Can’t say I’ve heard of those products .
If you want a guaranteed never fail surface for a ramp, get some skatelite top sheet. The stuff doesn’t rot at all.
It’s more pricey yes , but you won’t have to resurface your ramp at all for many years .
Weigh up the options , keep trying different top sheets and if they keep failing you’ve already spent more than getting skatelite.
When I refurbished the pioneer ramp last year the skatelite was 3/4 years old and still in top condition. It will keep going till it’s finally taken down.
Skatelite would be ace but it’s too much. From what I can see the Tricoya seems to be a very similar product.
After stripping the top layer which was a complete mess off, the bottom layer isn’t too bad, it’s not rotten, so I think I’m gonna leave this down, layer another 9mm on top and then surface it.
We are also in Bristol and have not used a cover on our mini ramp through winter as it looks awful and makes loads of noise in the wind.
Our structural hardwood ply from Travis Perkins has lasted well. Before fitting we painted both sides with Masonary paint and all the edges were painted in a very sticky grey roofing repair paint from Screwfix. Bostick Flexicryl I think it’s called. Seems to have stopped the ply delaminating.
I am considering Skatelite or the Tricoya extreme next though if our girls stay committed to skateboarding. Just can’t bring myself to spend the £££’s
Im just finishing my mini ramp build and used tricoya for the top deck. The cost was about £65 per sheet for 6mm. Goes down well and is meant to be good for 25yrs against swellling etc. The only issue i can see is MDF is not an hard material so the edges are more prone to damage than ply or skatelite. When finished I’ll post a few pics.
Hi Andrew,
Yes ramps all done had to do a few mods to but its all good.
I used the 6mm Tricoya for the top deck so it bended easy enough. With it being MDF it is easy to fix down, i use the screws with a self counter sinking head. Didn’t even bother predrilling just screwed straight through into the plywood underneath. I would be careful of the edges though it doesn’t take knocks like ply does. But it skates good and total water resistent. I’ve took photo’s at different stages of the build so i should be posting them pretty soon, just not had much time at the moment. Cost wise i paid about £65 for an 8x4 sheet from a local tmber supplier, but they did have to order it in specially.
Be cool to hear you get on with your build.
Cheers
Andy
I’ve lurked on this thread since April as I planned and built a 4’ half pipe for my 8yo scooter kid.
For the top surface I settled on 9mm Medite Tricoya Extreme after first hearing it mentioned by @Pocalyptix here, and I have to say it’s awesome stuff.
It’s way easier to work with than standard 9mm ply from a bending and installing perspective. I find it hard to see how skatelite could be any better apart from maybe taking knocks on the edges.
The ramp has been up since May 2nd and it’s rained non stop here in Ireland, but the top surface is still perfect. Good grip for skating and the young fellah is dropping in and having a blast on the few dry evenings.
So thanks a mill to this thread for the pointers and advice. You helped me make an 8 year olds birthday dream come true!
Hi did the tricaya stuff work well, I’ve just this sec heard of it from your post, after paying 400 for 9 sheets 8x4 marine ply but a top layer ofbthst stuff is 460 delivered, has it worked OK, kind regards pete
Did you add any extra treatments/paint to the Medite Tricoya? And do you tarp the ramp or just leave it exposed all the time? Is it still holding up okay?
I laid out the Tricoya as it came with no further treatment. It’s holding up A1. There are a few stains on it now from wheel tracks and where water can sometimes lodge, but it isn’t getting into the material at all.
When installing it, I put one or two screws too close to the edge and it has caused some crumbling on a corner or two, but that’s just something to note (stay back more from the edge with your screws than you would with MDF).
I haven’t tarped it yet as it’s only intermittent showers and moderate temps, but once winter hits, I’d plan on covering it for a few months, mainly for the rest of the wood on the structure.
So overall, the surface is as good as the day it was laid back in late April. And as a bonus it is a great slide and place for your kids slip’n’slide .
@Pete_sutton - just to say I only heard of Tricoya from Pocalyptix posts earlier and I rolled the dice on it. I’ve zero regrets. It’s way easier to work with than the MDF sheets and I struggle to see how e.g. skatelite would be twice as good (for twice the price!).
That sounds promising for future surfaces , tho the test would be winter . Even with a tarp there would be damp and frost. Interesting to see how it shores up next April.
The skatelite on the pioneer outdoor mini ramp is now 4 years old , fully unprotected and I didn’t need to replace any when I refurbed the frame last year.
It’s still smooth and good as ever .
Question time again - The indoor park I work at has lasted us 5 years. It’s still in good condition but it’s getting pretty bad in terms of splinters. Is there anything we can do to improve this as we can’t really afford to spend £20,000 resurfacing the whole park just because some people are getting splinters in their asses but it’s pretty shit at the same time
It’s a yes and no, would work like a varnish but you’d have to put up with it being slippy at first when it hardens .
You also sort of want to avoid water on the ply if it’s in that condition. Could expand the top surface more and when dry shrink to more splinters .
I’m half wondering if a paint/pva combo would be better. May be worth testing that too.
This would always be a constant maintenance tho , delaying the inevitable resurface .
.