Sunday, April 22, 2012

Flooring - Part 2

The floors are complete, finally. I have about 3 weeks into this project, with a total time investment of about 60-80 hours. There are a total of 13 teak trim pieces, each custom fitted. Before they were installed, I leveled the floor with an epoxy compound. The cabin floors on boats are not usually very flat, since the factory installs a carpet when they are done, and that can hide a variety of ills. Fiberglass tabbing, variations in laminate thickness, and other factors all contribute to uneven flooring. Since grinding the high spots can potentially weaken the structure, I decided to fill the low spots instead. It's a painstaking process, but the results are worth it.

Once the deck is prepared for the new flooring, I used a low strength adhesive, and bonded down each piece. The flooring is custom fitted - one section at a time. There are no straight lines or 90 degree corners on a boat, so it makes for a slow fitment. The adhesive is flexible, and if I ever need to get the floor up, it will lift, with a bit of persuasion. Hopefully, that day will never come.






These pics were taken just after the flooring was complete, so the rest of the interior is a bit of a mess. I wish I had a better camera - the pictures don't do the floor justice at all.

2 comments:

  1. Stunning work! Love to see the teak trim. I have a 2003 340 and have added several of your projects to my perpetual to-do / wish list!

    What are your plans with the factory cherry veneer? Are you going to keep or end up replacing with something else?

    Keep up the good work.
    Scott

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  2. Sorry about adding to your list, Scott. It's not my fault!!!

    My cherry veneer is in great shape, so I didn't have any plans to change it, until you mentioned it.... Now you have me thinking.

    My next project is going to be the creation of a sliding blender mount and glass storage area where the factory installed the TV, since I installed a flat screen elsewhere. I'll post the new TV install soon, so everyone can see it...

    Dale

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