Laminate Flooring

[floatingphil]

I want to replace the carpet on our 47ftNB. Really dont want carpet again so looking for something else. Ive fitted lots of laminate but not on the boat. Question is... how does mdf react in the boat were the moisure content varies alot. Leaving the manditory gap along the edge means fitting scotia beads which im not keen on. There is now Aquastep which is water proof( non mdf) and ideal but hellish expensive.Wondered if there is an Aquastep equivilant? Anyone used vinyl and if so what sort of material?

 

Thanks

 

Phil

[barroca grande]

Bamboo

 

It is a hardwood, eco friendly and can withstand damp and cold without buckling etc.

 

and of course is in the clicky format so dead easy to install in the narrowboat.

[floatingphil]

Bamboo

 

It is a hardwood, eco friendly and can withstand damp and cold without buckling etc.

 

and of course is in the clicky format so dead easy to install in the narrowboat.

 

 

Never thought of that, will have to investigate that one. Would prefer it to match our oak fit out so may not be right

 

Many thanks

 

Phil

[david and julie]

Amtico?

 

It definately resembles real timber, is very hardwearing (when correctly laid) is pretty much non slip and easy to keep clean. It also comes in different Oaks so you may get a good match for your existing shades.

 

Main issue is its hellish expensive - but you do get job lots of it on Ebay at more reasonable prices - such as this one.

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...=item4152cd4968

 

Contrary to what you may read it isn't that difficult to lay - as long as you have a good floor or overlay a poor one with thin ply first - I fitted it in my kitchen at home and its great stuff.

[Guest]

Never thought of that, will have to investigate that one. Would prefer it to match our oak fit out so may not be right

 

Many thanks

 

Phil

 

Not sure traditional 'as found in B&Q' laminate would be suitable on a boat...due to moisture absorption.

 

Forgive me as I can't recall the flooring type fitted to our boat, it looks and feels like a half way house between lino and real wood. Could be Amitico??

 

Whoever fitted it did a great job.

Edited September 17, 2010 by MJG

[Brin Morris]

I used a B&Q aqua lock flooring on the boat. It has been down for 3 years now and is ok despite having a mini flood this year.

[floatingphil]

ok, thamks for the input guys, I will give it some thought. Finding the time to go and fit it will be harded than finding the flooring!! But thats another post!!

 

Cheers

 

Phil

[drunkensailor]

I have lino.

 

The problem with many kinds of laminate is that dogs can mark it. Lino is easy to lay, easy to clean, and cheap.

 

All of my flooring was £4 at a local charity sale.

[NB Alnwick]

I have seen some excellent results with laminate flooring recently. Provided it is laid on a good base it is probably a cheap and sensible alternative to solid hardwood. The big advantage is that it is easy and cheap to change if you don't like it!

[lymmranger]

All flooring choices have Pro`s and Con`s, even more so on a boat!

 

Firstly Laminate -

 

You will find that any "cheap" laminate floor is prone to problems and is usually more difficult to fit well

it isnt worth paying extra for the words "water proof" or "moistuire resistant"

...however all laminate flooring requires an expansion gap around its perimeter, you say you wish to avoid scotia, how will you "dress" the 8mm - 10mm gap?

...also you should look for a minimum 8mm thickness, this added to the underlay will raise your floor by between 10 and 18mm - will this cause you any problems?

 

secondly LVT (karndean/amtico)

 

Although it has a high purchase cost per sq metre you only need to buy what you need, preperation also requires a minimum of 6mm plyboard as a preperation, which should be fixed using ring shank nails every 10 - 15cm in all directions. With care it can and is fittable by a gifted DIYer.

If installed well it is an extremely tough (almost indestructable) product, which will only raise your floor by 9mm

 

Thirdly Vinyl cushionfloor

 

Sometimes reffered to as Lino (wrongly!) this will be your cheapest option, there is a huge range of designs and finishes which can look very realistic. Floor preperation is minimal (any smooth blemish free surface is suitable)

 

Finally Bamboo/engineered wood/ real wood

 

Basically think of this as a thicker laminate. It is definately not as tough as a good quality laminate and may not be any more stable under high moisture conditions.

It will still need an expansion gap around the perimeter. It will raise your floor by at least 12mm. Avoid cheap DIY store products - they warp and buckle very badly!

A decent product will cost a similar amount to LVT.

 

I have not discussed carpet because you state you do not want it.

[Neil2]

Just my opinion, but laminate flooring has no place on boats, any boats, I've taken up a few floors finished with this awful stuff and, basically, it doesn't like to get wet. It seems nonsensical to me that you should use such a product in an inherently wet environment.

Amtico and karndean are good products but as has been said you do have to pay for it. Although basically finished PVC They are not the same, Amtico is better quality and the finish is more hard wearing. Bear in mind that in high traffic areas (eg a narrowboat!) the finish will wear off, the floor will go dull and dirty and eventually will need stripping and refinishing. I've done a few. There are better floor finishes on the market than the ones Amtico/Karndean use which will last longer.

What about carpet tiles? loads of choice, easy to fit, and when they get dirty/ damaged can easily be removed for cleaning/replacement.

