Looking after a teak deck typically costs €20 to €50 per m² for cleaning and treatment, and renewing the seams with a sanding €150 to €350 per m², excluding VAT. Full replacement is a different league: €300 to €700 per m² for synthetic teak and €550 to €1,600 per m² for real teak, plus removal of the old deck.
Teak deck prices in 2026: summary
The table above runs from the least to the most invasive job, from a yearly clean to a brand-new deck. Prices are in euros excluding VAT, including materials and labour, based on published rates and quotes from yards in France, Germany, the UK and other European Mediterranean ports. Northern European yards tend to sit at the top of the ranges; Southeast Asia or North Africa, well below.
Most figures are per m² of deck, because that is how yards quote. Recaulking is sometimes priced per linear metre of seam: a typical deck with 45 to 50 mm planks has about 18 to 20 metres of seam per m², which explains how the two figures relate. To estimate your area, add side decks, foredeck, cockpit sole, seats and bathing platform if they are teak too. A 10 m sailboat usually has 12 to 20 m²; a 12 to 13 m boat, 20 to 30 m².
What the price includes
- Labour: the main cost on almost every job. A refurbishment or a new deck takes hundreds of hours of joinery, billed at around €40 to €65 per hour excluding VAT in the Mediterranean.
- Materials: teak deck caulking compound, primer, plugs, screws or epoxy or polyurethane adhesive, and the timber itself. Marine-grade teak is expensive and scarce, which accounts for much of the price of a new deck.
- Hardware removal and refitting: stanchions, cleats, tracks, winches, hatches and deck fittings. It can run from a few hundred to over €2,000 and is often forgotten in quotes.
- Boatyard storage or shed: a new deck means weeks of work ashore, ideally under cover. Add the port's haul-out and storage fees.
- Core repair: if water has got into the deck sandwich, it has to be opened, dried and filled before anything is laid. It is a separate item quoted once the teak is lifted.
Factors that change the price
Condition and thickness of the wood
Original teak is usually 9 to 12 mm thick. Every sanding removes wood, and once screw heads or plugs start showing, the deck is at the end of its life. With enough wood left, a recaulk can buy another 10 years; without it, the money is wasted.
Screwed or bonded
On older decks the planks were screwed into the GRP substrate, leaving hundreds of holes that let water in. Modern decks are usually bonded, sometimes under vacuum. Removing a screwed deck means filling and sealing every hole, which makes preparation more expensive.
Area and complexity
A straight bathing platform is not the same as a cockpit with curves, hatches and seats. Cuts, margin boards and inlays take hours. That is why two decks of the same area can get very different quotes.
Material chosen
There is real teak of different grades and origins, PVC or polyurethane synthetic teak from several brands, and alternatives such as cork or foam. Synthetic brands with custom templates and integrated seams cost more than generic panels.
Location, season and type of yard
Teak specialists often have waiting lists in autumn and winter, which is exactly when the work should be done. A yard inside a premium marina is usually more expensive than an independent shipwright who comes to the boatyard.
Worked example: 12 m sailboat with 22 m² of teak
A 20-year-old 12 m cruising sailboat, with a bonded teak deck, seams coming away in several areas and 6 mm of usable wood. Three indicative options excluding VAT:
Option 1, refurbish the existing deck:
- Hardware removal and refitting: €600 – €1,500
- Full recaulk and sanding (22 m² at €150 – €300/m²): €3,300 – €6,600
- New plugs and 4 to 6 damaged planks replaced: €400 – €1,200
- Storage ashore or in a shed for 3 to 4 weeks: €300 – €900
Total: €4,600 to €10,200.
Option 2, switch to synthetic teak:
- Removal of old teak and preparation (22 m² at €100 – €300/m²): €2,200 – €6,600
- Synthetic teak installed (22 m² at €350 – €650/m²): €7,700 – €14,300
- Hardware and resealing of fittings: €1,000 – €2,000
Total: €10,900 to €22,900.
Option 3, new real teak: with the same removal and hardware costs and €600 to €1,200/m² for installed teak, the total comes to €16,400 to €35,000. Owner forums report similar numbers: quotes of €25,000 to €30,000 for a 44-footer in France and about €60,000 for a full replacement on a Hallberg-Rassy 36 in 2025.
DIY or hire a professional
Cleaning and treatment are well within an owner's reach: with a two-part cleaner, a soft brush and some patience you save €400 to €1,000 a year on a mid-sized sailboat. The step-by-step process is in our teak deck care guide.
Recaulking small areas is also possible with the right tools: a seam router or reefing tool, masking tape, primer and a proper teak deck sealant. But it is slow: owners who have done it talk of around 4 hours just to mask, apply and remove the tape on a small section. A full DIY recaulk can take weeks.
Leave it to a professional if:
- Planks need lifting or there is moisture in the deck core.
- The deck is screwed down and screws and plugs need replacing in bulk.
- You are fitting a new deck, real or synthetic: the templating and bonding determine how long it lasts.
How to save without cutting corners
- Do not pressure-wash or over-sand: every millimetre of wood lost shortens the deck's life and brings the big bill closer.
- Repair early: replacing a few loose seams is cheap; the water that gets in through them and reaches the core is not.
- Quote by areas: if only the cockpit is bad, refurbishing just that and keeping the rest can make sense.
- Consider synthetic if you use the boat a lot in hot climates and want no maintenance, but ask for samples and choose light shades.
- Book off-season: in autumn and winter there is more availability and storage ashore is cheaper in many ports.
- Combine with other work ashore, such as antifouling, to share haul-out and storage costs.
How to choose a professional
Look for a shipwright or yard with specific teak experience, photos of finished jobs and references from boats similar to yours.
Before signing, ask for:
- A prior inspection measuring wood thickness and checking the core for moisture.
- An itemised quote: hardware, removal, preparation, materials, labour and storage.
- The name of the caulking compound, the adhesive and the timber or synthetic product.
- A realistic timeline, and who pays for storage if it overruns.
- A written warranty on seams and bonding.
Be wary of anyone who suggests heavy sanding on an already thin deck, of per-m² prices given without seeing the boat, or of quotes that do not mention the hardware. On Nautify you can browse boat maintenance services in Mallorca and boat repair yards in Barcelona, among other areas. If you are buying a boat with teak, see also our guide to inspecting a used boat.
Conclusion
Well-kept teak is cheap to maintain and expensive to replace. The best value comes from gentle care, renewing seams on time and never letting water reach the core. When replacement is due, compare real and synthetic options with itemised quotes and factor in hardware and haul-out. To find shipwrights and teak specialists near your port, Nautify is a good place to start.
