Linoleum Squares on Cabin Sole?

[maccauley123]

Has anyone ever tried using those 1 foot square linoleum tiles on their cabin sole. I just looked at some of the wood patter ones and they look really nice. I figure the material is highly water resistant and the texture seems like it would give decent traction.

I know a real wood type of flooring would be far better but mine is a 35 year old boat and not looking to spend lots of money. I just want to spruce up the interior in a reasonable manner. I just have plain white fiberglass now.

 

[newly anonymous]

slippery when wet?

think about how those tiles are going to perform on the 2nd day of a two-day squall, when you're heading below for the zillionth time in your wet foulies.

 

[maccauley123]

Clarify

Just to clarify, these are the squares that are pre-glued with the peel off wax backing. I am not looking at the industrial squares. The ones I am looking at are meant for residential use in kitchen and bath. Wet areas.

 

[Randy Burns]

How about cork?

I suggested this once before, and the concerns were about it absorbing moisture.
There are a lot of new proucts out there though, some used in exercise rooms that I think would work. (The old Tartan's had cork floors.) Real linoleum would work, but wouldn't be my first choice. My boat, an early Hunter,has no wood sole, just fiberglass over plywood, I'm not sure how typical that is.

 

[sailaway78]

Don't use them

Those little 12" peel and stick squares aren't worth fifteen cents. They will not stick well, and will release at the first hint of moisture. They won't even stay down well in a nice dry house. I am planning on using a solid vinyl flooring material, soon as I get that far down the to do list. I have selected a product that Home Depot handles called Allure. It is a solid vinyl plank, that is not intended to be glued down, but each piece sticks to the next one. The material and adhesive are totally water proof, and virtually indestructable, according to them. I have talked to their tech support and told them I wanted it fastened down in some way, and they told me to use the liquid nail, that is made for shower enclosures. Only want to stick it enough to make sure it doesn't move around. This stuff is reasonably inexpensive, should be very easy to install, and looks pretty good. Comes in a bamboo, cherry and I think an oak pattern. Check it out.

 

[Ross]

Mac, my boat turned 40 years old this year. I have a black walnut

cabin sole laid on oak beams and fastened with screw. Cost? About 50 dollars for the lumber. The problem is not with old boats but with folk that think a 40 year old boat is on the way to the dump but a 40 year old house is fairly new.

 

[sailaway78]

Black Walnut

Ross, I bet that is a really beautiful floor, but doesn't the darker color make the boat awfully dark inside. One of my main projects is to lighten up my interior. I love the look of teak, but it's too much dark without something to lighten things up.

 

[Ross]

Not dark, I have light cypress for all of the other wood

Picture taken in daylight looking forward. This is the table closed over the dish cabinet.

 

[maccauley123]

Working well in my house?

Nice n Easy. I have used those peel and stick squares in my house and they have worked great. I used them in a small entryway that gets lots of traffic, wet boots etc and have no issues after 2 years. None of them have come up or even hinted at coming up. I put down luan and just stuck these to it.

 

[Ross]

MacCauley, if that is a look in your boat that will please you

then they will work. I just happen to think that there is too much plastic in boats now. I like the look and feel of wood and am will to go to the effort to use it where ever it is a practical choice.

 

[kendall]

tiles.

I used them on the back porch and kitchen of my wife's grandmothers house when we first got together 25 years ago, looking a little ragged now, but still securely mounted.

They're not overly slick when wet, and come in a huge selection of colors/patterns I think on some boats they'd look real nice.

Ken.

 

[maccauley123]

Maintenance

Ross, I agree with you on the look and feel of wood, just looking to balance out the maintenance that wood requires with the hands off nature of plastic. Not much can compare to real wood which I still use in my boat. It is so easy to work with. A high traffic area like the cabin sole though seems a good place for something durable like this.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Ross]

MacCauley, Wood is easy to keep if you don't

put a varnish type finish on it. I use Watco teak oil, which used to be sold as Varithane penetrating oil sealer, on all of my interior wood. Once a year cleaning with some scotchbrite and oil and a wipe down with a clean rag is all I need. My exterior wood is painted.

 

[bffatcat]

I wouldnt

I think your lookin for trouble. If you have a fiberglass floor why not paint it
with a good quality marine epoxy paint. If it gets dirty you can scrub it up.
If your still not happy you can always put a removable synthetic carpet down loose so you can pick it up and clean it. I dont think those stick em down squares were designed with boats in mind

 

[John]

Two Issues

(1) does the boat flex at all in heavy seas? If so, then I think this might affect the squares on the sole.
(2) Are there compound curves where you are planning to place them? If so, then cutting them to fit these curves is not such a simple matter.

 

[Ross]

I am not mindesive !!!!!

Am I?

 

[LANCE ON CLOUD NINE]

A similar idea that is cheap but looks better is to

make a paper pattern of your floor with copy paper taped together. The small sheet makes it easy to fit the edges just right. Trim any weird indents with an exacto knife. Take the time to really tape the pattern up well. Take the pattern to a high end home supply store. Make a deal on a really nice vinyl roll remnant that is big enough. At home layout vinyl finished side down and lay pattern on top (bottom up). Use an old can of spray paint to spray around edge of pattern barely over lap onto vinyl. When dry, this gives a perfect line to cut. Use 3M double sided mounting tape to install in boat. This makes a easy to wipe up floor that can also be removed if needed.

 

[Hermit Scott]

Carpet

Some one mentioned carpet. I know everyone loves the teak/holly soles, but my dog can't jump up onto the seats or the bed unless there is something his little claws will sink into. But, carpet in a boat sounds like a big 200 pound soaking wet and rotting things that I will have to wrestle out of the boat after a storm. Do any of you guys use carpet? Do you have it in sections? I wanted to put down a laminate wood floor(real wood in plywood layers) but the floor has curves that make it impossible for this type of wood.
Randy also mentioned floor coverings used in weight rooms. Fitness equipment is my business so I have access to that kind of stuff pretty cheap. What gym floor material did you have in mind?
Anyway is carpet acceptable, or will I hate my life after I put it in?

 

[Bob S]

Thumbs up to Lance

I like Lance's idea best. You can use the same logic and cut carpeting too. I know from experience stick tiles can be a bear to remove and look like hell if they begin lifting.

Scott, my Catalina has carpeting that came from the factory. Not sure if it was optional or not. This was my first season with the boat. I didn't use it because it makes it difficult to look in the bilge. I like to look in there every time I get on the boat. Just makes me feel better.

 

[Paul Brinkley]

Maccauley, the PO of my boat had covered the floor

with some rubber-backed carpet which was a fair match for the cushion uphostery. With the rubber backing, it seemed to stay in place fairly well. I removed it for cleaning when I started working on the boat, but haven't decided if I want to put it back in. At present, it is easy to first vacuum any loose dirt or trash, then swab down each time I use the boat. My fiberglass has a non=skid surface and my daughter's little dog is able to jump up on the benches or beds ok. If yours is too slick for your dog, but you want an easy inexpensive solution, buy one or two attractive rubber-backed carpet-type door mats and place them where the dog can use them.

I'm looking for some kind of anti-skid material for the companionway steps; the dog can't climb those without help, and to tell the truth, I have nearly slipped on them a few times. I am open to suggestions for that. -Paul