Opinion seems to be divided on whether teak decks on a boat are good or bad. Personally I love them providing they are properly laid and maintained. I’ll be discussing looking after teak in a later posting but for today I wanted to go through the steps for a correctly laid teak deck, what’s involved and how to go about it. The step-by-step photos below refer to a teak overlay on a fiberglass or wooden deck. On a more traditional craft where the teak deck forms a integral and structural part of the craft the final result will look similar to the eye but the installation methods are very different to those described here and will form part of a later article.
There is no doubt about it that this project is pretty advanced so before going ahead and trying to undertake a huge project like the complete boat deck start with a small panel that you can use as a hatch cover, cockpit sole or whatever. Starting small means that you will build skills and confidence, you won’t be overwhelmed with the scale and complexity and you can expect to be finished in a reasonable time frame.
The first step is to fully prepare the substrate to accept the teak strip. For the purposes of this article I am using an engine box cover, which is marine plywood, coated with non-skid paint.
1. Grind off any existing non-skid using a sander with a coarse grit paper. I used 36 grit, which is fast but makes plenty of dust so wear a mask and goggles. Keep the sander moving so as not to make ridges in the surface. Use a light touch stopping often to sweep away the dust and check on progress. Run your fingers over the surface to check for hollows and lumps. If your boat has a diamond tread moulded into the fiberglass you need to completely sand that off until the surface is smooth.
2. Move onto a belt or random orbit sander with a 120 grit to flatten down and blend in the inevitable humps and hollows left from the more aggressive grinder. If you took off a little too much with the grinder fill these with a mixture of epoxy and fairing compound and when set sand some more.
3. A detail sander will reach easily into any internal corners. Keep the work area clean and vacuum up any dust on the surface.
4. Cut the strips for the decking. If you do not have access to machinery then ask a friend or see if the lumber yard can do this for you. Click on the image to enlarge it if that helps you to see it more clearly. You will see that I am cutting my strips from a large plank with the gain of the wood running from side to side. With the thin strips sliced off the side the grain will be vertical when they are laid. The orientation of the grain is important, vertical grain gives a more consistent color and the wear characteristics are better.
I have found through experience that strips about a quarter thick by one and three quarters wide are ideal for most applications. You do not need to make them any thicker but you could alter the width a bit to suit your preference. Cutting them on a band saw with a wide blade produces less sawdust that a circular saw and less material is wasted.
5. With the strips cut lay them out for trial run on the deck. Adjust the spacing between the planks so that they are consistent. If they tend to move around use some pricks wrapped in plastic to weigh them down and prevent them from moving. I aim to try for a gap between each plank of about 3/16th to ¼ inch. Make some spacers from scraps of wood so you don’t have to measure each time.
6. Cut strips to length as necessary using a fine toothed saw. I find the Japanese shark style saw ideal. I like to have a border around any hatch covers so miter the corners, then when all the parts have been cut have another trial run. Make any adjustments now, when everything is coated with epoxy is not the time to do it. When you are happy with the layout mark each strip so that you can replace them in the correct position after you have applied the adhesive.
7. Mix up some epoxy and coat the hatch cover using a plastic spreader. I should be wearing gloves in this photo but I was trying to take the picture at the same time so that is my excuse. Keep epoxy off your hands.
8. Mix up so more epoxy and add a little colloidal silica to stiffen it until it resembles a mayonnaise consistency then using a brush spread on a liberal coat to the back of each strip using a brush.
9. Lay the strips back into their correct positions and hold them in place either using bricks wrapped in plastic or you can do what I do and use an air powered stapler. Staple through some scraps of wood or bits of gallon milk containers so that you will be able to pull the staples later, this also prevents the staples from crushing the surface of the decking strips. As you staple constantly check the spacing of the strips with your spacers that you made from scraps.
TIP
I have found that plastic tile spacers from the home store work great as temporary spacers. They come in a variety of widths and because they are made of polythene will not stick to epoxy so can be used over and over. Leave them in place until the epoxy sets then simply ping them out.
10. After leaving the epoxy to set overnight remove all the staples, spacers and weights. Be methodical, a staple puller will pull out all the staples easily but if any should break pull them out with a pair of pliers.
11. Give the surface a very light sanding with 120 grit, all you are doing at this stage is to knock off any bits of epoxy that might prevent you from squirting in the seam compound neatly. You will be sanding up the completed deck more fully later, we don’t want to remove any more teak than we have to. Brush in some of the special primer for the seam compound. This may or may not be necessary depending on which deck caulking you use. I prefer the Sikaflex products but the 290DC can be hard to come by in the USA but is readily available in Europe. The Boatlife products are equally good you can find out more about them by clicking here.
12. Sika suggest using what is known as bond breaker tape to the bottom of the groove. The idea is that this prevents the polysulphide compound from adhering to the bottom, makes it easier to remove later is needs be and allows for better expansion and contraction characteristics. Frankly I have done decks without this tape and they are all still fine so the choice is yours but if in doubt talk to the manufacturer.
