Repairing Teak Veneer for re-cover...

[Osprey69]

So a couple of our ports were neglected and the teak veneer surrounding them has degraded to a point that a bright wallcovering would have no base against which to adhere.

Anyone put a laminate over damaged wood to recover it and if so what did you use and any lessons learned along the way?

Thanks in advance.

 

[koliver]

So a couple of our ports were neglected and the teak veneer surrounding them has degraded to a point that a bright wallcovering would have no base against which to adhere.

Anyone put a laminate over damaged wood to recover it and if so what did you use and any lessons learned along the way?

Thanks in advance.

1/8" teak plywood.
Project completed within a couple of years of purchasing our boat in 1994. Still looks like new.

 

[syjos]

How bad is the damage? Is it discolored from moisture, crumbly from rot or delaminating from structure underneath?

 

[Osprey69]

How bad is the damage? Is it discolored from moisture, crumbly from rot or delaminating from structure underneath?

Crumbly from rot of leaks past.

 

[Comodave]

If it is crumbling then I would dig out the old wood and replace it with new. Unless you put big panels over the old crumbling wood whatever you stick on there won’t last. I would remove the old paneling and buy some new teak plywood, whatever thickness is needed, and make a pattern out of some craft paper. Then cut a new panel and install it. You can stick it on with thickened epoxy and put blobs on the back, then brace it in place until the epoxy goes off. Then finish as needed or do the finish work just before installing the panel.

 

[Unclematt]

I had quite a bit of delamination and rot from leaking windows. What I did is replace the rotted wood and filled low spots. I then sanded, primed and painted the port and starboard walls with flattened Hatteras off white. It looks great and brightened up the salon and wheelhouse.

 

[Comodave]

I had quite a bit of delamination and rot from leaking windows. What I did is replace the rotted wood and filled low spots. I then sanded, primed and painted the port and starboard walls with flattened Hatteras off white. It looks great and brightened up the salon and wheelhouse.

I did the same in a previous boat and loved the look.

 

[rgano]

I have a ton of experience watching talented wood butchers extensively modify and repair my teak-intense GB42. They used a lot of veneers, and in fact this pilot bench is made of regular old plywood to which they attached the veneer. They simply rolled the gooey yellow contact cement on both surfaces and after the recommended drying time carefully applied the veneer in a rolling motion beginning at one edge. I was placed in charge of the finish and was VERY carefull not to snad through the veneer. I usually applied a thinned coat of varnish before getting anywhere near the ultra-thin veneer with a pad sander.

 

[syjos]

Crumbly from rot of leaks past.

You mentioned covering with laminate. If that is what you want to apply and the rest of the existing veneer is hard to remove, I would brush away the loose crumbly wood with a wire brush.

Apply a couple coats of penetrating epoxy.

Apply epoxy putty to level the repaired area with a very wide drywall taping knife or straight edge.

Sand and apply laminate or veneer.

 

[Marco Flamingo]

My prior owner attempted to clean up water damage around the v berth portholes using veneer. Best I can tell, he used the self-adhesive stuff. Two problems. First, the wood veneer apparently had some expansion from humidity. Over time it has developed a rippled look. Not falling off, but not completely adhered like you might get with contact cement or epoxy on raw ply. Second, he finished the veneer patches with spar varnish. He seems to have not understood that all the teak in the boat is a satin oil-rubbed finish. Everything that he "touched up" is obvious because of the gloss finish. I'm sure that the porthole surrounds look better than before, but not great for all the work involved (portholes were removed and properly rebedded). And not bad enough that it is anywhere near the top of my project list.