How to Remove Old Caulking From Your Deck and Re-Caulk Your Seams

Part 2 of our re-caulking series covers caulk removal tools and techniques, proper surface preparation, and how to apply new caulk cleanly for a professional-quality seam. This guide focuses on the correct methods for extracting degraded or sunken caulk without damaging the teak plank faces — a step that is essential before any new SIS 440 caulk can be applied successfully.

Removing old caulk cleanly is one of the most skill-dependent steps in deck maintenance. Rushing this stage leads to contamination of the new seam and reduced caulk adhesion. For a step-by-step walkthrough of the application phase that follows removal, watch our Re-Caulk Part 1 and Part 2 guides.