Nautolex Deco Dot flooring...anyone ever use?

[lawyertob]

I was checking out Daveaugust's project pictures and I saw his Nautolex Ivory Deco Dot flooring. It looks like a great floor material. I tried to ask Dave a question on his thread, but only succeeded in reigniting the argument over the function of a wood core in a stringer <br /><br />Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has used the product. In particular, I was wondering how thick and how flexible the product is. Is it more like vinyl flooring or vinyl upholstery? I had intended to put a bedliner material on my floor, but this product looks great and is pretty economical. My only worry is that it isn't tough enough. After having played with it, what do you think of the material?<br /><br />$0.01 for your thoughts,<br />Joe

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Nautolex Deco Dot flooring...anyone ever use?

This last summer, I pulled 29 y/o Nautolex Marine Vinyl Flooring out of my boat. It was faded, out in the center of the floor but had no rips or holes in it. I bought same to replace it. It was not the Deco Dot, however.<br /><br />I think it is tougher than it appears when in your hand, if it is solidly backed. I don't think anything would be as tough as bedliner material, but there would be no give in that. If anything shifted, it would crack.<br /><br /> http://www.garysupholstery.com/ntomarfloor.html

 

[davaugust]

Re: Nautolex Deco Dot flooring...anyone ever use?

Sorry for the delay in answering...I forgot to check the "email notification" box on that thread and didn't see your post! Here's the answer I put in the original thread...<br /><br />I have found the material to be a really great choice for my new floor...Here are some pros and cons:<br /><br />Pros:<br /><br />1) Pretty cheap for alternative flooring. Not really any more expensive than good marine carpet.<br /><br />2) Very flexible and easy to work with. In answer to your specific question..I'd say it's somewhere about halfway between upholstery vinyl and floor vinyl.<br /><br />3) Very strong. So far it seems to be very strong and tough. I haven't really put it to the test yet though, so it's hard to say.<br /><br />4) Easy to clean. I got it really dirty while putting it in. I sprayed some household cleaner on it, then sprayed it down with a hose and it came very clean.<br /><br />Cons:<br /><br />It really is much stronger than it seems in your hands. The only downside I've found so far is that it REALLY shows imperfections from below. I'm kind of a novice fiberglasser, and wasn't as careful as I should have been during the sanding phase of my flooring project. The nautolex, after applied, shows EVERY imperfection in my fiberglass job.<br /><br />I would be concerned about the bedliner material..I'm sure it would work well for non-slip, but it would be awfully hard and uncomfortable on your joints...The nautolex is very soft and comfortable on your bare feet.<br /><br />As for the shareaproject.com site...Thanks! Can't wait to see your pics!<br /><br />Hope this helps!

 

[davaugust]

Re: Nautolex Deco Dot flooring...anyone ever use?

Another note on the Nautolex. I'm about to peel up the flooring that I just finished. I just can't stand being able to see the fiberglass imperfections...So I'll be doing more sanding and then reapplying the nautolex, and may actually change the color. Once it was down I wasn't all that happy with it. So there'll be another chronicle of applying it again to refer to.<br /><br />Tell you what..you can only get very small, practically useless samples from the suppliers I've found..including the one listed in the post above. (which is where I bought mine)...Why don't you send me your mailing address using the contact form at the shareaproject site and I'll send you a leftover scrap piece big enough for you to really put a stress test on. I have plenty laying around the garage.<br /><br />Just let me know!

 

[lawyertob]

Re: Nautolex Deco Dot flooring...anyone ever use?

Boomyal and Daveaugust,<br /><br />Thanks for the replies. With even minimal use, I would say that if it lasted 29 years it is pretty tough stuff.<br /><br />I was just about to ask for a sample from the site Boomyal sent, but a bigger sample would be great...I am trying to determine whether I will use it to replace the cushioned vinyl on my inner hull from the floor to the gunwales, as well as the floor...and those little tiny samples wouldn't help much...plus, ivory is the color I would probably get, I think white is too white. I had never seen or heard of the product before, but it looks nice on Dave's boat and on the upholstery site pics. Plus, I hate gritty nonskid surfaces, so this stuff might be just what I am looking for. I will be dropping over to shareaproject.com as soon as I finish checking the new threads here. <br /><br />P.S. to Dave, I got my shareaproject newsletter today...thought you might want to know that the mailout is working. <br /><br />Thanks,<br />Joe

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Nautolex Deco Dot flooring...anyone ever use?

...also Joe, if you have a Fishermans Supply in your neck o' the woods, they stock some of the colors that you see on the website. Also, here is a link to where I bought mine. Much better price, but I don't know if they deal in the deco dot but they might be able to get it as they did not stock the one I bought. Notice the price difference on the link below. Notice, in the link above, that deco dot is a few $$$$ cheaper a running yard. I don't know if that corresponds to quality.<br /><br /> http://www.a1foamandfabrics.com/site/department.cfm?id=11BE5A56-98C1-443E-A01FB5A6B3A61E36

 

[lawyertob]

Re: Nautolex Deco Dot flooring...anyone ever use?

Boomyal,<br /><br />Thanks for the link, they do have much better prices, and they seem to charge actual UPS shipping charges too. After I get a look at the stuff, I will probably give them a call, unless I can find it locally...that oversized shipping rate is a killer.<br /><br />Thanks,<br />Joe

 

[davaugust]

Re: Nautolex Deco Dot flooring...anyone ever use?

Yeah, they really get you with the shipping. I was lucky to find that Gary's upholstery is here in Tampa, so I was able to avoid the shipping charges.

 

[mellowyellow]

Re: Nautolex Deco Dot flooring...anyone ever use?

hi Joe, no exp. with exact product, but last<br />boat ('72) had origional non-skid vinyl in<br />PERFECT condition after 30+yrs!<br />I will DEFF. use it over carpet when the time comes.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Nautolex Deco Dot flooring...anyone ever use?

Originally posted by Joe Glastron T186:<br /> Boomyal,<br /><br />Thanks for the link, they do have much better prices, and they seem to charge actual UPS shipping charges too. After I get a look at the stuff, I will probably give them a call, unless I can find it locally...that oversized shipping rate is a killer.<br /><br />Thanks,<br />Joe

I paid about $20 shipping for a 6.5 linial yard roll. That was LA to Vancouver WA. (1000 mi) That was a lot cheaper, in total, than the $21.95 a yard price at fishermans supply. It worked out to about $17 a yard.<br /><br />Carpet, in a boat, is horrible. It holds in the dirt, sand, seaweed and water.

 

[davaugust]

Re: Nautolex Deco Dot flooring...anyone ever use?

Wow,<br /><br />That's a fantastic price...even after shipping, still cheaper than mine was...picked up locally with no shipping charges at all.<br /><br />I have found that the Deco Dot is a little harder to find in the Nautolex material. While the material itself is fairly common, the Dot variety was not available at most of the online sources I found.

 

[davaugust]

Re: Nautolex Deco Dot flooring...anyone ever use?

I seriously looked at seadek..it's a cool material that would probably be awesome for a new floor, but the cost was prohibitive. It's significantly more expensive than the nautolex...really more than most other options I came across.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Nautolex Deco Dot flooring...anyone ever use?

Originally posted by davaugust:<br /> I seriously looked at seadek..it's a cool material that would probably be awesome for a new floor, but the cost was prohibitive. It's significantly more expensive than the nautolex...really more than most other options I came across.

How 'bout a link??