DEK-KING® is the ultimate alternative to teak decking and can be easily fitted.

Simply join the strips together using the tongue and groove joint and Stelmax cold weld adhesive to create a continuous area of decking, ready to be adhered to your deck. Installation of our products can be made all the more easier by first referring to our guide below which contains useful tips and information to assist with the planning and installation of your new deck.

The purpose of this guide is to help you along with your installation project of adding a new deck to your boat or sailing yacht. If you have any questions or need any clarification, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are at your service !

The first thing we will be discussing is the tool list and the use of each tool. To make your job easy, we stock most of the tools required for the job ; although you can find many of these tools at your nearest hardware store. The tools we stock are the very same tools that our installers use and which they have found them to be the best tool for the job.

Profiles A full range of profiles are available,  finished with a non-slip surface and the underside has a ‘Scotchbrite’ finish with our patented and unique 'T' bottom design, allowing the adhesive to enter the material bond firmly with the to almost any surface including GRP, Steel and Timber. Most of our profiles are supplied in 10m coils. Below you can the WDK100 which is the 5mm profile and the WDK108 which is out 3 ply 15mm profile. 

 

Our DEK-KING weighs approximately 6kg per 1m². ( 2 x WDK100, 50mm x 10m) 9 x 2.25m lengths will cover 1m², whilst 1 x 10m coil will cover 0.5m²

Adhesives

We supply two types of adhesive, namely Stelmax 1985 and Saba Sealtack 750. Stelmax is used to join (cold weld - the adhesives creates a chemical reaction which melts and joins the materials) the strips of our together and is supplied in a 135 gram tubes that will bond approximately 2m² of tongue and groove joints. Sealtack 750 is a high tack MS-Polymer adhesive used to bond the composite decking to the required surface and has a shelf life of 15 months in unopened packaging. It is supplied in 600ml 'Sausages' that will bond approximately 0.7m² of DEK-KING®. The Minimum working temperature is 10°C and it will be tack free after approximately 4 hours, load bearing strength in 12-24 hours and full strength in 2-3 days. We recommend that protective clothing, gloves and safety goggles are used when applying adhesives.

 

Tools Required for Job

1) Tape Measure, 2) Masking Tape, 3) Square Mitre, 4) Utility Knife and extra Blades, 5) Brown Cardboard to make templates, 6) An Adhesive Gun - 'Sausage' Type, 7) Iron Ruler, 8) Spatula, 9) Marking pencils, 10) Sandpaper 60 or 80 grit.

 

 

Preparation

All surfaces should be made sound and be as flat as possible, any irregularity in deck levels should be filled and smoothed, as any difference in deck levels will show after laying the decking, after sanding ensure that all surfaces are dry and free from dust. The material should not be laid in wet or damp conditions as this will affect the adhesive bond.

Templates

For difficult areas a template can be built up in sections and taped together to make a complete pattern as illustrated below. Once the template has been made sections of the DEK-KING® can be glued together to make a complete mat that can be laid in one operation. Margins and King Plank Having decided on the type of margin you would like to use (WDK103, WDK111, WDK102 or WDK100). You now have to cut and dry lay the margins including King Planks (WDK106), hatch corners and deck margins as shown below.

 

A hot air gun may be used to help the DEK-KING® bend to follow the outer curve of the deck.  

 

 

When the margin is dry laid scribe a line along the deck following the margin edge, tape this edge so that any excess adhesive is easily removed before the next operation, the same procedure applies for the King Plank. Apply the adhesive, lay the DEK-KING® margin and King Plank removing the tape and excess adhesive as below. Filling in straight runs Once the margins and King Plank have been laid the remainder of the DEK-KING® can be fitted. This can be achieved by joining lengths of DEK-KING® (WDK100) together to form a mat that can be laid in one operation. Keep the material weighted after rolling – any heavy item can be used for this purpose i.e. sandbags, paint pots, bricks etc.Four lengths of WDK100 joined together with Stelmax and laid in one operation. Once in place this is rolled to ensure no air bubbles and good seating on to the adhesive.

 

 

Filling in swept runs

To fit a swept layout, the King Plank is laid first along with the deck margins. Once the King Plank adhesive is set, the infill (WDK 100) can be dry laid leaving the planks to overlay the King Plank. These end pieces now need to be cut into the King Plank using the information from the diagram below.

King Plank Fitting - This operation is done with the King Plank adhered to the deck and the adhesive set. The infill plank, WDK 100, needs to be marked where the top edge intersects with the King Plank (‘A’). From this point measure 20mm at right angles in towards the centre of the infill plank (‘B’) and mark. From this mark scribe a line to where the bottom edge of the infill plank intersects the King Plank (‘C’), draw a line to connect ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’, this will give the correct shape. Before cutting, decide at this time if you wish to give the angles a radius for a stylish shape.

