Welcome Guest Search | Active Topics | Members | Log In | Register

New cabin floor Options · View
tr_guy79
Posted: Wednesday, August 12, 2009 10:00:54 PM
Rank: Upper Crust Bronze Star
Groups: Member

Joined: 2/17/2009
Posts: 166
Points: 334
Location: Upper Chesapeake
Was at the local big box hardware store, and came across 44 sq/ft of bruce solid wood "snap lock" cherry finish flooring...

Jeff, you may want to sit down before reading further..... :)

The original cost was $87.99 case, I paid $15 per case!!!!!! You know it's bad when you boat has nicer flooring than your house...



I laid it out to mock it up. I plan to cut it to match each of the 5 panels from the floor, and screw it from underneath to prevent buckling, and put stainless pull rings on the two smaller access panels.

I'll post pictures once it's all done (well, once the floor is done, it's never ALL done)


-Shane
Sponsor
Posted: Wednesday, August 12, 2009 10:00:54 PM
Please Register : New members may not post until approved. An email is sent after approval. We do this to reduce those who use these forums for spamming. This forum is for Marinette Owners and other aluminum boat boaters who wish to share boating information. Aluminum Roamer owners are also welcome. (Do not post content you do not have the right to post and mass (robots) posters are unwelcome. We also have a marine electronics page and lots of Chrysler Engine info. State by what permission, you copy content and accredit properly.) The site is now fixed with some more Chrysler information. I will try to post more information soon. We have space for pictures on the new location. Use shinkpic to autochange size http://www.onthegosoft.com/sp_download.htm

Great Sites - http://www.marinette.com Marinette Company http://www.geocities.com/dougmrose/ Wiring Marinette http://fastjeff.tripod.com/ Repair Tricks and Techniques for Marinettes http://www.greatlakesmarinetteclub.com/

PLEASE post in the appropriate folder. Please, do not post your actual email address in publicly readable websites. The first rule is be a class act.

Jazman
Posted: Thursday, August 13, 2009 8:42:59 AM

Rank: Upper Crust Bronze Star
Groups: Member

Joined: 12/21/2008
Posts: 115
Points: 240
Location: Aston, PA
Shane, Glad to see your still around, Havent heard from you in a while. Stopped by the boat a few times but never caught up. Im doing much the same thing in my 37 galley area. Bought cherry type finish laminate flooring at Lowes for $22 a box. Not sure how Im going to secure it yet as its only 1/4 in thick. Good Luck with it. Give me a yell when ya can.



Bill

1975 37' FB Sedan
Sleepless Knights
Bohemia River
Chesapeake City, MD
tr_guy79
Posted: Thursday, August 13, 2009 9:38:08 AM
Rank: Upper Crust Bronze Star
Groups: Member

Joined: 2/17/2009
Posts: 166
Points: 334
Location: Upper Chesapeake
Thought about going the same route, but when I came across the solid wood at this price, I couldn't pass it up (unemployed or not). I am kind of concerned that is going to look WAY out of place considering the cabin hasn't had ANY updates since new.

I am surprised that you haven't caught up w/ me. Seems like I am down there more than up here. I was out on the east side of the 213 bridge on my sister's boat on Saturday (little on LOVED it), and kept an eye out for you on the way up the Bo, but didn't see you. I'll be back down this Saturday and Sunday to finish the bottom paint, and hull sides.

