Synthetic teak deck

[Raggi_Thor]

Picture:

[ralph@alter-fam]

I'm preparing for a home-craftsman-implemented replacement of a real wood teak deck (35 years old) presently screwed to fiberglass, with one of the synthetics. I have accepted the concept and general appearance of the PVC materials.

Notwithstanding the arguments among FlexiTeek, Tek-Dek, PlasTEAK and NuTeak, I'm uncertain about the installation methods they all seem to recommend, which I'll abbreviate as follows: Make templates of large portions of the deck, build panels to match these templates, glue them down as complete panels, roll and weight them, move to the next panel, etc. BUT: don't let the bedding cement beyond the edges, don't let any of it sit more than (in my hot climate) about 15 minutes before covering it with the PVC panel, don't overlap the bedding cement spreads. My personal sentiment is quite at variance with that, and better matches the methodology indicated by travesty42 in his post #36 on this thread: installation plank-by-plank.

My own major concern, despite the obvious fact that this will be a very large job, is going to be appearance and durability of the result, not efficiency. I'd like the deck condition to NOT be the reason for the next major refit of this yacht. And I'd like the next major deck problem to be long after my time.

I'd be grateful for some comments on the pitfalls of the plank-by-plank installation approach. I see the need for craftsmanship being greater using that method, with mistakes having more noticeable or more expensive consequences. I see the same problems with getting the PVC down onto the wet glue quickly, etc.; but because the panels can be kept so much smaller, I anticipate less difficulty doing so.

Any other issues or arguments? Then why are all 4 suppliers recommending the large-panel-from-a-template method? Even the real teak deck replacement advocates seem to use that method. Is it just efficiency?

[rustypirate]

I beleive that the lat technique is preferred because of the set time for the glue used. It is much easier to lay an even coat of adheasive over a reasonable area in the amount of time that is allowed for working that glue. The single plank method tends to produce inconsistant glue coverings between planks.

I cannot state to the faux teak decking, but I have applied the treadmaster product onto a deck (twice).

The first time was using the recommended epoxy glue method and it was a horrible mess. In less than a year patches had come loose and it needed ot be replaced. Getting it off was worse than putting it on.

The lessons I learned were invaluable though.

Make templates of all the areas.
Cut the material to match the template.
Mask the general outline of the area leaving plenty of room on both sides of the edge.
Mark the outline of each piece onto the masking tape and cut/remove the tape from the glue side.
Use a better glue than epoxy, I used 3M 5200 and it worked wonderfully.
Spread the glue over the entire area to be covered with a fine toothed adhesive trowel and overlap the masking tape by about 1/4".
Lay the material over the area and weight evenly (sandbags layed close upon each other and overlapping all edges).
Once the glue has dried to a firm film, use a razor to score arond the edge of the mat and pull up the masking tape to create a nice clean edge.

This is the method I used last time and none of it ever showed the least inclination to coming loose.

[harhhnt]

I can appreciate you concerns, they are all well founded. Laying a deck in large panels is difficult, given the different adhesive properties. There are slow cure adhesive which are more user friendly. Stazo has a wonderful product which will not skin over and give you ample working time.

One of the problems with lying a panel is air trapped, which later can manifest it self as a bubble. The trapped air expanding with the heat of the sun and voila a bubble.

It is very difficult especially in tight quarters to apply suitable and uniform pressure to push out the air. No one method is absolute. The techniques used must vary with space. By this I mean, if you have a large area a mechanical tamping machine can be used. In close quarters a block of wood and a hammer.
sand bags, buckets full of water do not apply enough pressure to accomplish the desired result.

We use vaccum bagging whenever we can.

[goboatingnow]

I have done two flexiteak installs ( as an amateur) and also see an amateur install TekDek. If youre a competent wookworker you can install it. For one-off installs forget the template and panel idea, The only one i saw done got it wrong. Install plank by plank, do the outside covering boards first and all margin boards etc aaround hardware. Then cut and lay planks as required. Note that for long straight runs Flexiteek produce a rigid product called Aikona, that lays down better. However its not a solid colour through the product.

The main beef I have with Flexiteek is that the white caulking ( inside areas for heads and showers) isnt a white more a cream colour and hence you cant use ordinary white caulk in places where hand caulking is neccessary. You have to then use flexiteek cream caulk "rope" and set it into channels cut with either a router or a sharp chisel. ( The same problem doesnt exist for black caulking).

Stick it all down with a polyurathane adhesive

It does get very very hot, In the Med, ours was so hot by midday that it burned the soles of our feet and needed watering down from time to time.

Contary to some posts it does stain, its quite sensitive to have grit/dirt rubbed in with use and even hard power washing doesnt remove it, Heavily trafficed areas therefore tend to darken and short of a complete resand I cant clean it up to look like a new install.

Oh if you varnish it you loose all the non-slip properties and its as slipply as hell in bare wet feet.