 

 

Having cut the end to shape now draw the end shape onto the King Plank as a guide line. You now have to measure 5mm from the guide line towards the centre of the King Plank, this will be the cutting line and should leave a 5mm gap between the end of the infill plank. Remove the section of King Plank with a Craft Knife and chisel for the part adhered to the deck. The 5mm gap will eventually be filled with caulking strip, WDK 107, or Sealtack 750 adhesive.

Hatch Corner and Curved Corners

Fitting around hatch corners can be achieved by first taking a template of the corner to be cut. Use this template to cut out the corner shape from the King Plank, it may be necessary to join two King Planks together if a large radius is required. Cut all corners from the King Plank and infills from the WDK 100 (you may have to remove the black tongue from the WDK 100). Cut the required length of ‘T’ Caulking. Join all components together using Stelmax (Fig 5). Note that in figure 5 the base of the ‘T’ caulking has been mitred to help fit the bend of the corner. Normal deck runs can then be laid in the normal way up to the hatch.

 

General Care and Maintenance

Once your deck has been laid it will only require minimum maintenance. A general wash with soap and water will remove most stains. For stubborn stains a power wash is advisable. Should your DEK-KING® receive any surface damage this can be rectified by using a belt or hand sander with 40 grit paper sanding in line with the grain. If a section of DEK-KING® is badly cut it is possible to chisel out a section and replace with new pice of material.

IMPORTANT - Do not use Acetone on any DEK-KING® product, as this could result in permanent damage.

 

Adhesive information

 

Stelmax :

 

We stock Stelmax Clear and Stelmax Black. 1 x 135gr of Stelmax will cover an area of approximately 2m²

 

SABA SEALTACK :

The bottom adhesive we supply with our Dek-king can be used to bond almost any surface including, wood, fiberglass, metal and concrete. We use  a single part polyurethane adhesive based on an MS-Polymer. It produces a tough flexible rubber bond which is resistant to water, solvents and heat but allows the boat to flex naturally. We can supply the adhesive in both black and cream. 600ml Sausage (0.6kg) This Fits in to a standard sausage gun. 1 x 600ml of adhesive will cover an area of approximately 0.7m²

The bonding adhesive should be applied using a spreader to a clean (dry,dust and grease free) surface and the Decking strips placed on top before being firmly rolled in to place using a roller. It will take approximately 24 to 36 hours for the adhesive to dry depending on the atmospheric conditions at the time of application.

 

Further reading on Natural Teak and comparisons with Synthetic Teak decking - Advantages and Disadvantages.

Natural teak has long been a material of choice for boat building. Its natural high oil content and tight grain make for exceptional longevity without the need for protective finishes. Over time, if not exposed to pollutants, teak gradually ages to an attractive silver gray color. It provides an excellent natural non-skid surface. Teak is classified as a "heavy" hardwood with a density of approximate 930kg/m3. It shows exceptional grain strength and stiffness, along with excellent wear and durability characteristics. And it looks great. Natural teak decking isn't without its downsides, though.

From an environmental standpoint, natural teak comes from forests that are in real danger of depletion. This factor, regardless of how you feel about environmental issues, makes teak an expensive material. And while it will last for some years without maintenance, it won't necessarily look good that long. Soot, air and water pollutants, and spills can stain and discolor the deck in short order. So periodical oiling and sending is essential to keep the teak looking nice. A natural deck can be washed, but power washing can easily erode the wood.

There are different ways to clean a teak deck. The dozens of different teak cleaners on the market are testimony to the existence of the problem. Teak oils and various protective treatments can help preserve the appearance of a teak deck, but tend to commit boat owners to continuing periodic treatments. This defeats much of the purpose of using teak in the first place. Further, many treatments sharply reduce the teak's anti-skid properties, and others can give your deck a painted look. Bleaches and chemical cleaners work—at least to some extent—but tend to remove the oils that made teak the choice in the first place. The time-honored practice of sanding the teak's surface ("holystoning") was a much more practical approach when decks were solid teak and crews had lots of time on their hands. Modern teak decking is thin enough so that frequent sanding just isn't feasible, although occasional sanding can be called for if the surface is severely stained or scarred.

Sanding can present further problems if the sandpaper picks up objects like caulking material and deposits it in the teak's grain. Real Wood Teak decks, while providing excellent skid resistance when dry, aren't quite as good when wet. Decks in the old days tended to be fashioned from solid teak planks an inch or more thick, but a modern teak deck typically measures from a quarter inch down to a something in the veneer range, and is ordinarily laid on top of a structural fiberglass deck. A thicker deck is usually not an option, due to the high cost of teak and the amount of above the waterline weight that this would introduce. Applying a modern teak deck isn't impossible, but it's a time consuming and fussy job, usually involving drilling holes in the fiberglass deck for screws to hold the teak in place while it's being glued down. There's also a good deal of caulking to do each joint where planks meet must be caulked to keep water from getting under the decking and lifting it. And teak isn't particularly flexible, so dealing with curves and/or arched decks can be tricky.