13. Next up tape the edges of the seams with masking tape, which helps with clean up later. You need to remove this before the caulk sets up. The optimum time to do this will depend on the ambient temperature but the caulk should be just touch dry but not completely set. A bit of trial and error may be in order here, you’ll soon get the hang of it and find the right time to pull the tape.
14. Put a cartridge into a cartridge gun and after cutting off the tip at a slight angle work slowly and steadily forcing the black goop into the seams. Don’t mess with it but aim for a neat bead, which is slightly proud of the deck surface.
TIP.
After allowing the seam compound to set up overnight use a window scraper with a sharp razor blade to trim off the excess. Keep the tool at a shallow angle and at a slight angle to the direction of the seam so that it cuts with a shearing action.
15. Use a random orbit sander with 120 grit paper to sand down the deck. Keep the sander moving to avoid ridges. The sander contrary to what you might expect makes a perfect job of sanding both the teak and the compound perfectly flat. This is very dusty work so either do it outside or connect a vacuum to the sander if you can.
16. With the sanding complete and the deck smooth no further treatment is required and your deck should now be ready to go back into service, congratulations.
Check back again soon as I will be discussing looking after a deck in a later posting.
Ben
Without seeing the boat it is difficult to be specific but You should be Ok with the 13 mm deck. Stick it down well with some thickened epoxy, use Cabosil or other coloidal silica product. Then instead of screws you could vacuum bag the deck down. After the epoxy has set up either use the Sika deck caulking as I show which will be fine and has the rubbery feel or you could use some additional epoxy colored with graphite powder.
Posted by: Mark | March 07, 2011 at 01:58 PM
Hi Mark, I just want to teak my swim platform, can I just lay the teak strips straight on to the GRP after prep with Sikaflex, and use 6mm thick teak 45-32mm wide with 5mm gap?
Regards Tony
Posted by: Tony Cowcher | June 23, 2011 at 04:29 PM
Tony
The best way will be to sand the surface of the swim platform with an 80 grit disc then glue the teak down with epoxy. The Sika Flex only goes between the joints as shown in the pictures. One of the easiest ways to do this job would be to make a panel up off the boat by gluing the teak strips to some 3mm marine ply with epoxy then glue the ply down to the swim platform with epoxy. Once glued down you can then go around the edge with some Sika Flex to trim the edge and hide the plywood.
Posted by: Mark | June 25, 2011 at 05:10 PM
Hi Mark- My question has to do with a circa 1981 Taiwan manufactured boat that I am considering purchasing. The decks were laid with teak that was screwed (some screw heads are showing) I am not sure if they were bedded with any epoxy. The decking is getting a bit thin- maybe 3/8 left. In a foredeck area about 2 feet inwards from the port side there are about 3-4 planks that are bowed or cupped up and seem to be loose from the deck. There is a curvature of the planks in this area, gradual to follow the hull lines but a definite curve. How best to remove these "in the field" planks and replace? Can they be re-used if they are in good shape and epoxied down instead of screwing? If they need to be replaced with new planks- then best to mill to the current thickness and bed in epoxy? My concern is how to spring or steam to maintain the current lines. As a side note I do not own the boat at this time - but considering purchasing it but this is a big concern to me as I have read so much about the expense of having to remove/replace teak decks and then go to fiberglass decks with a non skid pattern. Any information and suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks Randy
Posted by: Randy Lewis | June 23, 2012 at 06:58 PM
Randy
It is very difficult to give you an answer without seeing the boat. If the planks are in good shape but otherwise thin then yes they can be reused by gluing them down. If the teak is in bad shape then the best option may be to remove the teak altogether and just go with a non skid. There are so many variables here and there is no point in putting down teak, either new or reused if the deck underneath is in bad shape. Get the boat surveyed by someone who knows about teak decks and follow his advice. It could be that the boat is up for sale because there are a lot of deck issues.
Posted by: Mark | July 02, 2012 at 05:24 PM
Hi Mark,
I've seen some others recommend laying the teak in 4200. Also, not shaving off the caulking but just sanding it down. Could you comment on these other methods?
Also, one other question I have is how do you get the teak to bend sideways for the curve towards the bow? Are you using steam or a heat gun?
Thanks,
Dan
Posted by: Dan Ohms | November 29, 2012 at 11:32 PM
I'm gathering information to begin building a small caravan with boat interior. This article and the various posts have been VERY helpful !! thank you Mark and your loyal team of enthusiasts.
Brett
Posted by: brett ryan | May 05, 2013 at 08:16 PM
Hi, I am replacing the worn out teak cockpit in my Sovereign 32 with 13mm thick teak decking. I want avoid screwing and plugging the deck to increase its life. So I want to know whether bedding it in epoxy or Sikaflex would be best to bond the thick 13mm decking down, so to allow for expansion/contraction, etc? Many thanks, Stuart
Posted by: Stuart Crosby | May 21, 2013 at 09:36 AM
Stuart,
Thanks for the note. The Sika product is only for filling the seams and it is not suitable for bedding the planks down. Epoxy thickened with cabosil is the way to go for this project. As the planks are fairly thick you can hold them in place with some heavy weights such as bricks wrapped in plastic as the epoxy sets up.