-Shane
rv
Posted: Thursday, August 13, 2009 12:54:11 PM
Rank: Dedicated Tin Star
Groups: Member

Joined: 2/4/2008
Posts: 54
Points: -405
Location: Waretown,New Jersey
Hey guys I work with this stuff ,do not screw this material down. It calls for 1/4 gap around the perimeter for expansion, this material doesn't do well with moisture I would put plastic between the plywood and the new material to prevent moisture. If moisture gets under the floor it will buckle it will also buckle if it cannot expand.
Bob V.
tr_guy79
Posted: Thursday, August 13, 2009 6:20:01 PM
Rank: Upper Crust Bronze Star
Groups: Member

Joined: 2/17/2009
Posts: 166
Points: 334
Location: Upper Chesapeake
Bob,

The flooring that I am using is solid oak, so it will hold up better than standard sawdust and glue flooring. I plan to use a vapor barrier underlayment (Silent Blue), and liberally screw it down. I would love to be able to do it without screwing it down, but being able to move the panels for access to the blige without dissasembling the planks. If it turns out that screwing it down does not work out, I can always remove the screws without any ill affects... Only time will tell how it works out.

-Shane
rockit
Posted: Thursday, August 13, 2009 8:19:45 PM
Rank: Upper Crust Bronze Star
Groups: Member

Joined: 5/25/2008
Posts: 113
Points: 48
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
A couple of suggestions.

I'm skittish about laminate having glued one down for my kitchen floor about 20 years ago. It didn't last ten. First the factory finish came off--trying to refinish that was a bear--and after that the planks started de-laminating. You'd get big wood splinters. Getting that floor up was one of the toughest jobs of my life and in places it came off still attached to the plys on the sub-floor. I used floor leveler (the scrapes weren't too bad) tacked down rosin paper and laid a 3/4" white oak floor after sealing the underside of all the planks. (Did I mention getting a rash from the floor leveler and spraining my hamstring with the floor sander?) Put a good finish on and twelve years later it still looks great. In my book, there's no factory finish that can match a determined craftsman.

That said, if you got a great deal on some solid pre-finished click-lock let me suggest that you may want to consider just laying the stuff without securing it--on my boat at least there's trim that hides the screws on the floor and that would easily hide the 1/4" gap you should leave around the sides. Bob is right: the product needs to be protected from moisture. I'd do it by sealing the back side with sealer, varnish or Waterlox. I wouldn't screw it down either. It would then be easy to pick up the floor if you ever needed to.

Let us know how it works out.

Good luck.

Joe

yooper
Posted: Friday, August 14, 2009 5:54:48 AM
Rank: Top Rank Aluminum Star
Groups: Member

Joined: 12/9/2007
Posts: 228
Points: 426
Location: Escanaba
I got sick from all the adhesive remover I used to pull up maple parquet and I also had to use floor leveler to fill in the plywood laminate that came up. I would never glue anything on top of the floor and hatches. A nice thick coat of tan porch paint would look fine for informal cruises with kids, dogs and beer spilling buddies. Cut some rug remmants to throw down for more quiet comfort.
Pfhlaw
Posted: Friday, August 14, 2009 7:39:14 AM

Rank: Top Rank Aluminum Star
Groups: Member

Joined: 12/10/2007
Posts: 415
Points: 1,002
Location: Lake Michigan
Shane:
I suggest using a thin sheet of luan 1/4" plywood or tile backer underlayment beneath the oak planks.
It provides lateral stability and strength.
It gets tacked down to the existing plywood using just enough brads or nails, then the oak planks can be glued to the thin plywood.
When my teak parquet crumbled I was able to lift the thin plywood underlayment up from the base plywood. It made
the job fast and easy. The whole floor was up in 5 minutes. I drank a toast to the previous owner whoever he was.
Mine was not sealed, painted or coated with poly, but I think I would use poly or a water resistant tile backer sheet.


Peter
tr_guy79
Posted: Sunday, August 16, 2009 6:17:33 PM
Rank: Upper Crust Bronze Star
Groups: Member

Joined: 2/17/2009
Posts: 166
Points: 334
Location: Upper Chesapeake
Well, it's in...





Looks pretty good. Have to find some T molding to fill in the gaps between panel, and paint the rails to blend in with the floor. I screwed it in from underneath, so should it ever buckle, or need to pull it out, it will not be a big job.
Fastjeff
Posted: Monday, August 17, 2009 7:09:29 PM

Rank: Top Rank Aluminum Star
Groups: Administration , Member

Joined: 12/5/2007
Posts: 2,473
Points: 4,333
Location: New Tripoli, PA
Wow! Super price, too.


