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Post by summitbeerowl on Jun 25, 2018 18:05:14 GMT -5
Hello everyone. I’d like to get a little discussion going on the ins and outs of installing new vinyl or laminate flooring. I’ve been on multiple sites and watched many videos but they seem to only add to my questions. 1) Since they build travel trailers by putting down the floor covering first and then the walls and cabinets it would be nice to not pull out the old vinyl. It’s in good shape. I’d just like it to be updated. Is this a bad idea? 2) Should the new flooring be floating or glued down? I’ve heard it can expand and contract. If floating though how do you cover the gap by all the walls and cabinets? I know how this is done in residential but we don’t have room for big chunky baseboards. Plus what would you do around all the doorways and end cabinets that have the trim on them?   I’m sure I’ll have more questions as the discussion gets rolling but let’s start with this. thanks in advance to everyone who adds some insight. Attachments:
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Post by Edd505 on Jun 25, 2018 20:11:21 GMT -5
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Post by summitbeerowl on Jun 25, 2018 20:46:56 GMT -5
Thanks Edd505! I totally forgot about that tool. That would definitely make things easier. Plus...every project deserves a new tool. |
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Post by Edd505 on Jun 26, 2018 19:25:53 GMT -5
Thanks Edd505! I totally forgot about that tool. That would definitely make things easier. Plus...every project deserves a new tool.  |
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Post by Chuck on Jun 28, 2018 10:45:42 GMT -5
We had friends that put down a floating floor in their 5th wheel, really looked nice but heavy as he described it.. As stated he put trim molding around the bottom to take up the space between the floor an the cabinet's ... Their 5th wheel was about 42ft long an 3 axle so the added weight didn't really matter ... Safe travels  Chuck |
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Post by summitbeerowl on Jun 28, 2018 20:28:51 GMT -5
We had friends that put down a floating floor in their 5th wheel, really looked nice but heavy as he described it.. As stated he put trim molding around the bottom to take up the space between the floor an the cabinet's ... Their 5th wheel was about 42ft long an 3 axle so the added weight didn't really matter ... Safe travels Chuck Hey Chuck, For my installation it probably wouldn't take much. I don't have a whole lot of floor space but I totally agree that we need to keep the weight down. It would be nice to find something that can be glued down so that we could run it right to the edge and not have to worry about any additional baseboard. |
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Post by Chuck on Jun 29, 2018 11:05:19 GMT -5
well trim is nt heavy but some but not all flooring is, we really like the laminate in our 5th wheel because of our large dogs, easy to clean Safe Travels Chuck |
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Post by Edd505 on Jun 29, 2018 20:46:48 GMT -5
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Post by myredracer on Jul 3, 2018 13:21:15 GMT -5
I installed laminate planks in a previous TT. The key is to make sure the new floor is fully free-floating and won't get hung up anywhere that could pull the planks apart. The laminate will shrink and expand a lot from summer to winter. I made a gap of about 3/16" all around the perimeter and made some baseboard strips on a table saw about 3/8" thick and an inch or so tall. I painted the baseboard against luan paneling a light tan color and stained the pieces against cabinetry to match and then used varathane over it. I used an air nailer to attach it. Where there are screws into the subfloor like entry door threshold and table flanges, make the holes through the laminate larger so the planks can move. Make the hole for the toilet flange larger by about 1/4" around it. (If you pull the toilet out, replace the gasket.) I put the new laminate on top of the old sheet flooring. If your old flooring is somewhat beat up, you could always remove it but may want to keep it for possible use as a template if you decide to use sheet flooring again. The hardest part is working on your hands and knees in cramped spaces. Knee pads may help. Also challenging sometimes is that there may not be straight lines against cabinets and walls and you may need to scribe a line so you can match the cut with "wonky" wall & cabinets. Painters tape works well for this. A jigsaw works fine for this but put tape on the planks to prevent scratches. I'd post some photos of what I did but we're in a CG and the photos are on my PC at home. A glue-down floor is not recommended because the material shrinks and expands between temp. extremes of summer to winter but may depend on your local climate. Plus if you ever need to take any up, it'd be quite a job. Some have glued flooring down but don't know how it stands up over time. When you're done, come back and post a pic or two. Gil, Deb and Dougal the Springer Spaniel 2014 KZ Spree 262RKS 2009 F250 |
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Post by summitbeerowl on Jul 9, 2018 20:01:10 GMT -5
Nice looking stuff. I was at Costco the other day and they had some stuff that snapped together. I could probably do my whole camper for $100. |
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Post by summitbeerowl on Jul 9, 2018 20:05:57 GMT -5
I installed laminate planks in a previous TT. The key is to make sure the new floor is fully free-floating and won't get hung up anywhere that could pull the planks apart. The laminate will shrink and expand a lot from summer to winter. I made a gap of about 3/16" all around the perimeter and made some baseboard strips on a table saw about 3/8" thick and an inch or so tall. I painted the baseboard against luan paneling a light tan color and stained the pieces against cabinetry to match and then used varathane over it. I used an air nailer to attach it. Where there are screws into the subfloor like entry door threshold and table flanges, make the holes through the laminate larger so the planks can move. Make the hole for the toilet flange larger by about 1/4" around it. (If you pull the toilet out, replace the gasket.) I put the new laminate on top of the old sheet flooring. If your old flooring is somewhat beat up, you could always remove it but may want to keep it for possible use as a template if you decide to use sheet flooring again. The hardest part is working on your hands and knees in cramped spaces. Knee pads may help. Also challenging sometimes is that there may not be straight lines against cabinets and walls and you may need to scribe a line so you can match the cut with "wonky" wall & cabinets. Painters tape works well for this. A jigsaw works fine for this but put tape on the planks to prevent scratches. I'd post some photos of what I did but we're in a CG and the photos are on my PC at home. A glue-down floor is not recommended because the material shrinks and expands between temp. extremes of summer to winter but may depend on your local climate. Plus if you ever need to take any up, it'd be quite a job. Some have glued flooring down but don't know how it stands up over time. When you're done, come back and post a pic or two. Gil, Deb and Dougal the Springer Spaniel 2014 KZ Spree 262RKS 2009 F250 Good advice. so what would you do around the metal door jams (bathroom)? Is the toilet gasket something that has to come from an RV dealer or can a normal one from a home improvement store work? my existing floor is in good shape so it wouldn't have to be removed. I'd just go right over the top. |
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