Hunter 285 aft berth redesign.
- Thread starter LaDonaMina
- Start date
Sorry photos didn’t come through. I reupholstered the aft berth in Ultraleather and removed the carpet from the hull and walls. I replaced it with microbial plastic sheeting with 1/2 inch foam for insulation and easy cleaning. I added LED lighting and it really brightens the aft area what used to be damp and dark with the old navy canvas covers. Grandkids love it and is their favorite hideaway on the boat.
Well I ordered 3 - 5'x12' Antimicrobial formica sheets in off white eggshell matte finsh (there are other colors available) and you can get these at the big home and garden stores (HD and Lowes) they are pricey at $184 a sheet. I also bought the joiner strips/end strips of the same color.
The trick to using the sheets is to make patterns in cardboard of the hull/walls and cutting the sheets slightly larger and heating the sheets to match the contour of the compound hull. I used structural adhesive to attach the foam to the formica and let it cure (several days to insure an excellent bond) I then applied the structural adhesive to the hull/walls and applied the sheet insuring a good bond. I did the V-berth and sidewalls in the salon in the same manner. I now have no carpet in the boat whatsover, smells super clean in the boat and I no longer worry about mold and mildew on the walls as somehow the carpet absorbed humidity, spills, etc.
My next job to tackle is the head/walls to avoid any issues there. The sheets are treated to kill 99.9999% of germs and bacteria... you can read the product specs at the Formica website... it's used for kitchen countertops so it is food safe... what could be better?
The trick to using the sheets is to make patterns in cardboard of the hull/walls and cutting the sheets slightly larger and heating the sheets to match the contour of the compound hull. I used structural adhesive to attach the foam to the formica and let it cure (several days to insure an excellent bond) I then applied the structural adhesive to the hull/walls and applied the sheet insuring a good bond. I did the V-berth and sidewalls in the salon in the same manner. I now have no carpet in the boat whatsover, smells super clean in the boat and I no longer worry about mold and mildew on the walls as somehow the carpet absorbed humidity, spills, etc.
My next job to tackle is the head/walls to avoid any issues there. The sheets are treated to kill 99.9999% of germs and bacteria... you can read the product specs at the Formica website... it's used for kitchen countertops so it is food safe... what could be better?
I hope you used a proper insulating foam such as Armacell marine grade which has microban and not some generic foam, or all of the anti-mold/fungus properties of the formica is basically for naught.
I am going through the same rebuild right now, pulling off all of the old hull liner due to mold and water damage, and the options are either replace with the same, or armacel self adhesive sheets/rolls which mold and mildew cannot survive contact with, and then some sort of covering over that. I am stuck on how I would adhere a soft or hard cover, such as your formica option, to the insulation itself.
How well do those formica sheets bend and contour with a heat gun to the curved surfaces? I have never worked with that material before.
I am going through the same rebuild right now, pulling off all of the old hull liner due to mold and water damage, and the options are either replace with the same, or armacel self adhesive sheets/rolls which mold and mildew cannot survive contact with, and then some sort of covering over that. I am stuck on how I would adhere a soft or hard cover, such as your formica option, to the insulation itself.
How well do those formica sheets bend and contour with a heat gun to the curved surfaces? I have never worked with that material before.
I used sports foam which has antimicrobial and was fairly inexpensive, you get it in different densities (I chose soft density), it was around $8.00 a sheet 24x72 inch. I did not want anything that had self adhesive as the heat in the boat interior during the summer tends to unglue the adhesive (contact cement and auto/marine adhesive spray did not work). The formica will take bends easily in any direction once it's soft, using the heat gun while getting it to shape and allow it to cool before adding the foam (press it towards the hull while getting the heat on it)... easy to work with but edges are sharp so beware if you use it.