I need suggestions for flooring, please.

[magentawave]

I am redoing the interior of my boat and I want to cover the ugly green painted plywood floor boards with something that looks nice, is light, hides dirt and won’t cost a fortune. I have a source for free carpet and can laminate this rubber stuff to the back of the carpet for non slip and get the edges bound so it looks nice and won’t fray. Before I do that I’d like to see if anyone has a better idea? What about that roll on epoxy coating people put on garage floors? I’ll be selling this boat so cost matters. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.😀

Thanks!

[skipmac]

Problem with rubber backed carpet, when (not if) the floor gets wet (rainy day, spray, etc) the rubber will hold water under the carpet and pretty quickly start rotting and delaminating the plywood floor.

Paint of course the quickest, easiest, cheapest but probably not the nicest looking. I've seen boats done with parquet floor tiles. Not my favorite but easy and cheap and didn't look bad.

[Narfi]

I have really been curious about decorative epoxy flooring for boat interiors but have not seen any... we did the floors and countertops in our house and I really like it. Everything seems like it should work fine in a boat, but there must be a reason I havent seen it yet?

This is the brand we used, but there are other brands out there as well. We did coffee base with brass and black highlights on the floor, and inversed it on the countertops with black base and coffee and brass highlights.

https://leggari.com/product/epoxy-floor-kit-15/

[mathiasben]

I used this product on my boat's cabin floor and it's worked great three years later.

https://lonseal.com/applications/marine/

[Pete7]

Use the stuff they put down in hospitals or schools. Won't have the teak and holly pattern, but will be tough, easy to clean and last. I saw this on one of our sister yachts and thought that's practical.

Pete

[TrentePieds]

Quick and easy AND low cost is the kind of laminate flooring used in shoreside houses. It can be laid on plywood deck soles by just the same techniques you would use to lay it on plywood sub-floor in a shore side house.

It is used on kitchen and bathroom floors because it is impervious to water, and cleans beautifully with a damp mop or rag.

Careful attention to layout and shaping of the individual tongue and groove boards is required. Layout is facilitated through thinking - which is cost-free - and shaping by means of a "contractor's saw" - cheap to buy if you don't already have one. Skillsaws and jig saws do not provide sufficient accuracy for this job.

TrentePieds

[skwanderer]

I used indoor/outdoor short pile carpet squares from Lowes. Peel and stick, comes with rubber backing to help keep moisture from the substrate (and dampen engine noise). As they are squares, I was able to cut the custom sizes easily to tailor to the floor irregularities, such as having a giant lid to the engine compartment in the middle of the floor. I'm very pleased with the outcome.

[Sailshabby]

Had excellent results with PlasTeak, but it’s pricey and you can’t get small pieces. Must come off a roll at the factory.

[j.g.evans]

I have an1981 boat that needed a new floor. I bought a sheet of teak and holly plywood and cut panels to fit. I then coated them with a single application of table top epoxy resin. The results are spectacular with a thick epoxy coating. Expensive, but worth it.
The plywood comes 1/4" and 1/2". Perhaps you could glue the 1/4" to your floor in a way to be waterproof.

[partingclouds]

Magenta,

Lonseal gets my vote. I've redone the sole on three boats with rhe stuff. They all look stunning and are maintaining a like-new appearance after some years of hard use. The stuff is nearly bullet-proof and is easy to clean.

[Don C L]

The original owner put down linoleum with the black mastik stuff many years ago. I had a really hard time removing it from the plywood. I figured I'd paint it temporarily and figure out something nicer later. Did a lot of cleaning, sanding, priming and then painted with non skid (light sand) paint. Then I found some nice long bathmats, with the rubber backing on of course, that also dry quickly. They are easy on bare feet and they are not slippery and they don't slide around the floor. And I have kids, so things are often spilled, or sand has been tracked in. I often just shake them out and let them dry in the sun when needed. I hate to say it, but my plans for something nicer and more nautical are on hold now. This has been so easy. Even if I put in a nice teak and holly floor, I'd most likely still cover it with these mats! Personally I'd rather buy a boat with a sole that is ready for something better, than one that has a poor floor glued down and hard to remove.

[sinnerman]

I am seriously thinking about installing C-Flor flooring in my boat eventually. It lasts forever and being made up of individual strips (vs planks) allows adapting to the curves in the hull/sole easy.

I spoke at length with a reseller in Florida and they offered assistance in planning the project, and providing tips for installing.

Reseller: https://www.tampabayyachtmasters.com/interior/

YouTube guy who put it in his Catalina 30:

His two year review:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0hYwTyTR8U

Installation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX9RTG1Mlsc

Cheers.

[George DuBose]

I destroyed the original no-skid fiberglass cabin sole when adding and reinforcing the floors under the sole.

I made a template for the cabin sole and cut 3/8" bamboo plates to shape and screwed the bamboo to the original sole with bronze screws. I stained the bamboo a mahogany color and then added a matte polyurethane.

I think it looks great and goes well with the burgundy cushions in the cabin.

I got the idea to use bamboo from the long wearing cutting board in my kitchen.

[magentawave]

Originally Posted by George DuBose

I destroyed the original no-skid fiberglass cabin sole when adding and reinforcing the floors under the sole.

I made a template for the cabin sole and cut 3/8" bamboo plates to shape and screwed the bamboo to the original sole with bronze screws. I stained the bamboo a mahogany color and then added a matte polyurethane.

I think it looks great and goes well with the burgundy cushions in the cabin.

I got the idea to use bamboo from the long wearing cutting board in my kitchen.

Plates as in plates you eat off of?

[magentawave]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Use the stuff they put down in hospitals or schools. Won't have the teak and holly pattern, but will be tough, easy to clean and last. I saw this on one of our sister yachts and thought that's practical.

Pete

Do you know what that stuff is called so I can look it up? THanks.