I'm working on a project in Vancouver BC in which the client wants an exterior deck in which they want 3/4"x2- 3/4" solid teak strips epoxy to 2 laminated 3/4" shts of Marine plywood. They want the joints between the strips to be bonded with Sikyflex caulking with no seems as on a boat deck.But to look more like a hardwood floor. I was wondering if you could use regular biscuits joiners exteriorly,or would they swell to much more than the teak & create problems as this is a very wet climate,also what is the best epoxy?I thought the biscuits would help keep the planks even as I can't use screws to keep them down to set.The strips are 16' long.the deck is 16x13 Thanks
Doesn't sound like a troll to me. I set this to watch because I thought it would be an interesting project.
I'll bite.
Why not mill the edges with tongue and groove? Many a porch floor were done this way back in the days before decks. Mahogany was often used or QS fir. You can install with flooring nailer for a concealed attachment or hand nail in tongue edge and counter sink to be concealed by next board. Now, many boats use a combination of Teak and Holly for contrast. That would be cool too.
T&G would not handle the yearly temperature changes very well, but then again, neither will what is being described which is basically an interior boat sole technique.
What is being described is IMHO, a horrible waste of a fine building material.
Next thing you know is they will want 6-8 coats of marine varnish applied and buffed to a high gloss so you can fall on your rear end and break a leg when ever you take a step on it.
Lew - A lot of older homes had porches. They were T&G planks, painted. They lasted many many years. I have worked on them, built them and own one that is now an interior space in a cottage. In my cottage the original porch was built in 1887 or so. It was enclosed in 1960 or so. It is still going strong.
The original 1880s construction of the porch was 5'x20'. There were three
2x6x20' joists running parallel to the cottage. The front one was supported at the ends and the middle, the rear one at the ends and middle. The middle of the three joists was only supported at the ends! These joists were a true
2x material and made of chestnut. There was some bounce but not too much. The fir t&G planks spanned 30"!!! OK, so when I acquired the cottage a beefed up the foundation but the old original floor is still on the 30" centers.
I did have to add one new board. It was the transition piece between the original porch floor and the original interior floor. I was able to go to 84 lumber and get a piece of "mahogany porch floor board" that was almost identical dimensionally to the original.
So, I guess my point is... A lot of people used to make T&G porches, some still do, and materials are available. BTW - This is PA. Lots of temp swings.
The OP, if committed to teak, may want to consider and look into traditional installation techniques for porch floors even when using teak instead of fir or mahogany.
I agree, there's no way this thing is gonna last in the weather. The teak will expand on top of the plywood, but isn't given the freedom to do so (seamless). You'll end up with a pile of semi-epoxied teak and marine plywood.
I remember those porches, many of them open, but covered on a lot of older homes where I grew up as a kid in Ohio.
You are describing construction that I seriously doubt you could replicate today.
Old growth lumber, some species which are no longer readily available, lumber sizes that would have to be special ordered, etc, etc.
Real teak, not the stuff from Home Depot what ever that is, is wonderful stuff for outdoor applications if it is installed properly.
About the only teak you can buy today is plantation teak.
Old growth stuff is strictly illegal and if you find it, it will be black market material.
I hate working the stuff because of the way it destroys cutting tools, but it smells nice when you are working it.
As an example a local job shop required a $3K sir charge to cover the replacement cost of the sanding belts on their drum sander after they sanded teak, and that was 10 years ago.
Best installed with a gap, say 1/4" between the boards.
If you ever take a look at a teak deck on a boat, this is the way the teak planks are laid, then the seams are filled afterwards.
Left natural, it will weather to a silvery gray color, and can best be cleaned with a soft brush and salt water.
Trying to varnish teak comes right before putting on a hair shirt, IMHO. It is a continuous maintenance problem you can never win.
The oils in the teak won't allow a finish to properly adhere.
Like all wood, teak doesn't like fresh water, thus it should be allowed to evaporate as quickly as possible.
Rain water will rot a wooden boat which is why salt is thrown into the bilge.
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