Pontoon boats come with different options for flooring. The pontoon flooring you choose should look good on your pontoon and serve the purpose for which it is meant. The best choice of pontoon boat flooring will be the one that provides protection for the boat from all kinds of weather. It will not be susceptible to sun damage or water damage. Within a few years, vinyl flooring has become one of the best choices of pontoon flooring. Marine grade vinyl flooring can resist UV fading as well as mold and mildew. In this article we will see about vinyl flooring, some best options to buy and some tips when trying to install them.
What Is Vinyl Flooring?
Vinyl flooring is a synthetic flooring option. It is made from PVC (Poly Vinyl Carbon). These can be colored or textured and can be made to resemble a variety of materials like wood, ceramic, and stone. Being synthetic, it is cheaper. It is durable and easy to install. You can have a great time in the pontoon boat with the great outlook the vinyl flooring adds to your pontoon boat.
Market- towards Vinyl flooring
Now let us see how the market vinyl floorings gained its importance. Plywood is traditionally used in the construction of the decks of the pontoon boat. Plywood is not aesthetically pleasing and cannot work well as flooring as it requires more maintenance and efforts to clean. Carpet flooring options started taking over the boat flooring market due to the several advantages they come with. They are cost effective means, which come in a variety of style and colors. They can be easily installed and can fit boats with many sizes and shape. They are also comfortable to walk. However, if not properly taken care of, then are susceptive to mold and mildew formation resulting from water moisture. Also, they are difficult to clean once stained. So people started looking for other options of pontoon boat flooring and then came vinyl flooring options.
Vinyl flooring comes in the form of sheets, tiles, planks. They are easy to install. They are highly impermeable to water. Pontoon boats can exposed to Sun for prolonged periods. Vinyl flooring options will not fade away with the exposure to sun. They come in different patterns with wide selection. There are also woven vinyl flooring options which come with textured finish, offering much more styles and color options which can also add to the aesthetics. These durable models can last longer if installed and maintained properly. They can also create the right amount of friction underfoot so as to create an antiskid surface. There also vinyl floorings which can be quiet with good padding beneath.
Best Options for Pontoon Boat Vinyl Flooring
Pontoon Stuff Vinyl Flooring
Extreme Duty Pontoon Vinyl Flooring
Pontoon Stuff Vinyl Flooring offers a great alternative for replacing marine carpet on your pontoon boat. The 50mil marine grade vinyl flooring comes with 102″ width. Being slip resistant the surface is easy to clean and maintain. The Vinyl Flooring is also 100% UV stabilized, so that it will not fade. With the woven polypropylene backing, it can be glued down to your wooden deck. You get four different pontoon vinyl flooring length options in the range: 16 foot, 20 foot, 24 foot and 28 foot.
DeckMate Woven/ Woven Teak Vinyl Pontoon Flooring
DeckMate Woven Vinyl Flooring is available in two options: standard woven texture or woven teak. This beautiful pontoon vinyl flooring is soft to walk on, slip-resistant, and durable. It is also stain resistant. The pontoon vinyl flooring is also easy to clean and maintain. With above 300 hours of UV stability, you get mold and mildew resistant 140mil marine grade vinyl flooring. Available in gray and tan color options, the below mentioned is the vinyl flooring length options you could have:
- 16′ x 8.5′
- 20′ x 8.5′
- 24′ x 8.5′
- 28′ x 8.5′
Woven Vinyl
Teak Woven Vinyl
MariDeck Vinyl Pontoon Flooring
The MariDeck Vinyl Pontoon flooring is another great alternative to traditional high maintenance marine carpet. The waterproof vinyl flooring can protect your pontoon boat from environmental conditions and will also enhance the look of your pontoon boat. Cleaning up is extremely easy with just a spray of water. The MariDeck vinyl flooring comes with an embossed surface which is slip resistant and has a textured surface. You can install it on wood, aluminum and fiberglass structures. For pontoon boats, you need to use 102″ vinyl flooring, available in 34 mil and 80 mil thicknesses. They are available in a wide variety of color options, including sand, granite, stone gray, etc. to name a few.
