Best coating for ply floorboards?

[ridgy]

Making some new boards as the old ones are manky and stink.

What to coat with? The various floor varnishes from Screwfix etc appeal for their simplicity of application but not sure about longevity.

 

[MoodySabre]

Ronseal Diamond Hard Floor varnish is very good. Use Satin. A few coats should last years. Water based so easy to apply.

 

[Chanquete]

I used Polyurethane for high trafic Floors with exellent durability of decades

 

[LittleSister]

Carpet!

 

[Fr J Hackett]

A synthetic flooring like Amtico.

Luxury Vinyl Flooring for your home | Amtico Flooring

 

[geem]

If you want true hard-wearing you can use clear coat epoxy then a couple of coats of varnish. You get a perfect flat finish that is durable. The varnish gives additional uv protection. We did the saloon after see a liveaboard boat that had done this and the floor looked great after 5 years. Ours has been done a couple of years now and looks great. Full time liveaboard so very high traffic

 

[Boathook]

What ever you use on the, ply make sure to seal the edges well.

 

[DanTribe]

Ronseal Diamond Hard Floor varnish is very good. Use Satin. A few coats should last years. Water based so easy to apply.

That's what I've used. Very hard wearing and easy to re-coat when the time comes. Quick drying and low odour.
Bona Mega has also been recommended.
.

 

[Snowgoose-1]

EVA Foam for me.
Cheap as chips and hard wearing. Comfy on bare feet and bounces when you drop something.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

EVA Foam for me.
Cheap as chips and hard wearing. Comfy on bare feet and bounces when you drop something.

An alternative view of EVA on boats doesn’t recommend it.

Why you should buck the EVA Trend | Corinthian Marine

I use Ronseal satin floor varnish. At 3 years it is surviving well.

 

[ridgy]

An alternative view of EVA on boats doesn’t recommend it.

Why you should buck the EVA Trend | Corinthian Marine

I use Ronseal satin floor varnish. At 3 years it is surviving well.

That page may be true but it also sounds a lot like.an advert for a more expensive alternative.

It does sound like the floor varnishes are a go so I'll see what screwfix can furnish me with.

 

[Laminar Flow]

Absolutely, varnish them, preferably with high gloss, and die the first time you get some water on the floor in a bouncy sea.

I did that to some locker lids when I was still young (,good looking) and green. Deadly!

Whatever you do, add some non-skid additive to the mix! West Systems has some suitable stuff on offer.

Beware of the environmental, healthy floor finishes - they turn milky-white when exposed to water and moist environments. Once stained, it tends to set in and does not always disappear, even when dry. We have varnished floors at home; guess how I know.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Absolutely, varnish them, preferably with high gloss, and die the first time you get some water on the floor in a bouncy sea.

I did that to some locker lids when I was still young (,good looking) and green. Deadly!

Whatever you do, add some non-skid additive to the mix! West Systems has some suitable stuff on offer.

Beware of the environmental, healthy floor finishes - they turn milky-white when exposed to water and moist environments. Once stained, it tends to set in and does not always disappear, even when dry. We have varnished floors at home; guess how I know.

That is not my experience with varnished cabin sole boards, barefoot or decent grip shoe soles. Nor the milky white, never experienced this in varnishing

Any boat I have been on with grip product added to varnish, paint or epoxy down below looks badly finished, feels terrible under bare foot and just looks dirty.

Keeping varnished sole, clean, especially around the galley, satin or mat, looks great, gives great grip, easy to clean and very welcoming.

I believe your experience, but mine is different from yours.

 

[Snowgoose-1]

An alternative view of EVA on boats doesn’t recommend it.

Why you should buck the EVA Trend | Corinthian Marine

I use Ronseal satin floor varnish. At 3 years it is surviving well.

Good points.
Like most things in sailing. a compromise has to be made in many areas.

Works well for me though.

 

[Stemar]

Another vote for Diamond Hard.

Alternatively, if you're a glutton for punishment, use le Tonkinois. 6 coats, and you'll have a high gloss (you can add a matting agent), non-slip finish. I did the stairs in our previous house, and they lasted 10 years of a houseful of teenagers. When it needs recoating, a quick rub down - no need to strip like damaged varnish and a couple more coats.

 

[thinwater]

My favorite, for varnish on floors, is to do my base coats in gloss, and then on the last coat, mask off the areas I would like to have non-skid, lay it on thick, and then sprinkle with coarse salt from a grinder. After it dries, remove the salt with water. Non-skid, gloss around the edges if you like, and easy to sand off and go back to gloss if you like. Will not abrade feet or clothes. Works with paint too.

Salted varnish. Texture without adding anything. It's old school.

 

[onesea]

Carpet!

Having bought a boat with carpet and sailed with it for 2 years. We have just replaced with… EVA based carpet tiles, warmer on feet.
We where going to use thick’s rug cutdown however these tiles are now being tried.

If you sail of a winter the warmth on your feet you really appreciate.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

If you want true hard-wearing you can use clear coat epoxy then a couple of coats of varnish. You get a perfect flat finish that is durable. The varnish gives additional uv protection. We did the saloon after see a liveaboard boat that had done this and the floor looked great after 5 years. Ours has been done a couple of years now and looks great. Full time liveaboard so very high traffic

I’d add a bit of non slip to the top coat. In fact we use non slip deck paint in off white on our XOD, but in the DF itks varnish with non slip. Otherwise exactly this, unless you want to do the whole job again in short order.

 

[PCUK]

Burgess Marine Woodsealer. Easy to apply, dries in a few minutes and two coats give an impervious seal and non slip surface. Also looks great.

 

[geem]

I’d add a bit of non slip to the top coat. In fact we use non slip deck paint in off white on our XOD, but in the DF itks varnish with non slip. Otherwise exactly this, unless you want to do the whole job again in short order.

It's not slippy. It's been down a couple of years. Had no problems with it. We used a matt finish on top of of gloss. We don't like the boards too shiny