Gone are the days when one remembers carpets as boring, high-maintenance and messy things that clutter our surroundings. Carpets have yet again become a fashion statement and an item that can be termed ‘classy’. They are now recognized as functional, essential and beautiful pieces of furnishing on your boat. They are now available in a myriad of colors, shapes, sizes and textures.
One of the very first questions, which must be asked when selecting a boat carpet, is where it is going to be used? Will it be constantly being exposed to the elements or is it to cover up the area under the shade? This is a quite important thing to do, as the type of carpet you buy will depend a lot on you asking these questions to yourself first.
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Here are some features of Marine Grade Carpet which will allow one to choose their boat carpet based on their specific needs:
Rubber Backed: One of the key features of any Marine Grade green grass carpet is the presence of rubber backing which allows glued down usage in boats. The rubber backing means these carpets have the ability of withstanding salinity, water sprays and being constantly wet. Nowadays polypropylene or olefin is also a good choice while choosing a carpet, as it can withstand dampness, and is machine washable. Many have inbuilt anti-slip or anti-skid layers. An important tip here is to avoid latex backed ones as they easily break down in presence of water and hence are unsuitable as a boat carpet.
UV stabilized or UV resistant: Marine green grass carpets are usually sold as being UV stabilized and hence are resistant to sun exposure. They are also stain resistant hence are designed for long term usage. An ideal option for boat owners when choosing a carpet that would not be exposed to the sun or the water is to go for regular Outdoor ones which will be much cheaper as they do not have rubber backing and are not much resistant to UV rays.
Stain resistant: Marine boat carpet is made to be stain resistant.
Mold /Mildew Resistant: This allows the carpet to last a long time yet looking good as new after every cleanup.
Green Grass – Boat Carpet
Sizes: Marine boat carpet is usually available in sizes from 6ft-12ft in width, which allows easy installation in the usually odd sized places in a boat. Many manufactures can make custom made sizes for boats, which would remove hassles during installation.
Versatility: Marine carpet is a great addition to any pool area, patio because of its excellent outdoor capabilities.
Usual carpets have the indoor backing with the only addition of a rubber layer to it with the primary being a woven/ non- woven fabric. Needles now tuft yarn into it and a second layer of backing is attached to the first to give it some amount of structural integrity. However due to the presence of organic fibers and fabric backing, it is almost certain that it will deteriorate in a few months in the harsh environment of a boat.
Whether one chooses marine carpets of for the usual outdoor ones for their boat carpet or not, it is important to remember the balance between cost effectiveness and efficiency. Also, it is important to remember that one can use both in the same boat, by using the marine one, in places where it’s absolutely necessary and to choose the normal outdoor variety in another place. However, for long term investment options it is best to go for the marine option for the green grass boat carpet as it will be cheaper in the long run.