RecPro 8′ 6″ Extreme Duty Marine and RV TPO Flooring
The RecPro Extreme Duty flooring is available in two colors, tan or gray. This 50 mil vinyl flooring comes with the textured appeal of carpet. But when compared to carpets, they require much less maintenance. They are also easy to cleanup. The 102″ wide flooring is available in six different lengths: 5 feet, 10 feet, 15 feet, 20 feet, 25 feet, and 30 feet. The marine graded vinyl is made from TPO which means thermoplastic polyolefin. TPO is a newer type of single-ply vinyl material which is100 percent UV stabilized and hence does not fade. With the woven polypropylene backing, it can be easily glued down into the deck and makes way for easy installation. The vinyl flooring is tightly sealed and thus prevents moisture from getting underneath your flooring. Thus there will be no water damage and associated problems.
Aqua Tread Vinyl Boat Flooring
The ultra-durable Polyvinyl can handle not only extreme weather conditions but also heavy foot traffic. It is UV stable and hence can last longer with good color and image retention. Being non woven, it won’t snag, dent, crack, flake or peel. The seamless design offers superb moisture protection. The sharp and high quality images are printed underneath the vinyl and also protected by a wear layer so they won’t fade or wear off. With DIY installation, they are easy to install. They have cushioned spun bound backing which makes it easy to be glued down. The vinyl flooring is easy to clean. Being non-porous the surface will resists oil, gas and marine chemicals. It is also odor and stain resistant. Being flame retardant, it adds to the safety. It is also slip resistant further increasing the safety standard. Available in three variations: Solid, Simplicity and Premier Collection. There are various color options available.
Size options:
- 8’6” x 10′
- 8’6” x 15′
- 8’6” x 20′
- 8’6” x 25′
Solid
Simplicity
Premier
Pontoon Vinyl Flooring Installation Tips
- Surface Preparation is a must
Surface preparation is important when it comes to installing vinyl flooring or any other type of flooring. Remove any objects that are attached to the floor and any plastic or metal trim pieces. It is better to remove all pontoon accessories like tables, seats, etc. The plastic or metal trim pieces can be reused to secure the edges of the vinyl flooring once it gets properly installed. Remove the existing flooring completely. Also check for any adhesive left as residue. Remove any debris, dust, screws, etc. You can use a broom to clean the surface completely.
- If you intend to change the plywood, you can do that.
- Be careful as sharp objects when you unroll/ spread the vinyl flooring. Sharp objects can damage the vinyl flooring.
- Follow the manufacturer instructions while installing the vinyl flooring. Do patiently and not in a hurry.
- There shouldn’t be any wrinkles or folds as the vinyl flooring gets installed.
- You can use an RPVFG adhesive (coverage rate approximately 80/SF per gallon or 8′ x 10)’ in case of wooden surfaces.
- Shake properly and apply not more than 15 linear feet at a time.
- The consistency and coverage of the adhesive should be similar to a heavy coat of paint
- You can use a medium nap paint roller to roll over the adhesive. This blends it together, completely covering the wood surface
- You can use a stiff bristle push broom and sweep over the installed flooring using medium pressure. This will help in distributing the adhesive under the vinyl evenly. A consistent contact will be established between the adhesive and vinyl.
- Make sure any air bubbles are pressed out.
- When proceeding with further installations, the new application of adhesive should slightly overlap with the previous one so as to prevent any voids in the coverage.
- Allow proper drying time.
- Although you can walk over the surface immediately after installation, excessive walking and foot traffic should be avoided as this can create wrinkles in the vinyl. Inspect the area after contact so as to ensure that there are no wrinkles.
- Leave the glue to dry completely (24-48 hours) before going to install pontoon accessories.
- Be cautious against rain. Cover the pontoon boat in such cases. Getting wet can hamper the installation process.
