Teak deck - is just sanding enough?

[pjbori]

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?

Thanks!

[Cheechako]

Pics would help. Proper recaulking is a big job. Do it right with the right 2 part caulking.
It sounds like maybe the PO just did a partial job and the caulk he added (rather than replaced it all) is coming loose?
Normally I would say just sand the deck with a power sander if the caulk was good.
After sanding, if you just dowse with salt water on the bare wood often it will look better, retaining a light brown-grey look.

Removing the caulking requires a couple custom width tools to get it all out of the groove and a lot of time on your knees. Then fill with good caulk after super cleaning with appropriate solvent, let it harden and sand the caulk flush with the wood.

[pjbori]

Hi Cheechako!

Thanks! Attached some photos. The caulking on the deck seems fine enough, so in that case a simple sand would do there? It's in the cockpit that it's coming off more (makes sense I guess, it's the most used part of the boat), so a replacement there seems more needed. I can buy those special tools in my local shop here, and they're selling caulking by Teak Decking Systems, which seems to be highly regarded?

[Cheechako]

It appears pretty typical for an old worn deck. Some bungs are coming out? or too thin from previous sanding? The caulking is cracked and old it appears. Tough question. In a perfect world a total recaulk, including removing thin bungs and redrilling to lower the screw heads with shorter screws.
I had this done on a 47 footer. It took weeks for a pro to do. He re-screwed in Annapolis and finished the job including caulking in Ft Lauderdale after we sailed south.

Short of the full rebuild, I would probably leave it as is rather than simply sand down the teak in current condition to look better. You will be getting thin and losing bungs in doing so. It's entirely possible that the deck is fine as is. The teak is non skid and in it's current condition it's good non skid!
The key question is: "are you getting water intrusion from the screws" into the core. AND... if there is, are you really willing to go that far? A wet core deck with 5/8" of teak all over may be as strong as a dry deck without teak on it. Those decks were often floated on the 2 part caulk. I removed one from a Hans Christian 38. In the end it was a bit stupid because I found no water intrusion, because of all the caulk. I had to break the teak apart to get it off the deck, even though I unscrewed it.

That leaves us with "is there water intrusion?". Remove a few of the exposed screws after a dry week and see if there is any water under there? That's still not 100% confidence there is or isn't an issue.

I'm not much help I guess.

You can just replace the exposed screws and bungs, patch caulk here and there and sand lightly after I suppose. That's probably the best plan without getting into a huge project. Sail!

[Cheechako]

If you decide to go to major effort, do the cockpit first and then decide how far to go on the rest of the boat maybe?

[C420sailor]

Can’t advise on the caulk, but I was surprisingly happy with the results I got from the starbrite teak cleaner and brightener. A gentle scrub with a scotchbrite was all it took, no sanding.

[pjbori]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

You can just replace the exposed screws and bungs, patch caulk here and there and sand lightly after I suppose. That's probably the best plan without getting into a huge project. Sail!

I think I would go with this suggestion, and then only do in the cockpit area for now. I think the teak is relatively thin, hence also the missing bungs. Based on your idea, could I technically remove the exposed screws, and simply replace them with shorter ones, that way avoiding having to drill? Or is drilling as simple as it sounds (i.e. no sealants, etc.)?

And once that's done, I'll apply the new caulk, and then sand? So no sanding before the new caulk? And lastly, what grit paper would you recommend, if I just want a little refreshment, without taking away a lot of the teak?

Thank you very much for the extensive responses!

[Emmalina]

Do the caulking then sand ! Oh and to make it look good scotchbrite and elbow grease lol

[LakeSuperior]

If you reef out the old caulking and pay with a two part you will need to place a strip of bond breaker tape in the bottom of each channel.

Make sure the sides of the channel are new wood clean.

These steps will put the caulking cross-section in a 2D stress configuration which is much stronger and the caulking will be water tight longer.

A 3D stress peals the caulking away from the corners of the channel and before you know it the deck is leaking.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by pjbori

I think I would go with this suggestion, and then only do in the cockpit area for now. I think the teak is relatively thin, hence also the missing bungs. Based on your idea, could I technically remove the exposed screws, and simply replace them with shorter ones, that way avoiding having to drill? Or is drilling as simple as it sounds (i.e. no sealants, etc.)?

And once that's done, I'll apply the new caulk, and then sand? So no sanding before the new caulk? And lastly, what grit paper would you recommend, if I just want a little refreshment, without taking away a lot of the teak?

