Sealing Juniper Decks

[Mike Mann]

I need to waterproof my juniper decks. Has anyone had experience with a product called GLUVIT. Because of the potential for continued flexing in my decks I don't want to use plain epoxy. This product clains to stay waterproof even when slightly flexed. Comments, experience or other alternatives would be appreciated.

[Gary E]

Glovit is wonderfull for decks, just disk sand with some 60 grit to leave plenty of tooth and flow it on with a roller or even a trowel. Also you can put the color right in it and avoid painting. I know, they say paint it, but a re coat is real easy to do in 10 yrs if you ever need to and you wont have to remove any paint. This from personal experience with mahogany decks. Ohh by the way, flex is NOT a good thing, if you have flex, it will crack.

G

[paul oman]

There are rubber co-polymer paints with extreme bond and flex, also epoxy paints with almost as much flex as your computer's mouse pad. Both can be had online.

Anyway, you do have options. Latex paint also has good flex and stands up quite well. A few coats would probably fill and seal

If interested contact me directly - any memtion of product names etc. would be too commerical for this forum

paul oman
p.oman@ix.netcom.com

[Mike Mann]

More info on the boat. 43' 1977 Harkers Island Core Sounder. Spent the major part of its life shrimping and dragging nets. DD6V71 13.5 Beam and 3.75 ft draft. Hull is strip planked with juniper on oak frames. Decks are juniper planked. I am about 75% done on the conversion to a liveaboard / cruiser. I have sealed several areas around deck/cabin joint that leaked with Gluvit but have not done any major deck work. The leakage I am trying to stop is only minor, but comes in on the forward berths I've built. Annoying :mad:

[ 07-12-2004, 06:03 PM: Message edited by: Mike Mann ]

[Gary E]

Mike,
You'l probably be fine with the Glovit, but that rubbery stuff that Paul mentions sound interesting, I would check into it on the basis that rubber roofs are now quite common on houses and the world makes progress with new matierals every day.

G

[Mike Mann]

Sorry about the misuse of the words "deck flexing". A better choice would probably have been "expansion & contraction".