I can’t believe what I have just found – Laminate teak deck for those who want a wooden deck without the cost and maintenance! It’s called Plasdeck and if you want to check it out, go to http://www.plasteak.com/boating/plasdeck/plasdeck.html. What will they think of next!

There is another company that make a similar product Tek-Dek and there over here in the UK. I've seen it and it looks good but as far as I remember, it is not cheap. I don't think anyone will really be able to vouch for its long term performance or that of the bonding. Eventually I would like to do the cockpit of my boat in teak but I think I will probably go for the real thing.
After all, I wouldn't want anyone to admire my "teak" deck then have to shuffle uncomfortably and have to explain that it's not really teak it's just pretend.

Very true. I think I would opt for real every time too, even though you wouldn’t have the problem of how to maintain it. I do wonder though if it is made of the same stuff as laminate flooring how can it cope with the water? If you even spill a drop on a floor it starts to expand and buckle so I would have thought a boat was the worse place for it!

The Tek-Dek is definately not like laminate flooring it is a solid self coloured material about 6mm thick and has a grooved underside to aid the bonding. The grain is also individual to each peice. I've seen demonstrations whereby it can be damaged and sanded. I think a few boat builders are now using it.

My doubts are partly that it is too new to have been proven long term, that it is not sufficiently cheaper than real teak to be tempting and that it looks like new teak, not nicely maturing teak and that would be the biggest give away.

So it’s more like a veneer then?

If you call 6mm thick a veneer, have a look at their web site: www.tek-dek.co.uk. they also have a sister company that does water tanks etc called tek-tank. If I was commercially building mid price boats, I most certianly consider it, it is probably a lot quicker than doing real teak and many customers would probably like the low maintenance aspect. It's just not suitable for pedantic old gits like me. I'd only want wood floors at home if they were oak and at least 300 years old.

I already have the floor boards so I am one up already, just need the deck now!

I've got 300 year old oak furniture but only 100 year old pine floorboards, they have also been hacked around many times so I hide them with thick carpet. If youve got the 300 year old oak floor boards then I'm highly jealous

I have just moved house so currently have no furniture. Think the floor boards are probably not 300, maybe 200 though

Very nice indeed, providing they haven't been totally wrecked, they should definately be kept on show. Better than laminate flooring eh?

shown, though would have personally put a darker varnish on them. If it wasn't a rented house, I would change it

Oil and wax finish is better than varnish, it ages much more gracefully.

I though on of the reason teak was originally used was that it was cheap and weathered well. This laminate looks nearly as pricey as the real thing!

I don't think teak was ever cheap, it is strong and a lot more resistant to rot and underwater life than any other comparable wood.

The laminate seems more complicated and less forgiving than wood to install. Also I'm told that to bond it, you glue it then apply weights to hold it down. Personally, I would feel a lot happier using glue with screws.

Looked at the website, and don’t think I would use it on my boat deck, though it might make a nice veneer for the cupboards in my gallery!

I Don't think you can get that nice curve as the boards run forward. a poor substitue for the real thing, imho

yes, I think your right. If you were to use them, you would probably have to also spend a fortune on preparing your deck as well.