Jeff

"There is another class of coloured people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs -- partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs." Booker T. Washington
gary carroll
Posted: Monday, December 28, 2009 12:41:09 PM
Rank: Member
Groups: Member

Joined: 12/27/2009
Posts: 10
Points: 30
Location: Athens,GA
tr_guy79 wrote:
Bob,

The flooring that I am using is solid oak, so it will hold up better than standard sawdust and glue flooring. I plan to use a vapor barrier underlayment (Silent Blue), and liberally screw it down. ...

-Shane


Oddly, not so. Wood expands and contracts with moisture changes, but does so across the grain and not noticeably along it. Some (ok, most) fiber products will just puff up and disintegrate, but some are quit water resistant and stable. "Plywood" based (laminated flooring) is usually pretty stable.

Screwing or gluing solid wood down in an environment where the moisture level changes dramatically (and a boat has to be tops in this regard) is almost guaranteeing that the wood will split or buckle or something else bad. I've seen wide wood boards that were well attached (glued and screwed) to 3/4 inch plywood subfloor curl the plywood up (pulling up the nails that held it to the floor joists) when the wood planks dried and shrunk a bit.
You will be better off than that with parquet, since the pieces are small and the direction of the grain changes often, but you would be much better off with wood that is inherently dimensionally stable (teak is better than oak), or any veneer over plywood or other stable substrate. Ironically, the man-made or composite flooring works much better here than solid wood.
If you put down strips or parquet of oak, remember the individual pieces will move in width but not length
For parquet or strips, if you get the interlocking kind (ideally not solid wood but engineered) and just let the floor "float", being held down by trim on the edges, this can work well on a boat.
Docsnow
Posted: Monday, December 28, 2009 1:20:48 PM

Rank: Top Rank Aluminum Star
Groups: Administration , Member

Joined: 12/4/2007
Posts: 1,311
Points: -1,496
Location: White Lake MI. or on my BOAT

OAK-Y remember also oak & water don’t mix believe me on this one (long story)d'oh! if the what ever coating is used is scratched the moister will turn it black & very ugly plus all the above advice given. In the long run it’ll cost more, than by using the right wood the original wood used in the galley’s etc. are teak and any ways on my vessel look pretty much new.Think As I always say Do itright the first time there’s more time for Brewski’s & Boating & Babes (BBB) in other words sliding in side ways & having fun doing itApplause

Norm,

Big BigMs Live On Applause


Keep your hooks wet & your Butts dry also make sure your whistle stays wet
Docsnow
Posted: Monday, December 28, 2009 1:27:21 PM

Rank: Top Rank Aluminum Star
Groups: Administration , Member

Joined: 12/4/2007
Posts: 1,311
Points: -1,496
Location: White Lake MI. or on my BOAT
Gary C

Welcome aboard !!! Applause Applause
Good advice given on the wood flooring

Norm,

Big BigMs Live On Applause

Keep your hooks wet & your Butts dry also make sure your whistle stays wet
dougrose
Posted: Monday, January 04, 2010 4:54:13 AM

Rank: Top Rank Aluminum Star
Groups: Member

Joined: 12/7/2007
Posts: 916
Points: 1,087
Location: Central Florida and the DC area
I did my cabin/galley sole using strips of white oak. I cut slots in the edges of the oak planks to take a batten, which I made out of starboard. Using a batten is easier and uses less material than routing tongue-and-groove. I used aluminum angle to hold the pieces together, screwing UP from underneath into the oak. I installed little doors of the same construction above the bilge pumps but left the pieces removable so that I can expose the entire bilge if necessary.

