Flooring - Wood/Laminate or Carpets?

[wrigglefingers]

I've got some flotex samples in front of me and it's weird stuff all right. It's definitely warmer underfoot than laminate though. Lots warmer.

 

Of all the samples I've got reclaimed pine looks the best:

 

Without close inspection I expect it will pretty much look like a plank floor. The sheets are 2m wide with the pattern repeating every 1.5m, which should make it pretty easy to lay. The nice wood version if £45 a metre though!

 

I laid bamboo strip flooring in Surprise which worked well, I think it's the only thing that Karen's left in place after the refit! It was less than £250 for the entire boat and was very easy to lay - I sued the self adhesive underlay stuff. Didn't move and was much easier to clean and warmer than the coir matting some genius had fitted to her prior to that. (16 year old coir matting, euw, shudders at the thought!) Coir matting, in my opinion should be banned on boats, it's slippery, impossible to clean and if it gets wet it turns green - yuck.

 

My mate has Flotex in her kitchen and qhilst it's undeniably weird stuff (and the pattern looks like an alien got freaky with the paint) it takes everything that chucked at it and still reverts to it's happy smiling self ....

 

Cobbett will have a three-quarter inch English oak floor, I found it at half-price in Carvers in Wolves. The quality's not A1 but owing to a quantity miscalculation I bought so much I can burn the rubbish stuff. It'll be laid on 18mm ply so that should give me a decent thickness of wood for warmth. I'm making my rugs for it at the moment.

 

And for Tanis, I didn't like the granite either so I'm having iroko worktops instead with brushed steel round the Rayburn (I think that's the current plan!).

[deletedaccount]

Ideally I'll have an oak floor too. Some of my laminate is already peeling up near the bathroom. I've just got to keep my eye out for bargains.

 

Of course I'm skint at the moment have spent on stove+batteries so it'll have to wait a while.

[chieftiff]

can you modify the flooring so it acts like a wetroom?

my vinyl is stuck down with evostik contact adhesive and goes 4" up the wall, has a dart cutout at the corners and the seam is sealed with silicone.

I used plastic forms that curve through 90degrees as a base for the curved junction between floor and wall, can't remember for sure where I sourced those but I think they were in the roofing section of B&Q. The wall finish is also vinyl that overlaps, but you could seal the joint with the wall finish using a brass edging bedded in silicone.

 

A project I worked on a while ago had to have a hardwearing, longlasting, 100% waterproof, high grip, stain resistant (I could go on as the requirement was incredibly tight it was for a carbon fibre layup & prep room) We searched the market and used this stuff: http://www.gripclad.co.uk/flooring.htm?gcl...CFVtn4wodhHPT0w

 

Client was very happy and I've got to say it was absolutely brilliant right down to the installation. Not sure how practical it would be in a boat because lifting it would be impossible, it's a resin application, not particularly cheap but wouldn't be prohibitive in a small area, it would be my preferred flooring in the right circumstances purely because of its durability.

[wrigglefingers]

Ideally I'll have an oak floor too. Some of my laminate is already peeling up near the bathroom. I've just got to keep my eye out for bargains.

 

Of course I'm skint at the moment have spent on stove+batteries so it'll have to wait a while.

 

 

How is the stove?

[deletedaccount]

How is the stove?

 

Being sized up this evening and installed tomorrow!

[ChrisPy]

A bit like this?

 

I like your choice of Irish Whiskey, but the Green Bush malt is even nicer !

[Shasterian Noble]

Wanted a surface which was hard wearing, warm and uniform throughout. Decided to lay 4mm cork tiles stuck directly on the 3/4 ply. 4 coats of floor vanish.The usual small rugs by bed and in shower room. Surpassed all expectations as also gives good heat and some sound insulation, easy to brush/mop clean and we have found no condensation in the lockers/under units. We attempt to remove out door foot wear, however needs must sometimes, (usually when it's wet and cold!), and we have found it to be accommodating to live aboard boating needs!

