Teak deck - is just sanding enough?

[timeout2]

Originally Posted by LakeSuperior

I think that something as inexpensive and a simple to use as bond breaker tape that significantly reduces the peel mode on the caulk-teak bond on the side of the seam is a good thing. Particularly in light of the fact that separation of the caulk from the teak is the primary failure mode. Goes in the common sense category.

If and only if the failure mode is the caulk separating from the side of the teak plank. A more common failure mode is hardening and general cracking leaving cracks from 1" to 6" along either side of the plank and that would not be indicative of tension failure.

Common sense tells me an application that worked well for 35 years warrants repeating.

[David B]

Originally Posted by CarlF

It's really best for the teak to let it go grey. Keeping it brown means too much sanding that will mean an earlier deck replacement. But the grey you get with the TDS cleaner is a lovely light brown/silver - with none of the black that comes from mildew and dirt getting into the grain. It's astonishing how much black mildew washes down the deck out of the grain when using the TDS cleaner.

https://www.teakdecking.com/professional-tools/

Except that grey teak is 'weathered' teak, and that means some of the teak is washing over the sides. Then when you clean it, more teak washes over the sides (along with the mould spores/mildew that were feeding on the teak), leaving behind fresh teak to weather away again.

For me, it makes far more sense to protect the teak with a sealer, and let the sealer weather and wash over the side, rather than the teak.

We use Semco 'Natural Tone' once a year (sometimes, once every second year, but we do have a winter cover). It takes around four hours on a fully decked 50' mono, and the resultant look is 'freshly sanded teak' (as evidenced by those who ask us if the boat is new).

[Diantre]

[QUOTE=pjbori;3416417]Hi crew!

I recently acquired a beautiful old sailboat with a beautiful old teak deck. It's actually in relatively good condition (owner said it (the deck) was renovated in 2016), but has since become rather grey, especially in the cockpit area, as well as shedding some of the caulking. I don't like the look of the fancy teak decks which are treated with different chemicals, I like the natural look, but thought maybe a touch of TLC would do it good. I'm thinking: remove old caulking, sanding the surface and applying new caulking. Is this enough, or is there a step I'm missing?

Do not sand teak. Clean it with teak cleaner and oil it after with teak oil

[blue-moon]

I had cockpit sanded and cleaned. Attached picture.Should I
1. treat with teak oil
2. Use teak sealer
3. Or don’t use anything leave as is?

[Tudorsailor]

Originally Posted by blue-moon

I had cockpit sanded and cleaned. Attached picture.Should I
1. treat with teak oil
2. Use teak sealer
3. Or don’t use anything leave as is?

Do you keep your yacht in a warm climate or cold?
FWIW, I would leave it to go grey naturally. Let salt water wash over it regularly. However this is advice from someone who's teak decked yacht is in Greece

TS

[CarinaPDX]

Originally Posted by blue-moon

I had cockpit sanded and cleaned. Attached picture.Should I
1. treat with teak oil
2. Use teak sealer
3. Or don’t use anything leave as is?

Putting oil on it makes it less non-skid, probably shortens the life of the seams, requires maintenance and looks like hell if you let it go. Teak sealer isn't much better. Why do any of that? When cruising on salt water the decks pretty much take care of themselves if you sail hard enough to get the decks wet. Otherwise regular rinsing is good, and if dirty then a bit of Ivory soap flakes in a bucket of water can be used. Gray teak is beautiful .

Greg

[s/v Jedi]

Teak planks that are thinner than 1” (which is all modern teak decks) can’t hold their natural oils in the tropics so you must keep replenishing it with teak oil.

No sealer, just let it turn grey, washing with sea water.

[CarinaPDX]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Teak planks that are thinner than 1” (which is all modern teak decks) can’t hold their natural oils in the tropics so you must keep replenishing it with teak oil.

No sealer, just let it turn grey, washing with sea water.

My decks have about 1/2" teak (originally 5/8") over 3/8" Sapele plywood. No problem in the tropics and Med. But it is also '70s well-seasoned Burma teak, not the lesser stuff widely used today.

Greg

[David B]

Originally Posted by blue-moon

I had cockpit sanded and cleaned. Attached picture.Should I
1. treat with teak oil
2. Use teak sealer
3. Or don’t use anything leave as is?

1. If you like the oiled look - but mould spores like the oil also, as evidenced by black oiled teak that I often see.

3. If you want to be sanding it again later and removing even more teak, meanwhile the greying teak is slowly wearing away by itself and washing over the side. Worked well when teak planks were an inch or so thick, these days I see ten year old decks that are a mess.

2. If you want to preserve your teak (the sealer wears away, not the teak), and keep it looking as great as it does right now. Semco is the best we have found so far as to looking the most natural.
On a 50' mono, fully decked, we treat once a year and it takes just a couple of hours. I have posted this several times, but here is how we do it:

https://youtu.be/Qt0uel_v-kY?t=78

[goboatingnow]

I’m going to seal my cockpit teak. I’m fed up removing marks from bare grey teak.