Wood inlay over a fiberglass floor?

[Steve]

I had a brief brainstorm last night but I’m not sure it it would come out nice or look awful. I have an O’day 22 and I have gutted all the interior wood to replace with a better looking marine plywood and I have been thinking about what to do with the floor. I know for sure that I don’t want to cut it out and replace it with wood but I thought about laying a wood venier over it and maybe a little wood trim around the edges. It is so small inside and I do plan on sleeping in it with my girlfriend a fair amount over the summer but I wanted to make the interior as inviting as possible. Has anyone tried laying a wood venier over a white fiberglass floor. My instinct is telling me it is a bad idea but I just wanted to see if it has been done and what the outcome has been. Thanks,Steve

 

[vwjon]

Here's one

Take a look at Marshall's Mac 26 at the link below.

 

[Steve]

Looks great, do you have instructions??

This is exactly what I was thinking.

 

[kak]

Your boat looks great!

I just wanted to comment on the pictures of your boat. You guys did a great job. I don't know what it looked like before you started but I think it is one of the best looking Macs that I've ever seen. Congratulations! ;D

 

[PaulK]

issues

Laying down veneer would probably work ok. There are a couple of issues to keep in mind, however. 1/The thickness of the veneer. You don't want it wearing through, or too easily dented so that it shows the underlying fiberglass. Most "teak & holly" cabin sole is now plywood with a veneer, and it seems to hold up ok . 2/ What glue to use. The fiberglass floorboards are going to give a little when you step on them. The wood veneer is going to give a little when you step on it too. You need a glue that will also give a little. Many epoxy glues are quite brittle in this regard -- pick a glue that won't crack after it's down. 3/ Keeping it protected . To keep the veneer from lifting peeling, bubbling, etc. due to swollen wood, it needs to be kept dry. Epoxy is often a good remedy for this problem, but the epoxy needs to be protected from UV degradation ,(It will turn a solid dark brown, like your grandmother's mahoghany furniture, and look splotchy besides.) High UV blocker varnish is the usual solution for this. Lots of coats help protect the thin veneer from wear as well. 4/ Darkness: Too much wood down below can make it look like a dark, forbidding cave, instead of a cozy cabin. Test out how it makes you feel by taping brown paper up where you're thinking of wood. Lighter-colored cushions can help with this, but then you have to worry more about spills on the cushions.

 

[Rich]

Consider silicone caulk and screws

Steve, I'm a believer in making these components reversible so that you or future owners will be able to replace them without a nightmare. Rather than gluing the teak and holly plywood down I would suggest screwing the boards down with #10 philips head stainless screws with marine silicone underneath. Get a sharp countersink bit to chamfer the edges of the screw holes and use the silicone underneath the outer edges of the board and under the screws, with perhaps a strategic line under the center of the board to absorb flex there. Varnish the boards ahead of time after drilling the screw holes.Be aware also that teak and holly plywood is available in 1/4" as well as 1/2" thicknesses: to go over fiberglass the thinner plywood might be a good choice. There is also a teak and holly patterned linoleum avaiable called flexiteak, but it has a fabric backing.