The process: Rout, or use a table saw to put slots in the edges. Make battens to fit. Varnish the wood. Make lengths of angle aluminum, drill holes on one edge, and screw to the wood. Use three pieces of angle for each section of floor. Trim the pieces, reseal the ends, and install.

Each piece of wood has a little wiggle room, but the size of the panel does not change, thanks to the aluminum angle. This is faster than any other method I know, and makes the best floor. The photo shows some of the details.



"Anyone who has ever chanted "drill, baby, drill" please report to the bayou for cleanup duty..."
mark klusman
Posted: Monday, January 04, 2010 6:26:32 AM

Rank: Upper Crust Bronze Star
Groups: Member

Joined: 10/19/2009
Posts: 123
Points: -10
Location: Watts Bar Lake , Ten Mile TN.
Doug ,

Nice job ! Really like the flooring and the idea of the battening , Also the aluminum angle to seal the access.

Sure wish you would have posted sooner. With so much water that was in my boat i removed the old floor an ( used as pattern ) put in some FREE.. 3/4 marine ply. I stained and polyed. it . My son had a lot of 3/4 oak T&G left over from his house, so its free and sure looks better than the ply, and carpet. I did put aplastic barrier down small T/G staples . Have 2 bilge accesses. If it doesn't pop up with the cold ,it will have to do, if not we'll have a weenie roast come spring. Do like your idea better.

Mark




No matter where you go; there you are .
dougrose
Posted: Tuesday, January 05, 2010 4:34:27 AM

Rank: Top Rank Aluminum Star
Groups: Member

Joined: 12/7/2007
Posts: 916
Points: 1,087
Location: Central Florida and the DC area
Mark,

Thanks. We live in two different worlds: in your world, 3/4" marine ply is free. In my world, 3/4" marine ply is definitely NOT free but I had a pile of white oak ends and rejects in the shop. Necessity is a mother.

So far I have had no complaints. Still, it is hard to imagine how you can go wrong with 3/4" marine ply. You can put anything on it.

The weakness of ply as flooring is that the top veneer can wear through, and there is no good way to fix it. However, I still have the original ply in the salon and it is holding up just fine after 30 years with just stain and varnish.

I replaced the ply in the cabin with the oak because it had become oil-soaked and nasty, with damage along the edges. I don't know how that happened, but I guess it just got more use.

"Anyone who has ever chanted "drill, baby, drill" please report to the bayou for cleanup duty..."
jimski2
Posted: Tuesday, January 05, 2010 5:56:03 AM
Rank: Dedicated Tin Star
Groups: Member

Joined: 11/4/2008
Posts: 82
Points: -24
Location: Lake Erie, NY
White Oak is what the British made their fleets from. Red Oak, never in the water, it flows water from the ends when you blow on the end.
mark klusman
Posted: Wednesday, January 06, 2010 3:37:49 PM

Rank: Upper Crust Bronze Star
Groups: Member

Joined: 10/19/2009
Posts: 123
Points: -10
Location: Watts Bar Lake , Ten Mile TN.
Doug,

As you know nothing in life is really FREE. Had to trade a little of my welding know how to him for the plywood. A good trade. Still free to me!

Mark


No matter where you go; there you are .
HuckFinn
Posted: Thursday, January 07, 2010 4:33:24 AM

Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member

Joined: 9/22/2009
Posts: 46
Points: 141
Location: Cincinnati
Doug,
Great work. Thanks for posting those pics and how you made it. This is some innovative inspiration to fix a small piece in the aft deck that needs attention
Users browsing this topic
Guest2


Forum Jump
You cannot post new topics in this forum.
You cannot reply to topics in this forum.
You cannot delete your posts in this forum.
You cannot edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You cannot vote in polls in this forum.

Main Forum RSS : RSS

Powered by Yet Another Forum.net version 1.9.1.6 (NET v2.0) - 11/14/2007
Copyright © 2003-2006 Yet Another Forum.net. All rights reserved.
This page was generated in 0.315 seconds.