 

Great idea this. As long as the varnish is tough enough to withstand the give in the cork I'd imagine this gives a nice enough finish with some give and warmth (provided one avoids the dubious practice of covering every possible surface and going for the 70's love nest look!!).

[Grace and Favour]

Is there a name for a person with a fetish for Kirby's?

 

A sucker?

[Moondaisy]

I've looked through a lot of pictures of narrowboat interiors, and most seem to have hard floors, and personally I have never been one for a tiled, wood or laminate flooring, mainly cos they're so blummin' cold underfoot, but each to their own...

 

Anyway, what do you have on your boat? And why did you choose it?

 

I'd definitely prefer carpets, mainly because of one of my hobbies is Kirby vacuum cleaners, and you have to have carpets to use them on, there's only so much polishing you can do with one before you get bored!!!

 

Having tried several things, I find that a wooden (get the waterproof kind or use proper boards!) floor with a nice rug to keep your feet warm in the morning is a good combination. Get a decent-sized rug so it doesn't slide about. I find my rugs get vile in winter, so I buy cheap IKEA ones and chuck them when unspeakable.

 

The current fashion for laminate flors seems to be part of a deep confusion - people are trying to make boats look like trendy flats. Perhaps the fact that many fitters are kitchen-fitters has led to this trend where no boat flavour is left (however nice).

"He " gets a nice engine and some brass to polish. "She" (reverse or modify if relevant) gets a shiny kitchen just like the one at home, so needs to make no concessions to being afloat.

 

The whole design of the smart new boats owes everything to urban flats and little to narrowboats. Not to say this is wrong, but interesting.

[soldthehouse]

Having tried several things, I find that a wooden (get the waterproof kind or use proper boards!) floor with a nice rug to keep your feet warm in the morning is a good combination. Get a decent-sized rug so it doesn't slide about. I find my rugs get vile in winter, so I buy cheap IKEA ones and chuck them when unspeakable.

 

The current fashion for laminate flors seems to be part of a deep confusion - people are trying to make boats look like trendy flats. Perhaps the fact that many fitters are kitchen-fitters has led to this trend where no boat flavour is left (however nice).

"He " gets a nice engine and some brass to polish. "She" (reverse or modify if relevant) gets a shiny kitchen just like the one at home, so needs to make no concessions to being afloat.

 

The whole design of the smart new boats owes everything to urban flats and little to narrowboats. Not to say this is wrong, but interesting.

Laminate floors rather like shell suits and patio heaters will come and go....once the flock are led somewhere else

[twocvbloke]

I find my rugs get vile in winter, so I buy cheap IKEA ones and chuck them when unspeakable.

 

That's not very environmentally friendly, you could stick them in the washer and clean them up for re-use, rather than dirty something up then throw it out, it's like wearing a set of clothes for just one day then binning them in favour of a brand new set the next day...

[Madmark62]

Well , we have just acquired enough mahoghany planking to do the floor in the bedroom and living area of the widebeam. Going to look lovely when I get it laid down and then sanded and sealed

Carpets for the bedroom and sealed laminate for kitchen area.

 

Mainly wood / laminate for these areas because we have the dogs and it is easier to keep clean than carpeting.

[Guest wanted]

Just put down the cheapest flooring about and fashion 3 pairs of shoes lined with your personal favourites! I wear my lino lined moccasins in the galley, my cork lined espadrilles in the bathroom and when I'm relaxing I like to slip on my Axminster wellies!

[andywatson]

Well, if you are intersted in vacuum cleaners you need to visit the vacum cleaner museum in Eastwood Notts. It's close to the terminus of the Erewash so you could go by boat.

There is a half page spread about it on P17 of today's Sunday Torygraph.

Apparently there are 126 of them on display.

 

 

If vacuum cleaners aren't your bag Eastwood also has a DH Lawrence museum.

[twocvbloke]

Well, if you are intersted in vacuum cleaners you need to visit the vacum cleaner museum in Eastwood Notts. It's close to the terminus of the Erewash so you could go by boat.

There is a half page spread about it on P17 of today's Sunday Torygraph.

