Tips for installing teak plugs?

[Steve L22188]

Going to replace and refinish some teak on the boat and am about ready to install the teak plugs.

My plan was/is to coat the plugs with varnish, pound them in gently and then use a wood chisel and/or sandpaper to bring the top flush with the surrounding wood.

Is that a good plan? Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Charles Erwin]

Yes - both chisel and sand paper.

Chisel bevel down and chisel point held a bit high of the surface, strike the chisel (I use my fist or heel of hand). Then see if the bung grain dives or climbs. Second trim accordingly with the chisel, then sand (100 - 220) so the bung is flush.

Make your chisel scary sharp - plenty of internet lessons to show you how - if the chisel is not way sharp you will not get reliable trims.

Charles

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

As a pro wood worker (retired ), I totally concur with Charles./ Exactly how I do it. Except I must add- sharper than that . But I use a mallet,, not my hand.

 

[ggrizzard]

Varnish wet or dry before install?

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

What I've always done is varnish the surrounding wood up to last coat-Then install plugs, varnish plugs with a small brush, sand area and do final coat. I have used an artists brush on the plugs

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

Varnish wet or dry before install?

Dry on surface, wet on plug. And for god's sake do not GLUE the plugs. Had one job where they were epoxied in. Had to over drill and use next size plugs

 

[njlarry]

What I've always done is varnish the surrounding wood up to last coat-Then install plugs, varnish plugs with a small brush, sand area and do final coat. I have used an artists brush on the plugs

Thank you, I have always wondered about that.

 

[Terry Cox]

Those times that I have installed teak plugs I use a fine zero set tooth saw, then finish with sandpaper.

 

[jlwuja]

Drill (smaller diameter bit than finished bung size) and pick out existing bung. Insert temporary, cheap, softwood dowel and flush cut. Center and drill new hole with Forstner bit the same size as your finished bungs. Waterproof glue (not epoxy) in place. Cut to length with flush cut saw. Sandpaper smooth.

 

[FastOlson]

After an unfortunate incident using the traditional sharp chisel technique from the "wrong" side of the plug and it left a small recess where the grain gave way.....
Mutter mutter, whine whine, ect.

I changed to using a "Japanese" style little flat pull saw. Works wonderfully.
Go slow.
Sand with some 180 or finer. Perfection.
Cheers,
L

 

[Sailsteve]

Going to replace and refinish some teak on the boat and am about ready to install the teak plugs.

My plan was/is to coat the plugs with varnish, pound them in gently and then use a wood chisel and/or sandpaper to bring the top flush with the surrounding wood.

Is that a good plan? Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks.

You are correct about the procedure. I replaced an entire cabin sole last year in my previous boat and bunged every countersunk screw head with a teak bung. As I had varnished all of the wood before installation I did not additionally varnish the bungs. Oddly they look as if they are varnished even without a coating. If you want to take that extra step I suggest that you use an artist's small paintbrush to do the job so that it doesn't mess up the varnish around the bung. The entire bunging thing goes very quickly especially if your chisel is sharp. If you're careful the chisel will flatten the teak plug perfectly and you won't need to sand it at all.
I've attached a photo of the completed floor project. The hardest part of that one was matching the white stripes from multiple pieces of teak and holly plywood. See if you can find the bung spots.

Steve

 

[sailhappy20778]

If you are just replacing a teak and holly floor, you can fasten with industrial Velcro type fasteners. No need to use bungs and worry about matching teak vs holly. However I suggest using 1/4" pultruded frp in place of plywood for the sub floor so you never need to worry about rot from high bilge water.

 

[Ukeluthier]

After an unfortunate incident using the traditional sharp chisel technique from the "wrong" side of the plug and it left a small recess where the grain gave way.....
Mutter mutter, whine whine, ect.

This potential problem can be avoided by paying attention to which direction the grain of the plug rises before inserting the plugs and being consistent in doing so.

I've always used the VERY sharp chisel method, and -- with a little practice -- almost no sanding is required.

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

Yep-as was said in reply #1

"Chisel bevel down and chisel point held a bit high of the surface, strike the chisel (I use my fist or heel of hand). Then see if the bung grain dives or climbs. Second trim accordingly with the chisel"

 

[MattObjects]

I second what folks have said about not gluing the plugs in place. It may seem like a good idea, but you will regret it later when whatever you are installing eventually needs to be removed. I had to remove four 11' long pieces of teak trim in my saloon to replace the original but now rotten wallpaper-covered luan headliner with vinyl beadboard-- which required removal of well over 100 teak plugs to access the fasteners holding the trim in place. The plugs were glued in by the boat builder and the only way to remove them without tearing up the surrounding wood was to drill them out with a forstner bit that resulted in holes bigger than the plugs had been and will require installation of larger replacement plugs. Even after the plugs were removed, I had to use a dental pick to clean dried glue used out of the heads of the screws holding the trim in place so that I'd be able to remove the screws, which took four full days of painstaking picking, and resulted in marring of the edges of some of the plug holes where my hand slipped and the pick dug into the wood.

If the plugs hadn't been glued in, I would have just sanded the cetol off the surface and pulled the plugs out, exposing the clean screw heads. Save your future self some trouble and resist the urge to glue the plugs in place. A coat of varnish or cetol on the surface will keep them where they need to be without any other adhesive.

 

[ggrizzard]

Amen Matt!