Marine Flooring

What Distinguishes Marine Flooring From Shoreside Flooring

Marine flooring covers vinyl sheet and tile, carpet, epoxy resin systems and anti-slip deck coverings used in accommodation, wet spaces, engine rooms and open decks. What separates it from an equivalent shoreside product is fire performance tested to marine standards, resistance to salt-laden humidity and vibration that would loosen ordinary adhesives ashore, and, in wet and machinery spaces, slip resistance under conditions a domestic floor is never tested for.

Main Types and Where Each Is Used

Vinyl sheet and tile

The standard choice for corridors, cabins and public spaces, welded at seams in wet or high-traffic areas to stop water tracking underneath, and chosen for a documented low flame spread and low smoke and toxicity rating.

Carpet

Used in cabins and passenger public spaces for acoustic and comfort reasons, always backed with a fire-rated underlay and installed with adhesives rated for the same fire class as the carpet itself.

Epoxy resin flooring

Applied in galleys, engine room platforms, workshops and other spaces needing chemical resistance, seamless hygiene, or a hard-wearing surface that vinyl cannot match under heavy trolley or tool traffic.

Anti-slip deck coverings

Applied on open decks, stairways and engine room gratings, typically an aggregate-textured coating or a proprietary tape or mat system, selected primarily for measured slip resistance rather than appearance.

Selection Criteria

The deciding factors are the space's fire zone and required fire rating, wet or dry service, expected foot and equipment traffic, and for open decks or engine rooms, a documented slip-resistance rating rather than a supplier's general claim. Adhesive and underlay must be certified to the same fire class as the finish material, since a compliant floor covering over an uncertified adhesive does not meet the space's fire rating as an assembly.

Regulations and Class

SOLAS Ch. II-2 governs fire protection for accommodation and machinery space linings, and flooring materials must be tested and certified, commonly to the IMO Fire Test Procedures Code, for flame spread, smoke and toxicity as part of the approved fire zone construction. Class surveys check that installed materials match the type-approved certificates on file rather than relying on visual inspection alone, and any replacement flooring in a certified fire zone needs the same class of certificate as the original.

Typical Faults

• Seam failure in wet spaces lets water track under the sheet, leading to adhesive failure and, over time, corrosion of the steel deck beneath.
• Adhesive not matched to the flooring's fire certificate creates an assembly that no longer meets the space's approved fire rating even though the visible surface looks correct.
• Anti-slip coating wear on high-traffic stairways and engine room gratings degrades slip resistance gradually and is easy to miss until an incident.
• Carpet or vinyl replaced without matching fire test documentation is a common finding at survey when refurbishment was done without checking certification first.

What to Look for in a Supplier

• Current fire test certificates for the specific product and, where relevant, for the adhesive and underlay system together as tested.
• Documented slip-resistance test results for anti-slip products, not a marketing claim.
• Colour and batch consistency guarantees for large-area jobs, since visible seams between batches are a common complaint on refurbishment work.

Keep the fire test certificate for flooring and its adhesive together in the ship's file: replacing worn flooring with a visually similar product but no matching certificate is one of the more common ways a fire zone quietly falls out of compliance.