Apparently there are 126 of them on display.

 

 

If vacuum cleaners aren't your bag Eastwood also has a DH Lawrence museum.

 

Yep, seen that on the BBC website a week or two ago (so much for news in the paper!!! They should call it an Oldspaper!!!), with video, I've tried contacting the fella to see if he would join the vacuum cleaner forum I'm on, but nothing as of yet...

 

One thing he has that I must see is an exceptionally rare 1950's Kirby that has a 240v motor (rare because the 240v motor wasn't introduced until 1973 with the Kirby Classic Omega), he got it from Africa where Kirbys are pretty popular cleaners...

 

He also has an Electrolux Slimline Electronic Z1185E like mine on display...

[soldthehouse]

Yep, seen that on the BBC website a week or two ago (so much for news in the paper!!! They should call it an Oldspaper!!!), with video, I've tried contacting the fella to see if he would join the vacuum cleaner forum I'm on, but nothing as of yet...

 

One thing he has that I must see is an exceptionally rare 1950's Kirby that has a 240v motor (rare because the 240v motor wasn't introduced until 1973 with the Kirby Classic Omega), he got it from Africa where Kirbys are pretty popular cleaners...

 

He also has an Electrolux Slimline Electronic Z1185E like mine on display...

electrolux 504 in green a most desirable vac only avaible from rumbelows I believe....

[andywatson]

Yep, seen that on the BBC website a week or two ago (so much for news in the paper!!! They should call it an Oldspaper!!!), with video, I've tried contacting the fella to see if he would join the vacuum cleaner forum I'm on, but nothing as of yet...

 

One thing he has that I must see is an exceptionally rare 1950's Kirby that has a 240v motor (rare because the 240v motor wasn't introduced until 1973 with the Kirby Classic Omega), he got it from Africa where Kirbys are pretty popular cleaners...

 

He also has an Electrolux Slimline Electronic Z1185E like mine on display...

 

A vacuum cleaner forum...!!!!!

 

Do you squabble like us lot?

Are there separate factions that favour upright v cyclinder ones, bags v cyclones etc?

 

I've got a Nilfisk GSD and a Sebo X4 - If you want some experience you are very welcome to come for a good long test drive.

[twocvbloke]

electrolux 504 in green a most desirable vac only avaible from rumbelows I believe....

 

Nah, you need a Tristar CXL with a Vibragroomer-III brushroll fitted in the power nozzle for superior performance (yes, even better than a Dyson and none of that bagless cr*p to boot), I'm awaiting one arriving from the states, just need to convert it to 240v by fitting a Henry motor, well, technically it's an Ametek Lamb motor which is identical (bar the actual motor part) to the original motor the Tristar was fitted with, and the Power Nozzle I'm already sorted for cos I've got the motor in another PN I own (again imported from the US cos us Brits haven't been educated about decent cleaning with cylinder vacuums)...

 

There's also the Sanitaire ZC-880 you can get here in the UK (one currently on ebay being sold by someone I know), that is also an excellent cleaner, it works in a similar manner to old hoovers that had beaters on the brushroll, beat the carpet to get the deep-down dirt out with ease...

 

I sound like a salesman saying that, but I have to say, since getting my Sanitaire, my Kirbys haven't seen much duty...

 

A vacuum cleaner forum...!!!!!

 

Do you squabble like us lot?

Are there separate factions that favour upright v cyclinder ones, bags v cyclones etc?

 

I've got a Nilfisk GSD and a Sebo X4 - If you want some experience you are very welcome to come for a good long test drive.

 

Generally, "Plastivacs" are seen as utter 5h1t, and they usually are, the Sanitaire rules, bagless isn't all that is hyped up to be, and Dysons are crap...

 

There are a few little "discussions" over certain makes, but generally that doesn't last long, and most collectors own both cylinders and uprights...

 

Ss for Sebos, erm, I think you lost your money there, they're not all that great a vacuum, they're often just rebranded electroluxes, not sure about Nilfisks though, they haven't cropped up on the forum...