In recent years, synthetic options, like our Dek-King have made it possible to enjoy the look, durability, and feel of natural teak decking without many of the problems. Hence this write-up.

Synthetic Teak Decking PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) is a type of plastic that can be readily modified by manufacturers to match almost any desired set of physical characteristics. It has shown up in such diverse applications as inflatable boats, phonograph records, shower curtains, computer cases, pipes, and house siding. In recent years, PVC has also shown up in the form of PVC teak decking. It looks and feels amazingly like natural teak, and has some distinct advantages over natural teak in terms of installation, cost, and maintenance. Most synthetic teak decking systems around are either PVC based or cork based. Once installed, they look quite similar in appearance and texture. They look and feel like rough sanded teak planking, with caulked strips between the planks. Rounded edge pieces, or "margin boards" make for a neat installation, and if a complete deck is desired (rather than, say, a hatch cover), a wider central "king plank" can be obtained. Because synthetic teak decking measures just 5 mm (a bit over 3/16" thick), it's flexible enough to conform to surfaces that aren't flat.

You install it by gluing it down to a clean surface with a two-part adhesive. One considerable advantage of laying a synthetic deck as compared to a natural wood deck is that you don't have to drill any holes for screws, thus you don't compromise the structural integrity of the underlying deck. And the installation is much easier than with real wood because synthetic decking can be cut easily with a sharp utility knife, and most of the caulking required for teak decking is eliminated. Synthetic teak decking requires little maintenance—occasional washing with soap and water and keeps it in good shape. Pressure washing is feasible.

For surface damage, the decking can be sanded, as both the color and the grain extend through the entire thickness. Though different brands of synthetic teak decking may look quite similar, there are some major differences in design and installation. Dek-King uses basic building blocks that consist of individual sections measuring (50mm) 2 3/8" wide and come in 2.25-meter (89") lengths, or longer coils (10meters) , if required. These sections feature tongue-and-groove joints, with molded-in "caulking" strips. When the sections are joined, the resulting deck appears to consist of 1-7/8" planks separated by 3/16" wide black caulking strips. The sections can be laid straight, or can take a slight bend if required to conform to a deck's contours.

For applications where wide sections of straight planking are required, Dek-King also supplies a wider, three-plank section (WDK108), which cuts down on installation time and effort. Both left-hand and right-hand margin strips are available (one with a tongue termination and the other with a groove), as are king strips. Margin boards come with either a radiused edge or a square one.

To lay out a deck, you first cut and fit the margins (and the king plank if you're using one), allowing a gap for caulking at each joint. You then glue down these pieces with Stelmax adhesive and hold them in place with weights, bricks or containers filled with sand are sufficiently heavy to work well here. You then fill in the remaining deck area with the tongue-and groove sections. If you use a king plank, you'll have to custom cut the sections where they meet the plank. When the entire deck is laid out, fits, joints together with a one-part cement. resulting in assembled multi section mats. You then pick up the mats, clean the deck, and apply the black decking adhesive, and replace the mats—it's a lot like laying flooring in the home. On larger jobs, the manufacturer recommends assembling the mats in sections, as the limited working time of the epoxy restricts you to about 20 square feet (2 square metes) at a time.

How good and impact resistant our decking material ?

Well, we dropped heavy objects onto a finished deck: a plumb bob, from a height of six feet, to be specific — in order to evaluate dent resistance. Natural teak decks are sometimes subjected to this kind of damage. We repeated this after chilling the deck down to below-freezing temperatures, to see if embattlement occurred; we tried it again at 65.5° C (150° F) or so, a temperature that a deck can reach under the tropical sun. While we were at it, we checked to see how the heated deck felt to bare skin. We evaluated non-skid properties by placing a weighted "foot" on the "deck," and then tilting the deck until the shoe skidded. We tried this with both a wet and dry surface. And, to reassure us that our measurements were meaningful, one of our testers stood on each "deck" and made subjective evaluations of how slippery each was.

One of the major claims made for these synthetic teak decks is stain resistance. We went out of our way to stain our pvc teak material , using gasoline (petrol), dirty oil, antifreeze, red wine, coffee, and whiskey. We allowed each mess to remain on the surface 24 hours, judged how bad it looked and then tried to remove it by scrubbing with a mild detergent and a soft brush. Our teak looked like new and there were no signs of staining.

Conclusions

Our Dek-king material will provide a good looking, stain-resistant, low-maintenance deck at a lower cost than natural teak. It has excellent non-skid properties comparable to teak, both wet and dry. It is more resistant to scarring and denting than traditional wood teak and it is easy to clean-up - it is virtually maintenance free !