Carpet rubber backing

[Jeff Delbuono]

Looking for help. I am going to replace the snap in carpet on the cockpit on my 98 290 dancer. The black rubber backing from the carpet has stuck to the fiberglass floor and will not scrub off. What is the best way to get this off. The carpet is in great shape but the rubber backing is a dry rotten mess.

 

[Jaybeaux]

Jeff, others will chime in, but I've heard where people have re-coated the back of the carpet with Flex Seal. You know, the stuff on TV.

 

[Gary B]

Try scraping the remnants of the backing off the deck carefully with a plastic spackle knife or try a power washer if you have one

 

[wayne0]

Try scraping the remnants of the backing off the deck carefully with a plastic spackle knife or try a power washer if you have one

Follow up the scraper with Soft Scrub with bleach. I had the same problem.

 

[paulswagelock]

If you want to save the carpet, durabak black in the smooth formula will make them better than new. 2 coats and they will be perfect. Lasts at least 5 years, probably longer.

 

[Jeff Delbuono]

INTERESTING. What is durable black in the smooth formula? never heard of it. as far as the stuff stuck. i did powerwash and nothing came off

 

[techmitch]

INTERESTING. What is durable black in the smooth formula? never heard of it. as far as the stuff stuck. i did powerwash and nothing came off

https://www.amazon.com/Durabak-18-Outdoors-SMOOTH-version/dp/B00BO0LF54

 

[paulswagelock]

Damn autocorrect, yes durabak

 

[wayne0]

White elastomeric roof coating. Under $50/Gal at Home Depot. Worked for me. Needs plenty of drying/curing time though.

 

[mobocracy]

My carpet was "OK" on the front but the black backing crumbling. I sprayed it with the spray-on version of Plasti-dip but it wasn't great. It took 5 cans of white to get decent coverage, and after a season and a half this started failing, too.

Last spring I went back at it with the paint-on flavor of white Flex-Seal and I think it's a decent way to go. Much better coverage than spray-on and apparently more durable, as when I pulled my carpets this fall the backing showed no signs of wear. I got it all done with less than a quart can of Flex-Seal.

One thing to maybe be careful of is potential shrinkage. After putting Flex-Seal on, it was a bit challenging to get some of the snaps snapped.

I keep thinking this will be the last year for the carpet, but I keep coming up with new ways to not spend money on it. I also got it cleaner than ever this fall using laundry detergent and a drill brush chucked into my cordless drill.

I find with a boat, either you clean it constantly or you don't. It seems filthy after a single weekend on it, like it was never cleaned.