deck with it on two boats. Gallon can and he used empty caulking tubes. Put it in thick and heavy and sanded the whole deck after. I see there is a Boatlife, "Deck-Calk" 2 part product, but it looks pretty expensive and I dont remember what my guy used being a Boat Life product.
Maybe 2 part is the old school way to do it?
Is there a shipwright around you could ask?

But yeah, be careful what you use as some black caulks will get on shoes and get all over your boat.

I dont know where you are, but be very careful if you are somewhere hot like Florida. Caulking in those climates will sometimes cure too fast leaving the caulk full of air bubbles that were expanding out of the caulk and it dried too fast.... ends up like sponge.

[GordMay]

Sikaflex®-290 DC PRO is a specifically designed sealing compound for teak decks.
➥ https://www.sika.com/content/corp/si...90-dc-pro.html

More products tested ➥ https://www.practical-sailor.com/iss...ng_5684-1.html

[john61ct]

Def not an area to go cheap

[Ken Z]

I would not use two types of caulk, the money and labor already invested is not worth the risk of failure.

[Whisper Cappy]

Buy best caulking available. Caulk is never the product to try save money. Good Luck!

[Kenomac]

Use Teak Decking Systems products instead of Sikaflex. Much easier.

[Richard5]

Have you considered closed cell poly foam backing rod? It is made just for this purpose, however used mostly in non-marine applications. Closed cell is for outdoor use. Backing rod is available in different diameters, I've used as small as 1/8th inch.

[Cornishkiwi]

Thank you for the advice,

I think I'll stick to just using the sikaflex 290DC, have put alot of time into this deck, would be a shame to ruin it on the final hurdle hahaha

[SailRedemption]

We used teak deck systems with great success. We wrote about our job in our blog.

http://redemptiverepair.com/2017/01/...-to-love-them/

[Simi 60]

I was told by a shipwright mate of mine, who has done teak decks on superyachts since the 80's that the sikaflex pro sausages are same same but different.
The difference most likely being the price.
He was apparently told this by an ex sika rep

We have used the sausages for glueing all of the feet for our 250watt panels on the roof (no fasteners) and 80 knots of wind hast affected them.

We did do a test first to make sure it worked.