What is ship deck flooring?
Ship deck flooring (Dutch: scheepsvloer) is a floor made of narrow, long boards, just like the deck of a ship. Traditionally it is timber, often teak; on large vessels it can be metal, and composite versions are available today.
The boards of a genuine timber ship deck are quarter-sawn (rift-sawn): the growth rings run roughly at right angles to the surface. That gives two major advantages:
- the boards are more wear resistant;
- they shrink and swell less across their width, so the joints stay more stable.
To make the joints watertight, they are caulked: traditionally packed with oakum and pitch, today usually filled with a flexible black seam sealant. The boards along the edge of a ship’s deck are called margin planks.
Application
Besides ships and yachts, the ship deck look is widely used in homes, bathrooms, terraces and decks. Indoors it usually means boards or engineered flooring with dark joint strips that imitate a real deck.
Tips:
- Choose quarter-sawn: outdoors and in wet rooms, quarter-sawn timber distorts the least.
- Species: teak is naturally oily and durable. For tropical hardwood, check that it comes from responsibly managed forests (FSC or PEFC certified).
- Joints: use a sealant designed for timber and the expected movement; a rigid filler will crack away as the wood moves.
- Underfloor heating: not every timber floor is suitable. Ask the supplier for the maximum flow temperature.
- Subfloor: lay on a flat, dry base and let the timber acclimatise in the room first.
Related Terms
- Hardwood flooring
- Decking
- Caulking
- Quarter-sawn timber
- Teak
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