Teak replacement

[engcon]

I am reworking the aft cabin in my boat. The plywood arounf the bunk has suffered extreme dry rot and I have pulled out all the rotted wood. I would like to replace the rotted plywood with something other than teak vernier ply. I was wondering if there was a plywood that can be stained to look similar to teak but less expensive. I need to replaceor cover about 16 sq. ft. of plywood.I was thinking of covering the existing 3/4" ply with 1/4" and staining to look somewhat like teak. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[sailingdog]

If the plywood has suffered extreme dryrot, why not replace it entirely? Just covering it isn't going to restore the physical strength of the plywood, and if it was made from 3/4" plywood, I would guess that the piece may be structural in some way...otherwise they would have used lighter plywood IMHO.

[TrueBlue]

Originally Posted by engcon

I am reworking the aft cabin in my boat. The plywood arounf the bunk has suffered extreme dry rot and I have pulled out all the rotted wood. I would like to replace the rotted plywood with something other than teak vernier ply. I was wondering if there was a plywood that can be stained to look similar to teak but less expensive. I need to replaceor cover about 16 sq. ft. of plywood.I was thinking of covering the existing 3/4" ply with 1/4" and staining to look somewhat like teak. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I totally agree with sailingdog re: replacement of the 3/4" ply with a structurally similar material. 16 sf is a half sheet of 4 x 8 plywood and is relatively inexpensive. I special ordered a full sheet of 3/4" teak veneer plywood from a local lumberyard recently and paid 115.00. It was fine quality and the teak was vertical grain (not rotary cut). Cheaper grades will cost less.

IMHO, the greatest expense is in the labor of removing the old stuff (which you claim to have already done), then cutting/fitting/finishing to match the original and adjacent finishes. No other wood species will come close to matching teak's very unique color and grain.

[Quickstep192]

Usually, teak ply is among the most rot resistant because it's usually marine grade. Other plywood is likely to rot very quickly. If you have the machinery to join and machine it, consider solid teak. Because you can make more efficient use of it, the cost may net out to be the same. Solid white oak would be a rot resistant alternative. It could be stained, but in the end, only teak will look like teak.

[Freesail99]

I didn't have to replace a bulkhead, but I did cover mine using solid teak wood 3/8 x 3 pre finished flooring. it was made by Bella Wood. It looks great and was under $3.00 a sq. ft.

[hellosailor]

"I was wondering if there was a plywood that can be stained to look similar to teak "
Well, "birch veneered" 3/4" ply is fairly common and that's a nice smooth surface. You can apply stain to make it the same shade as teak--but the grain won't be the same. Nothing will make it "look like teak" if you want to match the grain as well as the color, unless you do a fancy finishing job to fake the grain.

Wet rot, dry rot, the problem is that you've got damp and rot. Plain hardware store plywood is going to rot out again unless you're sure the water incursion is solved first. You can also treat the edges of the plywood with products like "Git Rot" to epoxy impregnate it, making it harder for moisture to get soaked in the next time. That's gonna wind up doubling the cost of the wood, but it can stop the rot.

Birch veneered ply is going to come in interior grade only, not exterior grade (which has different glue to resist moisture) and probably not marine grade (which has the better glue and zero voids in it).

If you can put some ventilation in that berth base (like small soffit vents) you may also be able to keep it drier in the future.