Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 11:08am

Hello, the base flooring in our narrowboat is 18mm ply, covered with cork tiles which after 12 years are starting to show their age and we've decided to scrape them off and replace them with something else. Laminated flooring seems attractive, and also advertised as being suitable for a damp environment, but the instructions for this involve leaving a small expansion gap around the edge. Is this suitable for a boat interior, and bearing in mind the small dimensions of a boat (interior cabin size 20ft by 6ft), is an expansion gap really necessary,(difficult to execute against the sides of a boat) or could we just stick or screw them to the existing 18mm ply? Any suggestions?

Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 5:25pm

I can not comment about the suitability because of the vast range of specifications available. Personally I would use gel backed polypropylene carper or sheet vinyl. That carpet is hard wearing, scrubable and washable. I do not see the problem about the expansion "gap" and if you do not leave one the floor might bow upwards as it expands. You can buy cork strips to fill the gap yet still allow expansion. Over to other readers for their input. Tony Brooks