Posted by: Mark | May 25, 2013 at 09:25 AM
Hi Mark,
I use a lot of WEST Epoxy system 105 & 206 (resin & hardener). Is this adequate for bonding 13mm thick teak? Also, WEST's 406 product is colloidal silica which you mention in your installation instructions. They also have a 403 "Microfiber" that they recommend for wood bonding. Do you have any thoughts on the 406 vs. 403. Thank you for your great info!
Chris
Posted by: Chris | June 12, 2014 at 04:46 PM
Mark,
I should have tagged this on my earlier note, sorry.. Regarding the Sika products, is the 298 or 291LOT adequate for adhering a teak decking? Do you prefer epoxy over these? Thanks again! Chris
Posted by: Chris | June 12, 2014 at 04:58 PM
Chris
Use the colloidal silica as I have found it offers the best bond. Also as I said to an earlier comment do not be tempted to use the Sika product for bedding the teak down as it will not hold up and is WAY more expensive than using epoxy. Use 290 DC for the seams, it works great as you can see from my pictures.
Posted by: mark | June 21, 2014 at 03:42 PM
Great write-up. Thanks for sharing. I think Teak is really great especially when you are barefoot!
Thanks
Paul
Posted by: Paul | July 21, 2014 at 11:18 AM
Great article. Please tell me what epoxy you used to glue the teak down with.
Thanks
Peter
Posted by: Peter Kreutzfeldt | January 21, 2015 at 12:13 PM
I believe that I used West system epoxy thickened with coloidal silica.
Posted by: Mark | January 22, 2015 at 09:41 PM
Looks incredible! I have a question. Do you recommend laying the teak down on a wood surface or something similar to that before glueing it to the boat. I saw in picture #7 that it looks like you're gluing the teak to a wood hatch. Is that hatch from the boat you were working on or is it something you put the teak on before applying it to the boat? I want to learn how to do this and this is the only thing that I am confused about.
Corey
Posted by: Corey | May 17, 2015 at 11:02 AM
The boat that I laid the teak onto was plywood. You can glue the teak directly down onto fiber glass but you would need to hold the planks down with weights or temporary screws. Another way would be to cut some 3mm thick marine ply to the exact shape of the deck then glue the strips to the plywood ok'd off the boat then glue the whole panel in place as one unit.
Mark
Posted by: Mark | May 17, 2015 at 07:40 PM
Hello,
I am laying new teak in the cockpit of my 1974 Fuji 35 and have done the teak on the five hatches. In your photos I notice there is no tape as you caulk the curved decks. Also, on the hatch it looks like you pulled the tape then touched up the seams with caulking but no tape. Is it essential to tape or can I just overfill and sand? Also I have used 23 gauge SS pins to fasten the teak to the ply. They are headless and set counter-sunk and I will leave them in place. These may not have been available when you started this thread but seem like a good way to go.
Posted by: Don Linowski | June 26, 2015 at 04:13 PM
Don
It is by no means essential to tape the joints. I think in many ways it makes the job a bit cleaner but in no way does it affect the final outcome. As you can see I've done it both ways and both give the same results in the end. You use a ton of tape and it takes a long time especially if you have a whole deck to do as I did. I'd probably do it on a small hatch lid but not on a deck. As you can see from the pictures the final result worked out just fine without the tape.
Posted by: Mark Corke | June 27, 2015 at 08:46 AM
Hi, I am working in a Angleman Sea Spirit deck and some vendor is offering tongue and groove slats. Can I use them since the ones I have are just flat borders with a groove for the caulking? The amount he has for sale would be enough to replace all my deck.
Can you to let me know how to proceed?
Thanks
Posted by: Gustav Cesareo | February 18, 2016 at 12:35 AM
Do not use the tongue and goove slats. Providing that the timber is of the correct dimmensions you could possible get away with sawing off the tongue part, the overall width would be the same.
Posted by: Mark | February 22, 2016 at 12:35 PM
Hi Mark,
I have been following your "how to" video and it has helped me alot. I want to learn more how to layout a king plank and the nip cut. Being new I want and need to know more about learning resources in the marine industry. Can you advise me as to how I can obtain video/books? Thank you in advance for your help.
Duc Tran
Posted by: Duc Tran | July 24, 2016 at 02:46 PM
This is an interesting question with multiple answers depending on whom you talk to. Thanks for the question. I'll follow this up with a sketch or two so you can see I mark them up.
Posted by: Mark | August 07, 2016 at 02:02 PM
Hi Mark,
I would like to put a swept teak deck on my Alden 18" sloop. I know how to lay it but I'm not sure what thickness and width the teak should be to make the bend, any advice ?
Thanks
Posted by: Sam Collins | September 01, 2016 at 07:29 AM
Hi Mark. What a great post. It shows me almost everything I wanted to know. I need to resurface a mahogany ply classic runabout. I have a few questions
1, Does your method apply equally to mahogany strips?
2, What type of mahogany would you choose?
3.It is not obvious to me how one makes the wide margin boards particularly on the sharp curves of the bow. Is it feasible to edge glue wider strips and then cut them out? I can't see how they could be bent.
Any advice is more than welcome.
Posted by: Graham Stewart | January 21, 2017 at 05:53 PM