Wooden flooring

[Frogprints]

Does anyone out there have experience of fitting wood laminate flooring
in a narrowboat? My daughter has just bought her first narrowboat and
is considering laying the flooring over existing vinyl tiles. I wonder
if there may be a problem with damp causing distortion - your
advice/experience would be much appreciated.

David.

[Andrew Instone-Cowie]

Post by Frogprints
Does anyone out there have experience of fitting wood laminate flooring
in a narrowboat? My daughter has just bought her first narrowboat and
is considering laying the flooring over existing vinyl tiles. I wonder
if there may be a problem with damp causing distortion - your
advice/experience would be much appreciated.

I laid a small area (6'x2') with ordinary clip together B&Q laminate a
couple of years ago, since it was (a) better than the grotty carpet it
replaced, and (b) effectively free, being leftovers from a job at home.
I used the recommended thin foam underlay as well. No problems with damp
or warping so far. The only thing I would suggest is to use a dark-ish
colour, as the dirt has ground into the joints a little and made them
more visible.

HTH
Andrew

[Steve Banfield]

Post by Andrew Instone-Cowie
I laid a small area (6'x2') with ordinary clip together B&Q laminate a
couple of years ago, since it was (a) better than the grotty carpet it
replaced, and (b) effectively free, being leftovers from a job at home.
I used the recommended thin foam underlay as well. No problems with damp
or warping so far. The only thing I would suggest is to use a dark-ish
colour, as the dirt has ground into the joints a little and made them
more visible.
HTH
Andrew

To which I concur (our boat was purchased with such flooring in saloon,
bedroom & 'toilet'). I would also add that dirty footwear will scratch
it very quickly, and things (loose furniture etc) will slide more
readily when subject to high speed passes etc.

And it appears to be a lot colder than real wood flooring. I wouldn't
use it through choice (we will replace ours when the courage has been
found to look under the floor...), but it looks smart, and is easy
enough to clean.


Steve Banfield

[Graham Brooker]

I don't like laminate flooring as it is usually based on mdf and is subject
to swelling when damp. My friend put it down in his boat for a quick sale
(no pun intended) but I hate to think what it looks like now.

I used oak t & g boards stuck onto the existing plywood. I sealed it with
Le Tonquenois - or whatever it is called - bought a Crick Boat show. I like
the effect and it still looks good 3 years later.

Graham Brooker

Post by Frogprints
Does anyone out there have experience of fitting wood laminate flooring
in a narrowboat? My daughter has just bought her first narrowboat and
is considering laying the flooring over existing vinyl tiles. I wonder
if there may be a problem with damp causing distortion - your
advice/experience would be much appreciated.
David.

[Mike Ricletts]

Post by Frogprints
Does anyone out there have experience of fitting wood laminate flooring
in a narrowboat? My daughter has just bought her first narrowboat and
is considering laying the flooring over existing vinyl tiles. I wonder
if there may be a problem with damp causing distortion - your
advice/experience would be much appreciated.

We have laminate flooring, done as part of the original fit-out in 99 and it
still looks good. We lived aboard 99-03 with a large GSD and it made it
very easy to clean up after she had been on a soggy towpath. We are
returning to live-aboard status in May 06 with another large GSD and have no
intentions of changing the floor.

You will get varying views as peoples taste varies but if you have a dog,
its hard to beat.

Swelling and movement has not been an issue in our experience.

Mike Ricketts

[John Hobson]

Wooden flooring will look great when it is first put down but will wear
badly especially at the entrances. It is also a lot less cosy than carpet
which must be taken into consideration if the boat is to be used for
extended periods in the winter.

My preference would be to use an inexpensive carpet of man made fibre layed
on a decent underlay. Man made fibre is much easier to maintain than natural
fibre and come the day when it wears out is not too expensive to replace.

John

Post by Frogprints
Does anyone out there have experience of fitting wood laminate flooring
in a narrowboat? My daughter has just bought her first narrowboat and
is considering laying the flooring over existing vinyl tiles. I wonder
if there may be a problem with damp causing distortion - your
advice/experience would be much appreciated.
David.

[Malcolm N.....]

Post by John Hobson

Post by Frogprints
Does anyone out there have experience of fitting wood laminate flooring
in a narrowboat? My daughter has just bought her first narrowboat and
is considering laying the flooring over existing vinyl tiles. I wonder
if there may be a problem with damp causing distortion - your
advice/experience would be much appreciated.
David.

On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 11:12:40 -0000, "John Hobson"

Post by John Hobson
Wooden flooring will look great when it is first put down but will wear
badly especially at the entrances. It is also a lot less cosy than carpet
which must be taken into consideration if the boat is to be used for
extended periods in the winter.
My preference would be to use an inexpensive carpet of man made fibre layed
on a decent underlay. Man made fibre is much easier to maintain than natural
fibre and come the day when it wears out is not too expensive to replace.
John

Surely there are different grades of wood. I think many of the wooden
floors are fairly cheap veneered varieties - but also there are solid
wood floors, more expensive but very durable.

[Dave Mayall]

Post by Malcolm N.....
Surely there are different grades of wood. I think many of the wooden
floors are fairly cheap veneered varieties - but also there are solid
wood floors, more expensive but very durable.

