Lining with carpet

[bob26]

I need to line the hull alongside the bunks and am considering using carpet.

Has anyone any experience of this?

I assume rotproof synthetic carpets are best but these are normally foam backed and designed to lay on the floor rather than cling to the walls.

Will the foam put up with being glued to the hull or will it simply break down, leave the carpet drooping and a mess of half stuck foam?

On the other hand carpet with no backing may be hard to stick because the backing is not smooth enough to contact the hull/adhesive

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[oldsaltoz]

G'day Bob,

Have a look at the range of carpet tiles, easy to fit and replace if one gets marked.




<hr width=100% size=1>Andavagoodweekend, Old Salt Oz /forums/images/icons/cool.gif

 

[colvic]

Our boat was lined with foam backed carpet when we bought her. Some was sagging a bit but had been there for fifteen years. We had to work fairly hard with a scraper to get it all off.

Hawke House marine, in back of PBO do a range of self adhesive bulkhead/cabin liners in a variety of colours. They work well.


Phil

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[kireonriley]

we did it foure years ago using cord carpet6 it has a very thin foam back and folds easy around all in its way i.e stingers etc.it ccosts about one pound fifty a sq yd. so its cheap as chalk the adhesive we used was also only cheap cant remember its name but go to any carpet or floor laying wholesalers and they will supply it its a letter and two numbers.best of luck kieron

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Johnjo]

Did the same as Kireon only used a cheap and cheerful carpet without the foam backing, could
see me having problems in the future in regard of cleaning the foam off.
I would use a very lightweight carpet,nice and flexable.
I used a spray contact adhesive and have had no problems what so ever with it detaching itself,
One benefit of using carpet is the lack of condensation you get with it.
A very cheap and easy solution, but not to every ones taste!
A good tip is to use a very sharp scalpel type tool, I used the throwaway ones.

On a different but simular subject.
I was in a caravan and camping shop recently and saw a lightweight rubberoid type material on
a roll, was told it was a floor covering for caravans and that it was waterproof,
came in a variety of shades and patterns.
Thought at the time it could make a good interior lining material,
Anybody any experience of using it? Sorry cannot for the life of me recall what it was called.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Avocet]

I did our forepeak with rot-proof (polyester I think) brown carpet. I didn't use any foam -just bought a roll of it and several cans of spray contact adhesive. It's been fine for the last 5 years and the boat can get pretty damp! Ok, it's like sleeping next to a scouring pad but Mrs. Avocet says she's used to that (don't know what that's supposed to mean!) and as someone else has said, there's no condensation. The only two things I would say are:

1. It doesn't like going round compound curves. Our boat has a big stiffener running longitudinally about half way up the topsides. I carpeted this first and then did the "flat" areas above and below it separately. Looks quite professional (though I say so myself!)

2. It's a complete waste of time using the contact adhesive out of a tin. You use loads more, get high as a kite and it doesn't stick very well.

The carpet was bought from Martrim in Middlewich. The chap said it was used as cockpit carpet on speed boats (that's how waterproof it is!)

Good luck!

Send me a P.M. and I'll e-mail a few photos if you want.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Johnjo]

Yes noticed when I was looking at different materials that some were stiffer than others .
Agree that a very tidy and pleasing finish can be achieved,
Best way I found of getting clean tight fitting joints was to overlap the joints and cut through
both layers at the same time { one cut } with a scalpel bought from a DIY shop

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[VicS]

Re: Getting high

If you use a solvent based adhesive in the confines of a boat you must do every thing possible to ensure good ventilation and wear an 'organic vapours' respirator mask. They should be available from the suppliers of the materials you are using and are effective.

Getting high on the solvent (toluene) is not a joke it really is hazardous.

See <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.hawkehouse.com>Hawke House Marine</A> for lining carpet, adhesives and the aforementioned mask.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[vyv_cox]

Others have given you some good advice, here's my experience. I have lined the GRP roofs of a couple of motor caravans and a quarter berth of a yacht.

