New cockpit floor idea, take a look
 

I sometimes do work with a friend who resurfaces concrete floors. Serveral times we have done quartz floors. The process is to apply a thick layer of apoxy, let it level out, then cover with quartz chips. The chips are small, about the size of a grain of sand. After it has cured another coat of each is done, then a top coat. It is a beautiful looking floor. I am thinking about doing this in the boat. My friend says they is a type of apoxy that is more flexible and may be able to handle the flexing of the fiberglass. Anyone have an opinion?

The photo is not that great. It is a small sample on a piece of wood.

looks slick (as in slippery). I have that stuff at my shop and there is sand in it for traction. I don't think I'd want it in the cockpit of my boat.

My vote goes for rubber floor tiles like they use at the quick oil change places (they are available in several colors).

OR snap-in rubber backed berber style marine carpet.

It can be done so that it has a ruff surface, the grain size is actually a little larger then sand. My fear is that it may crack under stress and peel up.

Ken looks it would make a good galley top though also in the head/shower area:)

I say go for it Ken:cool: I would deff. put some sort of the ruff stuff for traction though. There always has to be a first time try:D :D So the rest of us can find out if it works or not:crazy:
If for some reason it doesn't hold up???? you can always put something new to cover it. Is this stuff heavy???wouldn't want to sacrfice any speed now would we;)
good luck

I have the franchise in Florida for a flooring exactly like that. The main problem is the epoxy will amber (turn brownish) in the sun. The product does have some flex properties. It was developed for the deck in the dining areas of Navy ships.

Here is one we did, a bar step.

I think if you picked a flooring that is brownish already, the ambering wouldn't show that much. It comes in about 60 colors. The weight wouldn't be a concern, the product is only about an eighth inch thick. I have all the specs on the product if anyone wants to know about it.

This is a locker room we did over existing ceramic tile.

If you wanna be the guinnea pig go for it!
Myself - I'd be pretty nervous about doing this on my boat. I have been in construction for a long time and have seen all kinds of epoxy finishes - I just don't think it will hold up well to the UV and the masrine enviroment. It would probably look great, but the amount of maintenance and repair it will require seems like more than what it's worth.
The boat is enough maintenance on it's own - don't creat e more problems for yourself.
.02

The UV really won't weaken the epoxy, but it will turn it brown.

It can be coated with a polyuathane(sp) that can block the UV. It will deffinately be risky to try it.

What if I used clear gelcoat? Would all the quartz prevent proper curing?

I would recommend against using colorquartz. The UV rays will break down the epoxy. If it cracks and moisture get under it, it will peel up. My company manufactures the colorquartz, PM me if you have any questions.

Kevin

Good point Kevin, thanks

I was considering using the spray on truck bed liner. It comes in any color, is non-slip and tough. It will probably flex better than anything else too and no cracks between the tiles.

Now, if someone else will try it on their boat first....

Listen to cuda about it turning brown.
I have it in my work area, it's a great non-slip foor. At one end of my facility I have a large overhead door and that area is turning color even though it's never left open for more than 5 minutes at a time, maybe 3 times a week.
Six months after having it applied we complained about it changing color. We had a manufacturers rep and the contractor come in to look at it. Manufacturer paid to sandblast the entire floor and resurface it.

As for the coarseness, you can control that by how much top sealer is applied. We used more sealer in my office and less in the work areas for a more agressive grip.

Ours is Dur-A-Quartz Flooring from Dur-A-Flex Inc.

It only takes about two hours for it to amber on a bright sunny day.

My thoughts exactly.

I emailed the factory about using urethane for sealer to reduce ambering. Here is their response.


Joe
We are looking at using a urethane as the sealer for this very reason. However the urethanes are thin so multiple coats are required and they typically have solvents. Ambering will be reduce but not eliminated. We are evaluating a different hardener that should have less ambering and I will keep you informed. Give me a call on my cell if you have any questions.

Best Regards,

Steve Demos

Wildfire, now that's the ticket. My brother owns a Line-X frachise in NE NC. I had him spray one of my decks. The stuff is bullet proof and quite flexible. If I was going to all the trouble to coat the cockpit with a permanent material I would definitely choose Line-X over the fluid applied epoxy.

As with any permanent coating....surface preparation is key.