Material for Floor

[Ian Wilson (AUST)]

Hi Creekers,

I have a request for a laser engraved sign on the floor of a ferry. Fairly upmarket ferry so has to be "classy". Any suggestions on what material as it will be in a traffic area.

My thoughts are timber or marble?

Cheers Ian

PS How about stainless steel is..... Cermark scratch resistant?

[David Fairfield]

Nothing left on the floor is scratch resistant, its just a matter of time.

[Bruce Volden]

I would NOT use marble-although it would look great, I think it scratches easier than wood! They say bamboo wood is a great substrate to use but I've never tried any :(

Bruce

[Dan Hintz]

Granite may be your best bet. Stainless with Cermark will look good for a while, but eventually all of the sand people drag in with their shoes will wear down the mark.

[Dee Gallo]

Wood inlay? It would more substantial than "just" rastered wood, allow for color variation and easily covered with hard finishes for waterproofing. Mahogany and brass are a classic salt water construction combination - maybe inlay some brass wire or flat stock?

I have used bamboo a lot and it is excellent to laser, although it does not leave a dark mark, so color filling would be needed. But if you used it with a dark wood inlay, you'd have a nice hard surface with a very attractive grain.

:) dee

[David Fairfield]

I'd probably go with a tile mosaic. Time proven material and very classy. Use a water jet to cut the tiles, if necessary.

Dave

[Michael Hunter]

Bruce suggested bamboo and it's certainly a possibility.

I have engraved the compressed bamboo boards sold as flooring.
It is tough and takes several passes to get a decent depth.
You get a grain effect at the bottom of the engraving.

Once lasered and cleaned up, it needs re-finishing straight away as the revealed bamboo is susceptible to going mouldy.

The material is very hardwaring and so long at is properly sealed against moisture will put up with being flooded occasionally without any ill effect.

(Our kitchen floor is done with bamboo, which is how I got to play with some).

[Martin Boekers]

Is this a ferry in as taking cars and people across waterways?

If so you might want to find a material that can be coated so it isn't slick when it gets wet.

Just a thought

Marty

[Dave Johnson29]

Wood inlay

No surprises here, I am with Dee (my artistic hero) for something like this. Since it is up-market and in a traffic area, 1/8" thick inlaid wood is going to take a lot of wear and still look good.

What is the surrounding floor made of?

[Ian Wilson (AUST)]

Thanks Dave.

[Ian Wilson (AUST)]

Cheers Bruce

[Ian Wilson (AUST)]

Thanks Dan.

[Ian Wilson (AUST)]

Sounds like a plan but please excuse my ignorance "Whats a brass wire or flat stock?"

I have engraved Bamboo before and it looks great!!!

Cheers Ian

[Ian Wilson (AUST)]

Thanks Dave may try Bamboo first....seems very popular.

[Ian Wilson (AUST)]

Cheers Michael

[Ian Wilson (AUST)]

Thanks Marty.....just people.

[Michael Hunter]

Brass wire or flat-stock. Just what it says!

The best wire is square section (can be difficult to find).

Flat-stock is rectangular section strips of brass and easily available in a huge range of sizes.
People selling wood veneers often have a range of narrow flat-stock for letting into the edges of furniture - between 0.5 and 1mm thick, 2 to 6mm wide.
For larger sizes, best try firms suppling to boatbuilders.

As Dee says, brass and mahogany look great together and are very traditional materials for fitting out boats.