Help me pick my vinyl flooring.

[gunner1]

Ok, so I'm going to probably be putting the new floor in in a week or two and have decided that I want a good, tough and non-slip vinyl flooring to cover the new plywood. I figure it'll be fairly easy to lay down and will help protect the plywood. Yes, it's ( the plywood ) is going to be sealed. Can anyone help me out with brands? I saw this at Cabelas and thought it might fit the bill perfectly.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...parentType=index&indexId=cat350015&hasJS=true

 

[Coors]

Re: Help me pick my vinyl flooring.

That ply sealed with glass and resin on all sides?
If not, don't glue any thing to it; as it will rot.

 

[gunner1]

Re: Help me pick my vinyl flooring.

That ply sealed with glass and resin on all sides?
If not, don't glue any thing to it; as it will rot.

You're not suggesting I don't cover it, are you? I wasn't going to use resin and glass. It's exterior grade plywood and I'm only looking to get three or four realistic years out of it. I'm just going to use a commercial penetrating wood waterproofer I got at Lowe's. I know, I know, but I need it done fast and cheap now. I'm WAY overbudget on this already.

 

[1Scallywag]

Re: Help me pick my vinyl flooring.

What is the name of the waterproofer that you have? I'm getting ready to put carpet down. I'm not going to glass or resin the plywood eather. Might be interested in putting this produck on before the carpet. Thanks, Kevin

 

[Coors]

Re: Help me pick my vinyl flooring.

F/g resin and light cloth isn't expensive. maybe $75?
Easier to do it right the first time, and never have to deal with it again

 

[fixb52s]

Re: Help me pick my vinyl flooring.

That vinyl flooring you linked seems to be fine.​

I would reconsider your thoughts about putting down ply without fiberglass. Even it the wood is "sealed" with a product like you mention, the protection will break down within a year and the ply will start sucking up moisture very quickly. Water will also get through the cracks and under the deck. I think it has been proven again and again here that water in the decking will kill it in short time. You will also be getting water in the foam, weighing the boat down an extra few hunded pounds in a short time.​

You will be adding a lot of strength to the deck with the glass too.​

If you are looking at getting 3-4 years, it might be a wise decision to put a little extra money in it now, because within a few years, you could be pulling all that ply right back out.​

Laying down a layer of matt and cloth will only add a few days to the project, but you will find yourself on the water in a few years rather than spending weeks redoing it all.​

Just an opinion. Like some will say here, it's your boat so do what you feel you need to do.​

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Help me pick my vinyl flooring.

I can see that one of the boats discussed is aluminum, in most aluminum boats the floors are easy to replace, so unless you want to go all the way, it would best to do it as cheap as possible, that means no vinyl or carpet.

Just get some good exterior plywood, paint it very well (all sides) and use some sand as a non skid. It should last five years or so, maybe more if keep it cover and let it dry out when not in use. Carpet and vinyl will keep the wood wet, resulting a shorter life span.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Help me pick my vinyl flooring.

I can see that one of the boats discussed is aluminum, in most aluminum boats the floors are easy to replace, so unless you want to go all the way, it would best to do it as cheap as possible, that means no vinyl or carpet.

Just get some good exterior plywood, paint it very well (all sides) and use some sand as a non skid. It should last five years or so, maybe more if keep it cover and let it dry out when not in use. Carpet and vinyl will keep the wood wet, resulting a shorter life span.

OK bait taken, as long as one apply's the vinyl is such a manner as to drain any water to the bilge how can nautolex cause a rot......or does the material actually absorb moisture like carpet???

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Help me pick my vinyl flooring.

The plywood "will" get wet, with vinyl covering it, it will stay wet, it's the same with carpet.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Help me pick my vinyl flooring.

The plywood will not only get wet from above, there will be condensation from below which cannot escape. The result will be mold and rot. When the plywood is left uncovered, its allowed to breath and dry out faster.
I had one boat that had an open unpainted plywood floor for years, a prior owner had sawed out the old floor, doubled up a few cross braces and screwed down new cdx grade 1/2" plywood. I ran that boat for 4 years that way, sold it and the current owner is still using it. It's not pretty but for a $200 boat, it did just fine. The wood will get wet, whether from above or below, it had to be able to dry out fast or fungus will form which is what 'rots' the wood.

Also, when covering a boat, you should leave some air space for the cover to breathe, I never seal mine up tight. I normally leave an open end so air can circulate under the cover so the cover don't hold condensation.

 

[gunner1]

Re: Help me pick my vinyl flooring.

The plywood will not only get wet from above, there will be condensation from below which cannot escape. The result will be mold and rot. When the plywood is left uncovered, its allowed to breath and dry out faster.
I had one boat that had an open unpainted plywood floor for years, a prior owner had sawed out the old floor, doubled up a few cross braces and screwed down new cdx grade 1/2" plywood. I ran that boat for 4 years that way, sold it and the current owner is still using it. It's not pretty but for a $200 boat, it did just fine. The wood will get wet, whether from above or below, it had to be able to dry out fast or fungus will form which is what 'rots' the wood.

Also, when covering a boat, you should leave some air space for the cover to breathe, I never seal mine up tight. I normally leave an open end so air can circulate under the cover so the cover don't hold condensation.

So then is there any reason to do anything other than seal it? It's an aluminum boat and the floor will be easy enough to replace a few years down the road. I guess what I wanted was something that would help protect the floor from water after sealing the plywood and also something that I could just hose out to clean.

 

[GregE]

Re: Help me pick my vinyl flooring.

Seal it, but maybe with epoxy instead. Look into Tuffcoat as your top coating. www.ultratuff.net You can get it at Cabelas or BassPro Shops. You may want to do that with just a primer under it. The maker sent me a couple swatches of it. You also might want to mark this link...

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=240104

He's very close to applying it and I'm very interested in the results too.

 

[tonyg11780]

Re: Help me pick my vinyl flooring.

That vinyl from Cabelas looked pretty good, but if you are set on vinyl the stuff that Bass Pro sells looks much better in my opinion. Look for Marideck vinyl. Its your boat, so go with the one you like.

Tony