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Adhesive for linoleum

Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2018 8:35 pm
by George Emmanuel
Hoping Don Dannenberg will chime in:--What is the recommended adhesive to use for new linoleum to wood? The boat is a 1955 17' Sportsman. I cold use standard flammable contact cement but I'm curious to see what the best way is. It is new marine plywood and has been coated with CPES.


George

Re: Adhesive for linoleum

Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2018 6:51 am
by kiitos
My suggestion would be to use the product that the linoleum manufacturer recommends. I used Forbo Marmoleum on two restorations and the company that sold it also sold the adhesive.
Mike

Re: Adhesive for linoleum

Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2018 8:31 am
by maritimeclassics
I wouldn't and don't glue the flooring down. The main reason is that if you need to get to the bilge (which everyone should do to clean properly) you can't get to the screws to remove the floor. If it is glued you would ruined the flooring trying to remove it. I have had to about destroy nice flooring to do a repair many times and if they would have not glued it down we could have removed it, fixed the problem and put it back with no extra cost to the customer. On most boats that had linoleum they had some kind of trim that held it down up by the kick panel in the front cockpit which is really the only place it might move. The rest of the flooring in the boat sits flat and shouldn't move if cut to fit properly.

Re: Adhesive for linoleum

Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2018 11:00 am
by Don Danenberg
I would also recommend NOT gluing it down.
In the early CC's with rubber mats, the factory used very few screws with upholstery washers, like 5 in the fwd cockpit and 0 or 2 in a flat section aft.

The only original factory installation I've seen glued down was a 1946, 25-Sportsman, and only the face of the kick and the motorbox sides.., vertical surfaces, all else flat was free-floating. Some utilities have a perimeter trim piece over ceiling planks to hold the edge down (3/8" x 1-1/4", round-over on top)?

You may one day need to replace a tach or choke cable, or maybe re-run wiring or repair a log-hit plank? You really should have access to remove all floorboards.

There is also double-faced tape?

Re: Adhesive for linoleum

Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2018 5:56 pm
by George Emmanuel
Thanks for the insight. I'm particular about keeping the bilge clean and being able to access it. I never knew the linoleum free floated. I, in anticipation of this sort of thing, ordered some "T" molding from Jamestown for the express purpose of holding the edges along the engine side. It is fastened through the side rather than through the top and for the most part, won't be seen. I forgot that the strip along the bottom ceiling board helps hold down the outside edge.

On another note, there was a segment on one of the fixer-upper shows where the restoration group found 100 year old linoleum under some later replacement flooring. They mentioned something about feeding the linoleum to keep it in good shape?---Any idea of what they may be talking about?

George