Woven Vinyl for Boats and RVs
A moving interior asks different questions of a floor: vibration, weight, moisture, sun, and a fit-out that happens once. This page sets out what changes and which documents a boatyard or converter will ask for.
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What changes on a moving floor
A building floor is laid once and stays where it is put. A boat or a motorhome floor moves: it flexes with the hull or the chassis, it is walked on in bare feet and in wet boots, it sees sun through glass for hours, and it is cleaned in a small space with whatever is on board.
Three properties carry most of the decision. The surface has to keep its colour in strong light. It has to survive water sitting on it, not just a spill. And it has to be light enough that the fit-out weight budget still closes.
Where the material goes
| Area | Format | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Cabin and saloon sole | Wall to wall, cut to the deck shape | Seams welded where the sole is walked in bare feet |
| Loose mats at the entry | Mat and runner, TPR backing | Takes the wet traffic before it reaches the sole |
| Bulkheads and cabin walls | Wallcovering, bonded to a panel | Panel substrate and adhesive specified by the converter |
| Seating and trim | Upholstery, sewn or welded | Same weave as the floor, so the interior reads as one material |
Weight and thickness
Weight depends on the backing, not on the weave. The wall to wall construction is 4 mm thick and 2400 g/m² on a 3.0 mm PVC foam backing, in rolls of 200 cm ±1% (EN 426) and 15 to 25 m long. The modular tile line uses a 3.2 mm PVC rigid backing with fibreglass reinforcement, and the acoustic range a glass-fibre reinforced PVC backing with felt. For any of them, the data sheet gives the figure a weight budget needs: ask for it against the exact construction rather than the product family.
Where a fit-out is tight on weight, the honest answer is that a woven surface is not the lightest option on the market. What it offers instead is a face that does not print, does not peel at an edge, and reads as textile in a small cabin.
Moisture
The surface is vinyl, so water does not soak into it. That is the property that matters in a cabin: a wet towel, a spilt drink, or a hatch left open is a cleaning job rather than a stain that stays.
What it does not do is drain. In a space where water can stand, the construction detail matters more than the material: the sole needs its fall, and the seam needs to be welded rather than butted. We will say plainly where the material stops and the installation has to do the rest.
Sun and colour
Colour is in the yarn, not on the surface, so light does not wear it off. The claim is measurable: colour fastness to BS EN ISO 105-B02 for artificial light and 105-B04 for weathering, tested by an accredited laboratory, with report references next to the standard (TÜV SÜD 70.404.18.21948.01-00, SGS SHIN1707041322MR, SGS HZ1293415/TX).
Two tones in the weave also mean the surface changes with the angle of the light. In a cabin with a large window, that is what stops a floor looking like one flat colour at noon and a different flat colour at dusk.
Fire: be exact about which requirement applies
This is where a marine or RV project most often goes wrong, so we state it plainly.
IMO FTP Code and SOLAS certification we do not hold. A commercial vessel that requires those certificates needs a product tested to that regime, and we will say so at the first enquiry rather than after the sample has been approved.
CE marking to EN 14041 applies to flooring in buildings, and that is where our declaration sits. It is the right document for a motorhome interior or a land-based fit-out. For a commercial vessel, the requirement is set by the flag state and the class society, and it is not answered by a building standard.
Reaction to fire classification to EN 13501-1 is stated in the Declaration of Performance for the exact product and backing. Ask for the DoP; a figure quoted in an email, without the standard and the backing next to it, invites the wrong comparison.
Installing in a small space
Most of a boat or RV floor is edged, curved and interrupted by hatches. Two practical points come up every time: cut the material oversize and trim after it has relaxed, and agree who supplies the edge trim before the material ships. A welded seam in a cabin sole is the usual answer, because it keeps water out of the joint and leaves no stitch line under bare feet.
Installation guidance for the product line is a written document, and it names the adhesive family and the surface preparation. Get it before the fit-out week, not during it.
Questions from boatyards and converters
Do you supply to boat builders or only to distributors?
Both. Stock qualities carry no minimum order, so a single boat can be done from stock; unique designs made to your specification start at 1000 m² and run 4 to 6 weeks. Tell us the volume and the timing at the first enquiry and the answer will be specific.
Can I get a sample that matches the production batch?
Samples are cut from production, and the two-tone weave varies slightly from roll to roll. For a fit-out that needs continuity across several cabins, ask for a reserve from one dye lot when the order is placed, and confirm it in writing.
What documents come with a marine or RV order?
CE marking to EN 14041, the Declaration of Performance for the product, a REACH statement, colour fastness reports to BS EN ISO 105-B02 and 105-B04, and the maintenance and installation documents for the product line. Certificates under IMO FTP Code are not available; see the note above.