Thank you very much for the extensive responses!

Drilling is simple if you get the right bit. Dont use a drill bit. The problem is some screw heads are too close to the top surface to put a bung in without redrilling the bung hole deeper.

It's called a "Stanley Screw Mate". It makes a very clean countersink so a bung fits perfect. There are other types but I really like these. I think the #8 makes a 3/8" bung hole and the #6 makes a 5/16" .... but not sure so find out which you want. The silver collar moves up and down for a deeper or shallower bung hole. The tip moves longer or shorter also. You are just using the tip in the old screw hole as a guide.

You can sand before and then after caulk if you want. Nice to have clean wood. As mentioned for real recaulking you want the groove clean and bare wood if you can get it to that .

[sail sfbay]

[QUOTE=pjbori;3416417][QUOTE=pjbori;3416417].....I recently acquired a beautiful old sailboat with a beautiful old teak deck.... I'm thinking: remove old caulking, sanding the surface and applying new caulking. Is this enough, or is there a step I'm missing?....[QUOTE]

Congratulations on your new sailboat!!

Good plan. Suggest finishing with Semco natural sealant. That is I am using on my teak rail, steps, trim since I did not want to varnish or oil it and it is easy to apply.

https://www.semco-online.com/semco-n...sizes-71-p.asp

[pjbori]

Originally Posted by LakeSuperior

If you reef out the old caulking and pay with a two part you will need to place a strip of bond breaker tape in the bottom of each channel.

Make sure the sides of the channel are new wood clean.

These steps will put the caulking cross-section in a 2D stress configuration which is much stronger and the caulking will be water tight longer.

A 3D stress peals the caulking away from the corners of the channel and before you know it the deck is leaking.

Thanks! At first I only understood 10% of your comment, but after some brain work and google searches I think I get it Still unsure what the 2D and 3D stress configurations are?

[pjbori]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Drilling is simple if you get the right bit. Dont use a drill bit. The problem is some screw heads are too close to the top surface to put a bung in without redrilling the bung hole deeper.

It's called a "Stanley Screw Mate". It makes a very clean countersink so a bung fits perfect. There are other types but I really like these. I think the #8 makes a 3/8" bung hole and the #6 makes a 5/16" .... but not sure so find out which you want. The silver collar moves up and down for a deeper or shallower bung hole. The tip moves longer or shorter also. You are just using the tip in the old screw hole as a guide.

You can sand before and then after caulk if you want. Nice to have clean wood. As mentioned for real recaulking you want the groove clean and bare wood if you can get it to that .

Great advice, thanks!

To slightly change the topic: I came across this video by Teakdecking Systems, of their product called Eco-100 teak cleaner. (here's said video) This seems almost too good to be true, but could I potentially just do the caulking, and instead of sanding, use this once the caulk has settled?

[pjbori]

[QUOTE=sail sfbay;3416930][QUOTE=pjbori;3416417][QUOTE=pjbori;3416417].....I recently acquired a beautiful old sailboat with a beautiful old teak deck.... I'm thinking: remove old caulking, sanding the surface and applying new caulking. Is this enough, or is there a step I'm missing?....

Congratulations on your new sailboat!!

Good plan. Suggest finishing with Semco natural sealant. That is I am using on my teak rail, steps, trim since I did not want to varnish or oil it and it is easy to apply.

https://www.semco-online.com/semco-n...sizes-71-p.asp

Thank you, I'm really stoked!! First sail was a 36 hour non-stop passage from northern-Sweden to Copenhagen so I'm at peace in the harbour for a few days, working on the teak

I would like to avoid having to apply something on a seasonal basis, which seems necessary with this product?

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by pjbori

I think I would go with this suggestion, and then only do in the cockpit area for now. I think the teak is relatively thin, hence also the missing bungs. Based on your idea, could I technically remove the exposed screws, and simply replace them with shorter ones, that way avoiding having to drill? Or is drilling as simple as it sounds (i.e. no sealants, etc.)?

And once that's done, I'll apply the new caulk, and then sand? So no sanding before the new caulk? And lastly, what grit paper would you recommend, if I just want a little refreshment, without taking away a lot of the teak?

Thank you very much for the extensive responses!

As long as that teak is not leaking (someday it will) I wouldn't touch it lest you open a can of worms. Just get some nice cockpit cushions for the boat and call it a day.