an Advanced Plastic Fabrications Company 99 marcus Blvd., 631.244.3620 631.231.4466fax FLEXITEEK INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS Before you begin, take your new Flexiteek deck out of the shipping package and lay it out flat in indirect sunlight for at least 60 minutes to allow the deck to relax and flatten out. In extreme temperature variances between the warm weather in South Florida, and the colder weather North of us the panel may shrink a little, placing panel in the warmth of the sun will allow the panel to return to it s proper size. Installation of your deck should not be done in the heat of the day. The ideal time would be in the morning or late afternoon, or under cover. Excessive heat will dry the glue out to quickly, not giving you time to position panels properly. 1
Installation of your deck should not be done in the heat of the day. The ideal time would be in the morning or late afternoon, or under cover. Excessive heat will dry the glue out to quickly, not giving you time to position panels properly. Remove all deck fittings if possible; this will give you an unobstructed work area. All surfaces must sound, smooth, and dry. All uneven areas and holes should be faired with suitable filler. Sand smooth any excess filler, loose paint or uneven areas with 60 grit sandpaper. Uneven areas left on the deck could show though the finished Flexiteek deck leaving unsightly high and low spots in those areas. Use denatured alcohol to clean the boat surface and the back of the Flexiteek panel if not free from dirt or dust just prior to cleaning. 2
Lay down the Flexiteek section that you plan to glue down, dry fit all panels into position making sure the panel fits correctly. Using a pencil trace along the entire outside of the panel, remove the panel and you will be left with a pencil mark as shown in the picture around the perimeter of the area requiring glue. Flexiteek can be trimmed to fit using a sharp utility knife or sand paper. Plan your cut and take the time to be as precise as possible, sand cut edges with 60 grit sandpaper to match texture of the panel face. 3
When multiple panels will be glued down within the same area make sure that the caulk lines line up from one panel to the next before gluing. Matching the caulk lines will give your deck a very professional look. Sdfsdfsdfsdfsdfsdfas Place masking tape along the outside of the pencil line you have drawn, also place tape across any corners that have a radius. Pencil Line Radius 4
Once more fit the panel onto the masked area and trace out the corners that have a radius. Cut out the traced portion of the radius, this completes preparing this area for applying the adhesive. 5
After tracing out the radius s, remove panel and trim the excess tape off with your utility knife. This area is completely taped off, clean and ready for gluing. Here is another example of how to tape the area for gluing, bending the tape to match the radius. 6
Place panel over area to be glued and fit into position. Place a weight on the middle of the panel and flip over one end, apply glue with a 1/16 notched trowel. Apply only one or two tubes of glue at a time or the glue may dry before the panel is laid back down. Panel is now glued into position, the tape will catch any excess glue, this will make clean up much easier. It may be necessary to weigh down the edges of the panel if the glue is not holding them tight to the deck, 2x4 s, bottles of water, etc. work well. Leave overnight. 7
Let glue dry for several hours prior to removing tape, this will prevent glue from getting on other boat surfaces. Keep a trash bag handy to put all the used tape in as you work. Use a floor roller or something similar to roll out excess glue and any air bubbles between the panel and the boat deck. Trapped air could result in bubbles in the face of the panel. Do not walk or kneel on the deck after you have rolled it out, lay a board down to distribute your weight if you must be on the glued deck. Keep traffic off the deck for at least a full 24 hours. 8
Only simple tools are required to apply the adhesive, these are available at any hardware store, use only a 1/16 notched trowel, this is plenty of glue to hold down Flexiteek and aids in drying. Use denatured alcohol to clean boat surfaces while the glue is still wet. You may also use denatured alcohol to wipe up any glue that may have soiled the surface of the deck. Plain white paper towel works best, cloth can leave lint attached to the glued edges 9
of the panels. It may be easier and quicker to sand the glue off the deck surface with 60 grit paper after the glue has dried. 10
Wear disposable gloves and change often while gluing; this will help keep glue from being tracked by your hands on to other boat surfaces. It may be necessary to lightly sand the edges of the panels to remove any excess dry glue, use a small piece of 60 grit paper to do this. It is not necessary to caulk the edges of the panels. If you elect to do so you may use black or white polyurethane or silicone caulk. 11
After all panels have been installed and the glue has dried you may wish to lightly sand the face of the deck panels with 60 grit sandpaper to remove any soil or scuff marks left during installation. Your installation is now complete, we know you will enjoy Flexiteek deck for many years to come. Thank you for choosing Flexiteek Deck Systems. 12