HOW TO Remove Boat Carpet

How to remove boat carpeting that has been glued down…
and do you need to?

If you’re a boat owner that’s finally had it with your boat carpeting you’re not alone. As you know by now it gets soggy, stinks and rots away and you’re probably asking yourself what were they thinking in the first place, and why would they even put carpeting in a boat much less glue it down!

Well it wasn’t a conspiracy they were simply acting out of cost price points and availability not much else. It’s cheap and readily available nothing against you personally until you have to remove it that is!

Ideally we recommend removing your carpet however DECKadence can be placed right on top of your existing carpet it’s a matter of how much you use your boat and your personal desires.

So if you’re simply going over the carpet you are pretty much done, just watch the template and install videos. You may even try going over the carpet first then later if you decide to you can always pull up your old carpet later. If you do go over the top you will need to remove the DECKadence from time to time to let the carpet dry off, you know common sense stuff.

When you pull your carpeting up much of the carpet backing will most likely remain stuck to the adhesive on your deck, although this looks appalling it can be remedied.

The advantages to removing your carpet (in our humble opinion) far outweighs just leaving it in place. Once you remove your carpet do not rush back in with another adhesive product that eventually will have to be replaced.

Adhesives and glue down products such as EVA foams (such as in seadek) will at sometime have to be removed, and when you’re in a position that your removal requires all this work why would you do it again?

The pontoon industry suffers the same fate, resulting in thousands of dollars in removal renovations. 

Here’s the real issue, once a glue downed deck covering starts to acquire blemishes, stains and marks that drive your OCD brain insane… most boat owners choose to live with it, but all they see every time they step in their boat are these stains and marks that drive them CRAZY!

They live with it because removal of the covering is a pain in the ass, but eventually you can’t take it no more, and it’s gotta go!

So don’t make the same mistake again instead choose DECKadence because you can take it out, rinse it off, put it back year after boating year and use it as needed, and it always looks brand new! 

To remove the carpet and adhesive follow these steps:

1) Plenty of elbow grease

2) Pull as much of the carpet up as possible

3) Then use an oscillating electric tool such as a Dremel with blade (Image A) to remove the remainder of debris use the flat edge blade with no ridged edges.(Image B)

4) Once all the carpet is up scrape as much adessive off (with same tool) as possible

5) Once that’s done use a product called “ The Orange Stuff” (Image C) with an spackle (5 in 1) blade to scrape and an abrasive sponge.

6) Any remaining adhesive hit with “Goof Off” (Image D) with a rag.

7) Once that’s done use household cleaner like simple green (Image F) with a clean rag to clean off for a final finish! (Image E)

IMAGE A

IMAGE B

IMAGE C

IMAGE D

IMAGE E

IMAGE F

Steps 2, 3, 4

Steps 5, 6

Step 7

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