TWL: Teak Caulk Holy Grail
Hello to all. I plan to redo my teak deck caulk and, not being one to enjoy
the binding of knee pads, thought I would take the time to find the holy
grail of teak caulk. After a lot of research I realized that there are more
ways to caulk a deck than navigation stars. Finally, I ran across a web page
on caulking teak and the author recommended Dow 995 Silicon Structural
Adhesive. The author said that the product has a long life, will stretch
with the wood, repel water, and will leap tall buildings with a single
squeeze of the caulk gun. Undaunted and unimpressed by the ruminations of
one author, I cruised the web a bit more and found a PDF (I can send it to
anyone who wants to read about it.) on the Dow web site that had very
interesting information. The product description included:
Selfpriming, shelf-stable, neutral-cure, elastomeric adhesive specifically
formulated for silicone structural glazing, exhibiting the following unique
features:
-
Excellent unprimed adhesion to most common building substrates, including
glass, reflective glass, anodized aluminum, granite and paints, including
most pluoropolymerbased paints. -
Noncorrosive by-products
-
20-year performance warranty available
-
Cures to extremely tough elastomeric rubber
<Basic Uses>: Dow Corning 995 Silicone Structural Adhesive is designed for
use in structural applications such as factory or field glazing of glass and
metal. Once cured, this adhesive forms a durable, flexible, watertight bond
that can be warranted for 20 years. The stress-strain relationship for Dow
Corning 995 Silicone Structural Adhesive is not warranted for use in
below-grade applications, for use as an interior penetration firestop
sealing system, in horizontal floor joints where abrasion and physical abuse
are likely to be encountered, to frost-laden or damp surfaces, or for
continuous immersion in water. Further, Dow Corning 995 Silicone Structural
Adhesive should not be applied to building materials that bleed oils,
plasticizers or solvents - materials such as impregnated wood, oil-based
caulks, green or partially vulcanized rubber gaskets or tapes, In totally
confined spaces (the sealant requires atmospheric moisture for cure), when
surface temperatures exceed 600C (1400F), and where painting of the sealant
is required, as the paint film may crack and peel. Dow Corning 995 Silicone
Structural Adhesive is virtually unaffected by sunlight, rain, sleet, snow
and temperature extremes. Its unique weatherability enables it to retain its
original design properties even after years of exposure. Cured sealant will
remain elastomeric in cold to -400C (-400F) or heat to 1490C (3000F).
Well, this sounds great but no where did I read about teak except for
"materials that bleed oils." So far, this leaves a lot of room for
interpretation and I'm not sure I am ready to submit my deck to this
product. Not one to be satisfied with such uncured information, I contacted
Dow technical support. A very nice person who participates in research told
me that Dow 995 would be recommended for the job but it was never tested on
teak. Hmmm, it's not her boat, easy to say.
Anyone have any ideas? Am I just following the wrong caulk line? Is there no
teak caulk holy grail?
Joe Goldsmith
Sheer Magic
1973 38' Chris Craft Coho Aft Cabin
Well, this sounds great but no where did I read about teak except for
"materials that bleed oils." So far, this leaves a lot of room for
interpretation and I'm not sure I am ready to submit my deck to this
product.
As I have just removed the teak decks on the starboard side of Annie Sez
Too to replace some wet deck core, I am very interested in caulking. I hope
to be rebedding the decks within the next couple of weeks.
There is one more line in their description that would cause me not to
use this product:
The stress-strain relationship for Dow
Corning 995 Silicone Structural Adhesive is not warranted for use in
below-grade applications, for use as an interior penetration firestop
sealing system, in horizontal floor joints where abrasion and physical
abuse
are likely to be encountered,
So far from what information I've been able to gather the 2 part
polysulfides seem to be the front runner for teak deck caulking.
Good luck,
Walt Konieczko
Annie Sez Too 34 Marine Trader
Lanoka Harbor, NJ
Joe Goldsmith wrote:
Hello to all. I plan to redo my teak deck caulk and, not being one to enjoy
the binding of knee pads, thought I would take the time to find the holy
grail of teak caulk.
Anyone have any ideas? Am I just following the wrong caulk line? Is there no
teak caulk holy grail?
Joe Goldsmith
Sheer Magic
1973 38' Chris Craft Coho Aft Cabin
You might try TEAK DECKING SYSTEMS out of Sarasota Florida.
Lynn
Tampa
Has anyone used the teak caulking product from Maritime Wood Products?
www.maritimewoodproducts.com
Ken Wolf
"Gail Winds"
not warranted for use in
in horizontal floor joints where abrasion and physical abuse
are likely to be encountered, to frost-laden or damp surfaces
Adhesive should not be applied to building materials that bleed oils,
Those two statements mean a great big NO!!!!!
I am in the process of finishing up recaulking the bow section and the
starboard side deck. This is not a job you want to do twice! You need to
choose a proven product that has been tested and used for this specific
purpose. There are many choices and some research will be required for you
to decide which one might be best for you.
I used BoatLife two part polysulfide and Detco two part polysulfide. Both
products seem to be very similar, but I will know a little more when I
complete the sanding part this weekend. Both products are expensive and
there is a real knack to using them. It actually can be quite a mess with
mixing the two parts together, pouring the product into caulking tubes, then
applying the product in the seams. You can't waste any time as the product
starts curing in a relatively short time. Detco has a brochure that I think
I requested from their website that explains the process thoroughly.
www.detcomarine.com
Last year I used 3M's one part polysulfide on some small sections on the aft
deck. It is already packaged in a caulk tube and it was very easy to use.
No mixing, no pouring into cartridges, and there were less problems with air
bubbles that seem to occur in the two part products. I have also used
BoatLife's one part product for patching some areas and it seems to stick to
anything and everything just like the 3M product.
My initial assessment is that the Detco product is the superior product,
with the BoatLife two part polysulfide a close second. I would not hesitate
to use either, but I can't say anything about longevity. Ask me in five or
ten years. On the other hand, the one part products seem to be excellent
products, and to be honest, I was tempted to use the 3M one part caulk. If
I wanted to avoid the mess and complexity of the installation I would use a
one part product, but with the understanding that it might not last as long
as the two part polysulfides.
I have no monetary connection with any of these products, except they got a
lot of my money! Don't take the website link as an endorsement, it's just a
link. I am sure BoatLife has a website, but I have never been there.
Good Luck,
Andy
Andy & Linda Woods
Grand Folly
1970 Grand Banks 36 Classic
Georgetown, MD
awoods@surfbest.net