1. The carpet needs to be specifically for this purpose. The proper stuff will stretch quite a lot, essential for moulding around three-dimensional surfaces. I have always bought mine from this supplier, as always cheaper from non-boating sources.

2. The most successful adhesive that I have used is Thixofix but my most recent job was a few years ago. Again, suggest you obtain the advice of the carpet supplier. You need the type of adhesive that does not grab permanently on first contact as some repositioning is inevitable. It takes a lot more glue than you expect!

3. Definitely do not use foam backed. The foam will degrade and break up after a few years. Repositioning when sticking it will tear the foam. The foam soaks some water, even though it may be nominally closed cell.

4. Ventilation. Essential to arrange some means of supply especially down tunnels like quarterberths. I use an old vacuum cleaner blowing with the hose close to the working area.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[tr7v8]

Worth using the search facility on headlining as I and several others have asked this question and had a huge amount of advice, links etc.

<hr width=100% size=1>Jim

Draco 2500

 

[Abigail]

We used unbacked carpet over 9mm closed cell foam. (Would use 6mm next time). The carpet we got from a van conversion company - not from a car shop! If you buy it in a shop you pay about £12/m2. If you got to the conversion warehouse type places you get it about £3/m2. (We did the whole of a 40' ketch so it mattered a lot!)

The carpet alone I suspect is not great insulation, though softer and better looking than the bare hull of course. The two big advantages of unbacked are (i) it's much easier to get into corners and twiddly bits and (ii) there is no foam to break down behind. When we stripped off the old stuff (25 years), if there had been any water ingress at all, it was completely rotten and the carpet was hanging off in strips. It only stayed okay if completely dry. (Closed cell foam is vv waterproof.

Our experience disagrees with some other posters - use the paint on contact adhesive. It is disgusting (especially overhead) but it sticks much much better if there is any weight/gravity on the fabric. We learnt this the hard way, redoing stuff. This has particularly applied to the foam (which is heavier than the carpet, and had a truly useless self-adhesive coating), so you might get away with the spray on stuff for carpet only on the sides of the hull.

Best of luck - it makes a massive difference and we're very pleased with ours.



<hr width=100% size=1>Sarah&Pip

 

[PaulAG]

I re-did the quarter berths in Centaur (Carronade) some years ago but with the foam-backed vinyl to preserve general appearance: stopped all the condensation on non-insulated deck and associated mould/mildew. Later did the under deck lockers also getting condensation/wet in winter and hot in summer. Used bathroom-style polypropylene foam-backed carpet and water based rubbery glue (cannot think of its name). As long as you leave the glue sufficient time to go at least tacky, the carpet stays up very well, and no nasty fumes to contend with! No problems with separating so far, and where I had to remove some to get at chain plates, the carpet came off easily with the foam nearly intact. We also used same carpet for non-slip on companionway steps and some separation at the end of season but not too bad.

<hr width=100% size=1>PaulAG

 

[snowleopard]

contact hawke house at fareham, they sell self-adhesive carpet which is easy to apply. it has a cord finish and comes in lt grey & beige.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[richardandtracy]

I'd suggest felt backed cord. Dirt cheap (as said elsewhere, about £1.50 to £2/m^2). Use the spray adhesive recommended for these carpets - they are meant to be stuck down & don't use grippers even in houses.

There isn't a great deal of give in these carpets (except where you don't want it - don't fold the rolls in half, EVER), so you may need to do several bits. Otherwise they're comparatively easy to do - so long as you cut it with a SHARP hooked Stanley knife. I'd suggest changing/ sharpening the blade every 20ft of cut.

Even with good ventilation I ended up feeling slightly woozy after sticking the carpet down.

Finally, try a fairly light colour. The felt backing is white, and it's almost impossible to completely hide around the edges. A light colour won't show the white so badly.

Regards

Richard


<hr width=100% size=1>