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Marine Vinyl Flooring
Marine vinyl flooring is a great choice in situations where there will be water, oil, and mold and mildew. Its strengths make it ideal for boats and buildings at the dock or pier, and basically anywhere you are mixing oil and water.
Marine vinyl flooring is water resistant as well as mildew and oil resistant. It's not only for homes, it can be used in watercraft too. These are great qualities for any watercraft.
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Marine vinyl has other uses too. Marine vinyl fabric could be used for the seats in your boat or any interior design that you need for your boat and below the deck.
There highlights of marine vinyl include:
- Its water, mildew and oil resistance
- Durability and affordability
Its drawbacks include:
- Difficulty in finding good quality marine vinyl
- Installation difficulty
Marine vinyl is made from marine grade vinyl which is created in the same manner as regular vinyl. Marine vinyl is made out of a combination of vinyl resin and special additives. The additives for every type of vinyl are different and this is what creates the many different styles of vinyl. The result from this combination is called vinyl compound. This compound is then taken and used to create a form called a pellet. Once the vinyl is in this state, the manufacturers will be able to create the many different types of vinyl, like marine vinyl.
Marine grade vinyl is the best vinyl and fabric that you can buy for your watercraft or any type of leisure vehicle. It is completely durable and weather proof. This means that it can withstand water, oils and any type of mildew that could occur. This makes marine grade vinyl ideal for its purpose. Vinyl is a strong material in any form, especially in marine grade.
Marine vinyl was created in 1893 and is one of the strongest vinyls on the market today. It can withhold much wear and tear. With the advent of newer vinyl making techniques, marine vinyl has even more positive attributes than it did originally. Vinyl has long been the choice for the strongest type of flooring, not only for boats but also for homes.
When you buy your new boat or are remodeling your existing boat, marine vinyl should be your first and only consideration. There are many reasons for this. Marine vinyl is affordable and it is durable, a big factor with any boat. Your flooring and seat fabric need to be strong enough to withhold wear and tear. Another great factor is that the marine grade vinyl is water, oil and mildew resistant, giving it a much longer life span.
The few drawbacks that marine vinyl has would be the difficulty of installing it. With any boat, installing, any type of flooring is difficult. Marine vinyl is even harder to install because it barely has any give to it. This means that you must cut it precisely to fit around your seats, walls, or counters. Hiring a professional to install marine vinyl is easier, though it will cost more, but that saves you the aggravation. Save your energy for enjoying the boat, not installing marine vinyl flooring.
Marine vinyl is a great choice when it comes to your watercraft. There is no other way for you to go! What other uses can you think of for marine vinyl flooring that needs this kind of durability? Go ahead and mix oil and water because marine vinyl will stand up to what you dish out.
Comments
Hi Harold, Yes, it's probably oil resistant, most all of them are. They're both pretty much the same, just that one is cold rated to 9 degrees more. No biggie.
The Flooring Lady at March 2, 2009 03:15 PM
I have noticed that it is hard to find good marine vinyl. My brother ordered some for his boat, and it just seems like regular vinyl. Now in his boat, his existing vinyl seems to have a cotton liner on the backside, in other words, where the tears are, there is this cotton type layer on the underside of the vinyl, before the seat foam.
I have noticed on one sight that their vinyl comes with 1/4" foam backing.
Some vinyl in the higher end boats feels very comfy. It almost feels like high grade leather. I have yet to figure out where to purchase this.
My questions are:
Should my vinyl have some sort of backing to it, be it foam or cotton or something, or should it be just vinyl? (for boat seats)
What is the best thread for sewing this?
Is there a name for the vinyl that i described above, on the high end boats?
greg at June 11, 2009 07:29 AM
*edit "I have noticed on one sight that their vinyl comes with 1/4" foam backing."
to
"I have noticed that on some web sites their vinyl comes with 1/4" foam backing"
greg at June 11, 2009 07:32 AM
Hi Greg,
I'm sorry, but this is a website for flooring information. I am not able to answer questions regarding vinyl for boat seats.
The Flooring Lady at June 11, 2009 09:36 AM
I'd like to replace my interior sailboat flooring with a 'reverse teak and holly' look. Wide, light boards with dark narrow strips. I've seen bamboo and teak on a few boats and liked that look. Have also seen reverse teak and holly on a friend's boat. Anything out there? Thanks
Matt S. at July 13, 2009 12:29 PM
Hi Matt, I'm not sure what your question is. You could try a Google search to come up with some possibilties for flooring for your boat.
The Flooring Lady at July 15, 2009 01:23 PM
I am interested in replacing the old carpet in my RV and more than one person has suggested that I use a marine grade, rolled, vinyl flooring perhaps with a teak and holly strip-wood look. I love it! Perhaps you can suggest some brands that also make the edging too. Thanks
Anonymous at October 12, 2009 12:17 PM
I'm sorry, I don't have a brand recommendation on this. I would check with a couple different suppliers and look for the pattern and quality you are interested in.
The Flooring Lady at October 14, 2009 08:53 AM
I am searching for a new floor for the interior of my boat and came across natural bamboo hardwood - non lock and groove. Would you recommend this type of flooring for marine environment/installation in the interior of the boat if properly installed with the moisture pads underneath? Or, is it best to stick with a Lonseal type marine vinyl flooring? Thanks
Mike C. at November 5, 2009 12:11 PM
Mike,
Bamboo is mildew resistant and would probably look very nice in the interior of the boat. However, Bamboo does become sun bleached and may not work the best.
An article that provides more information is Bamboo Flooring.
The Flooring Lady at November 9, 2009 02:19 PM