Define expensive!

I've done Mr Jinks in 21mm solid french pine T&G right through for £300.

Laminates and solid wood are VERY different beasts.

[Michael Clarke]

Post by Dave Mayall

Post by Malcolm N.....
Surely there are different grades of wood. I think many of the wooden
floors are fairly cheap veneered varieties - but also there are solid
wood floors, more expensive but very durable.

Define expensive!
I've done Mr Jinks in 21mm solid french pine T&G right through for £300.
Laminates and solid wood are VERY different beasts.

...and I've just done "SIKA" in 15mm solid oak right through for £200!

[Pete C]

On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 14:12:40 +0100, "Michael Clarke"

Post by Michael Clarke

Post by Dave Mayall

Post by Malcolm N.....
Surely there are different grades of wood. I think many of the wooden
floors are fairly cheap veneered varieties - but also there are solid
wood floors, more expensive but very durable.

Define expensive!
I've done Mr Jinks in 21mm solid french pine T&G right through for £300.
Laminates and solid wood are VERY different beasts.

...and I've just done "SIKA" in 15mm solid oak right through for £200!

Hi,

I'd be a bit wary of using solid wood in a shower room, especially if
used daily. Oak won't rot but if water soaks in under any finish it
might look a bit unsightly.

cheers,
Pete.

[Michael Clarke]

Post by Pete C
On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 14:12:40 +0100, "Michael Clarke"

Post by Michael Clarke
...and I've just done "SIKA" in 15mm solid oak right through for £200!

Hi,
I'd be a bit wary of using solid wood in a shower room, especially if
used daily. Oak won't rot but if water soaks in under any finish it
might look a bit unsightly.

Point taken ;-)

[Ron Jones]

Post by Frogprints
Does anyone out there have experience of fitting wood laminate
flooring in a narrowboat? My daughter has just bought her first
narrowboat and is considering laying the flooring over existing vinyl
tiles. I wonder if there may be a problem with damp causing
distortion - your advice/experience would be much appreciated.
David.

Cold on the feet in the morning. Consider Flotex carpet - almost
indistructable, nice on the toes. Probably as dear a wood, though - say
£12-15 or so per foot @ 6ft wide

[Paul E. Bennett]

Post by Ron Jones

Post by Frogprints
Does anyone out there have experience of fitting wood laminate
flooring in a narrowboat? My daughter has just bought her first
narrowboat and is considering laying the flooring over existing vinyl
tiles. I wonder if there may be a problem with damp causing
distortion - your advice/experience would be much appreciated.
David.

Cold on the feet in the morning. Consider Flotex carpet - almost
indistructable, nice on the toes. Probably as dear a wood, though - say

Cork is more comfortable and tends to stay reasonably warm under bare feet.
I just coated my tiles with Le Tonkinois oil and they look stunning. With
this coating the tile surface remains supple, flexible and waterproof. It
does help, however, to have a decent solid base. I used 18mm ply with
hardwood edging strips.

[brianH]

"Paul E. Bennett" <***@amleth.demon.co.uk> wrote in message news:doa37k$bj$1$***@news.demon.co.uk...
snip

Post by Paul E. Bennett
Cork is more comfortable and tends to stay reasonably warm under bare feet.
I just coated my tiles with Le Tonkinois oil and they look stunning. With
this coating the tile surface remains supple, flexible and waterproof. It
does help, however, to have a decent solid base. I used 18mm ply with
hardwood edging strips.

And keep the dogs toenails well trimmed

[Ron Jones]

Post by brianH
snip

Post by Paul E. Bennett
Cork is more comfortable and tends to stay reasonably warm under bare feet.
I just coated my tiles with Le Tonkinois oil and they look stunning.
With this coating the tile surface remains supple, flexible and
waterproof. It does help, however, to have a decent solid base. I
used 18mm ply with hardwood edging strips.

And keep the dogs toenails well trimmed

Depends on size of dog! I assure you a 35kg standard poodle has bl**dy hard
big claws, even with regular trimming.

[Ron Jones]

Post by Paul E. Bennett

Post by Ron Jones

Post by Frogprints
Does anyone out there have experience of fitting wood laminate
flooring in a narrowboat? My daughter has just bought her first
narrowboat and is considering laying the flooring over existing
vinyl tiles. I wonder if there may be a problem with damp causing
distortion - your advice/experience would be much appreciated.
David.

Cold on the feet in the morning. Consider Flotex carpet - almost
indistructable, nice on the toes. Probably as dear a wood, though -

Cork is more comfortable and tends to stay reasonably warm under bare
feet. I just coated my tiles with Le Tonkinois oil and they look
stunning. With this coating the tile surface remains supple, flexible
and waterproof. It does help, however, to have a decent solid base. I
used 18mm ply with hardwood edging strips.

Cork is not so washable. Flotex is scrubable!

[Frogprints]

Many thanks to all who contributed to this discussion - just knew the
knowlege would be out there!

Frogprints

[Rod Fox]

My personal opinion is to have a floor covering that allows access to
the bilge, you may neeed to move the balast at some stage!

Rod fox