Caulking Exterior Wood Handrails

[chaco]

Here is a question for all you Brightwork Masters.
What is the correct procedure for cauking Handrails that have been stripped
of varnish and ready for new varnish and caulking
1. Caulk the bare wood and varnish the Handrail above the caulking line.
2. Varnish the Handrail, then apply the caulking.
I use Cetol Marine varnish and SikaFlex 1a polyurethane caulking :nerd:

Happy Sealed Cabin

 

[Frank Langer]

I my opinion, it would be best to do really good prep, then varnish and finally add the caulk. That way you won't get any varnish on the caulking, but more importantly, the caulking will seal the lower joint (at the deck) and prevent water getting under the varnish at that point--a common point for water intrusion under the varnish on the brightwork, causing the varnish to begin to fail. Choose the right caulking--definitely not 5200 nor regular silicone; sikaflex is ok but I can't remember what the "1a" stands for. Mainly you want good flexible, UV resistant sealant, not strong adhesive.
Frank.

 

[gareth harris]

Are your handrails through bolted? (They were not at manufacture) If so, to seal the handrails properly, they need to be removed, and the caulk applied around the bolt into the deck. If not, I would add it to your list of things to do, as the handrails are liable to fail in a boat that age.

As a more direct answer to your question, I would varnish them first, since it is impossible to use caulking without making a mess (at least in the universe I live in), and it can be much more easily wiped off varnish.

Gareth
Freyja E35 #241 1972

 

[stuartm80127]

seating wood handrails

Use polysulphide to seal the teak handrails to the deck in addition to the bolts which go through the deck. First rub denatured alcohol onto the bases of the teak rails which will contact the adhesive. This removes the natural oil from the teak. Then apply adhesive and bolts. Don't tighten bolts all the way. You want the adhesive to get firm then tighten bolts down.

Prep: If you have the time to dry things out, you may also want to drill a 3/4" hole using a holesaw around the forward-most two holes since they leak, right in to the plywood core. After drilling holes let the wood dry for a few months and then fill with West epoxy. Then re-drill and you have a nice moisture-proof hole that won't contribute to futue core problems.

My rails were "waterproofed" with a closed-cell foam some 30 years ago.

Stuart

 

[Maine Sail]

Chaco..

Chaco,

You may want to consider using Sika 291 as it's less adhesive than Sika 1a. Sika 1a is the construction industry equivalent to Sika 292 which is the marine version.

Sika 292 is the marine equivalent to 5200. Wood hand rails do not need the adhesion strength of 5200 or Sika 1a or Sika 292.

For bedding wood I actually prefer Polysulfides to Polyurethanes. The best and longest lasting Polysulfide I've found is 3M 101 but it's getting hard to find these days..