I'd go for a combination of Amtico and carpet tiles, though if I were starting from scratch maybe just do the floor with top quality marine ply, epoxied and varnished.

[NB Alnwick]

Just my opinion, but laminate flooring has no place on boats, any boats, I've taken up a few floors finished with this awful stuff and, basically, it doesn't like to get wet. It seems nonsensical to me that you should use such a product in an inherently wet environment.

Amtico and karndean are good products but as has been said you do have to pay for it. Although basically finished PVC They are not the same, Amtico is better quality and the finish is more hard wearing. Bear in mind that in high traffic areas (eg a narrowboat!) the finish will wear off, the floor will go dull and dirty and eventually will need stripping and refinishing. I've done a few. There are better floor finishes on the market than the ones Amtico/Karndean use which will last longer.

What about carpet tiles? loads of choice, easy to fit, and when they get dirty/ damaged can easily be removed for cleaning/replacement.

I'd go for a combination of Amtico and carpet tiles, though if I were starting from scratch maybe just do the floor with top quality marine ply, epoxied and varnished.

 

Why should anyone get the inside of their boat wet any more than the they would the inside of a house?

 

Boats should only get wet on the outside!

 

[lymmranger]

Neil2 said...

 

"Amtico is better quality and the finish is more hard wearing. Bear in mind that in high traffic areas (eg a narrowboat!) the finish will wear off, the floor will go dull and dirty and eventually will need stripping and refinishing. I've done a few. There are better floor finishes on the market than the ones Amtico/Karndean use which will last longer."

 

Sorry but that is not necessairly correct - I sell this stuff for a living and that is too general a statement

 

....which ranges are you comparing?

Karndean is a better specified product than most of the Amtico range

Others such as Distinctive are better still

All LVT tiles are more than durable enough for a boat - we drive a forklift over ours with no detriment and all B & Q`s have a variation of this type floor in their stores.

I agree to some extent about the surface "dulling" but we find that only occurs when the surface finishes are applied which is a totally unecessary extra....

the standard out of the box finish will keep its looks for years if kept clean

 

edit due to messing up the quote

Edited September 18, 2010 by lymmranger

[Guest]

Neil2 said...

 

"Amtico is better quality and the finish is more hard wearing. Bear in mind that in high traffic areas (eg a narrowboat!) the finish will wear off, the floor will go dull and dirty and eventually will need stripping and refinishing. I've done a few. There are better floor finishes on the market than the ones Amtico/Karndean use which will last longer."

 

Sorry but that is not necessairly correct - I sell this stuff for a living and that is too general a statement

 

....which ranges are you comparing?

Karndean is a better specified product than most of the Amtico range

Others such as Distinctive are better still

All LVT tiles are more than durable enough for a boat - we drive a forklift over ours with no detriment and all B & Q`s have a variation of this type floor in their stores.

I agree to some extent about the surface "dulling" but we find that only occurs when the surface finishes are applied which is a totally unecessary extra....

the standard out of the box finish will keep its looks for years if kept clean

 

edit due to messing up the quote

 

I'm sure now this is the stuff we have down on the floor of our boat and am intrigued as to how it is supplied -

 

is it tiles, sheets ???

[Rojo]

Why should anyone get the inside of their boat wet any more than the they would the inside of a house?

 

Boats should only get wet on the outside!

 

For what it is worth, in my opinion hard flooring could be a problem on a rainy day. If for instance you go down into the cabin (in a hurry) with wet footwear, would there not be more chance of slipping?

[Guest]

That's a fair point - just needs a bit of care though. When you have a dog though IMHO you can't beat hard flooring we have it at home too laminate though at home.

 

 

.

Edited September 18, 2010 by MJG

[Québec]

Just an observation from personal experience:

 

We bought a boat that had been poorly maintained. It had (and still has) what looks like basic i.e cheap, pale (beech?) laminate flooring. However it seems to have survived perfectly well the boat being unoccupied for over a year, a lot of hard wear when we were demolishing and rebuilding the interior, plus a few minor internal floods when we were putting the plumbing.

 

As to getting wet...is the interior of a boat any wetter, damper, more humid etc. than a domestic bathroom - where we also have laminate flooring?

 

Edited to add: BTW we also have a dog.

Edited September 18, 2010 by Québec

[lymmranger]

It is supplied as a tile...

 

- wood designs come in various sized planks (usually but not always a similar size to a laminate floor plank

- designs that mimic ceramic or marble tiles come in a similar size to the product they mimic

 

It usually has an R8 antislip rating (scale goes from 1 - 10) which is the same as most safety flooring (behind bars etc)

 

if you are concerned about slipping on a wet floor then your only safe choice would be a carpet type product

[Neil2]

Lymmranger - i did preface my comments with "just my opinion", and my experience has been Amtico products seem to stand the test of time better than Karndean. I think you make a good point regarding cleaning though, and some of the problems folk have with these floors are caused by using far too agressive floor cleaning products eg flash and the like. Most of the time they can be kept clean with plain water or maybe water with a splash of white vinegar, or for heavy duty stuff something like stergene. High alkaline cleaners will, as you know, strip the finish away eventually.