[soldthehouse]

Nah, you need a Tristar CXL with a Vibragroomer-III brushroll fitted in the power nozzle for superior performance (yes, even better than a Dyson and none of that bagless cr*p to boot), I'm awaiting one arriving from the states, just need to convert it to 240v by fitting a Henry motor, well, technically it's an Ametek Lamb motor which is identical (bar the actual motor part) to the original motor the Tristar was fitted with, and the Power Nozzle I'm already sorted for cos I've got the motor in another PN I own (again imported from the US cos us Brits haven't been educated about decent cleaning with cylinder vacuums)...

 

There's also the Sanitaire ZC-880 you can get here in the UK (one currently on ebay being sold by someone I know), that is also an excellent cleaner, it works in a similar manner to old hoovers that had beaters on the brushroll, beat the carpet to get the deep-down dirt out with ease...

 

I sound like a salesman saying that, but I have to say, since getting my Sanitaire, my Kirbys haven't seen much duty...

Do you get out much, I pass thru Colne now and again maybe I should pick you up and show you the world at large......

[twocvbloke]

Do you get out much, I pass thru Colne now and again maybe I should pick you up and show you the world at large......

 

Not really, it's too cold at the moment to go out anyway, I'm hibernating...

[soldthehouse]

Not really, it's too cold at the moment to go out anyway, I'm hibernating...

Me too as it happens, Ive lost two months must get the vac out......

[andywatson]

Nah, you need a Tristar CXL with a Vibragroomer-III brushroll fitted in the power nozzle for superior performance (yes, even better than a Dyson and none of that bagless cr*p to boot), I'm awaiting one arriving from the states, just need to convert it to 240v by fitting a Henry motor, well, technically it's an Ametek Lamb motor which is identical (bar the actual motor part) to the original motor the Tristar was fitted with, and the Power Nozzle I'm already sorted for cos I've got the motor in another PN I own (again imported from the US cos us Brits haven't been educated about decent cleaning with cylinder vacuums)...

 

There's also the Sanitaire ZC-880 you can get here in the UK (one currently on ebay being sold by someone I know), that is also an excellent cleaner, it works in a similar manner to old hoovers that had beaters on the brushroll, beat the carpet to get the deep-down dirt out with ease...

 

I sound like a salesman saying that, but I have to say, since getting my Sanitaire, my Kirbys haven't seen much duty...

 

 

 

Generally, "Plastivacs" are seen as utter 5h1t, and they usually are, the Sanitaire rules, bagless isn't all that is hyped up to be, and Dysons are crap...

 

There are a few little "discussions" over certain makes, but generally that doesn't last long, and most collectors own both cylinders and uprights...

 

Ss for Sebos, erm, I think you lost your money there, they're not all that great a vacuum, they're often just rebranded electroluxes, not sure about Nilfisks though, they haven't cropped up on the forum...

 

 

The Sebo (and dog) came with the girlfriend (now wife) when she moved in.

I already had the Nilfisk (and cat).

 

The Nilsfisk is Danish although I bought it in Holland in 1981 . They mainly made commercial and industrial stuff so aren't very common here .

It's sturdy and has been 100% reliable but I have to get the bags from a specialist.

 

 

What's your forum called?

(Blimey, now I'm getting sucked in.............)

[twocvbloke]

Me too as it happens, Ive lost two months must get the vac out......

 

hehe, make sure to do the edges with a hose (I always forget to, so, yeah!!!)...

[soldthehouse]

hehe, make sure to do the edges with a hose (I always forget to, so, yeah!!!)...

I am obliged to use a small hand brush around the edges as our handwoven axminster needs a very delicate touch and my wife likes me on my hands and knees whenever possible...

[twocvbloke]

I am obliged to use a small hand brush around the edges as our handwoven axminster needs a very delicate touch and my wife likes me on my hands and knees whenever possible...

 

Get a Sanitaire then, it'll clean that with no bother, both to it and the carpet, unlike something like a POS plastivac like a Dyson that just tears carpets to shreds and claims it as "fluffing them up"...