Flooring, carpet, vinyl, laminate, or????

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Jack D

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Aug 27, 2010
Posts
231
Location
Elmira, Oregon
I'm getting closer to doing something about the floor covering in our Itasca. At first, I wanted laminate, but the hinged battery cover seems like a problem area. Vinyl would work, but not sure it is what I want. A smooth outdoor carpet may be the perfect answer. That's what was in our last MH and it was relatively easy to sweep. In Oregon, water, fir needles, mud and beach sand is tracked in no matter the season. I've elminated Allure as an option due to temperature limits on that product. The 95 deg.  upper limit is unreal in a vehicle and that is the temperature the glue softens (according to their website).

Has anyone ever tried carpet squares in their MH?

If I use laminate flooring, how do I get around the hinged battery cover problem?

If I decide on outdoor carpet, is there a better or best brand? Should I use a pad?

Any other suggestions?
 
Jack,
Last spring we re did the floors in the 35U. New carpet and flooring. The flooring was Armstrong Solarium and comes in (I think) 47" x 15" pieces. The pieces are tongue and grooved and the look is seamless when completed. No glue was used but I do believe the guys did staple them down. In a stick house they would be left to "free float". As an aside you mite try e-mailing Ernie Ekberg @ http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/erniesremodelingandrepair/. He does flooring all the time and he mostly (I think) does the wood laminate.
 

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A high quality vinyl is an excellent floor covering. Don't let visions of the cheap stuff you see in most stores dissuade you - good vinyl is gorgeous and rugged. For $3-$4 per sq ft, you can get lovely stuff. Even vinyl that really looks like wood or stone.

One example: http://www.armstrong.com/flooring/luxury-vinyl.html
 
Gary is right.  We just did the kitchen in our stick house with a vinyl plank and almost everyone that sees it thinks it is a maple floor.  Nice stuff but it is NOT cheap and the installer can make a big difference.  Ernie's son did ours and it is great!!
 
I bought bamboo flooring at a steel last year and plan on putting it in this summer if I haven't sold the MH by then. it's the 3/8" floating floor type with no glue. I plan on setting it all at a 45 degree angel. the only thing I worry about is the slide scratching it. the carpet and the pad together right now is right at the 3/8"
 
check out harbor freight and get one of those fibre optic cameras. that way you can look under the slide and see how the rollers work.
Ernie- San Marcos, Ca
 
I'm wondering about these (Carpet Tile Squares). I've seen them used in commercial buildings and I think they would work quite well in MH's/TT's. They are 1/4" thick, rubber backed and need not be glued down or even fastened down. This source has new as well as used tiles.

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/e11051.m43.l1123/7?euid=0e3798ed37cb47809f2dc3807886a23f&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2Fws%2FeBayISAPI.dll%3FViewItem%26item%3D140488086651%26ssPageName%3DADME%3AX%3ARTQ%3AUS%3A1123

This is just one example. they have many different patterns.

Has anyone ever tried these? Any problems with them?
 
Jack D said:
If I use laminate flooring, how do I get around the hinged battery cover problem?

If you have a router and a guide bushing you could make a jig and cut an under lap (rabbett) on the laminate surrounding the battery cover and an overlap on a cover of laminate that would basically inlay over the battery access (as long as it's not too large) Then add a small recessed pull.
 
Water Dog said:
If you have a router and a guide bushing you could make a jig and cut an under lap (rabbett) on the laminate surrounding the battery cover and an overlap on a cover of laminate that would basically inlay over the battery access (as long as it's not too large) Then add a small recessed pull.

I do have those (router and guide bushings of various sizes). Not sure I follow you though. Sounds like a typical lap joint???  If so, I can't see how it works. Can you do a sketch?

Is the attached photo correct?

Thanks

 

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In your diagram, make the laminate cover slightly larger than the underlying battery hatch cover. Then when you lift out the laminate piece, there is room for the hinged section to swing up and back.  You don't actually need a lap joint to do that - the joint could be square cut instead of lapped. You just need a removable piece.
 
Jack D said:
Is the attached photo correct?

Your sketch is what I was talking about Jack (I was thinking a lap all the way around the opening). I don't know how big of an area you have to deal with, but if it is only slightly larger than a battery, when you lay the floor you could leave the area of the battery cover open, then cut a router jig with inside dimensions to allow for the lap you want plus a 1/16" for the guide all around, use double stick tape to hold the jig down and rout the lap in the floor. Once that is done you could make the cover part to match, either using a table saw or another router jig. Depending on where the seams in the floor are and how wide your area is it may take more than one width for the cover, and if so they could be glued together.

It might turn this into more of a project than you want. I've seen the commercial carpet squares you mentioned and they hold up excellent in commercial buildings, plus if you stain one, you can just pull it up and replace it...(very handy). I've never seen them used in smaller areas or RV's, so I'm not sure if there would be other issues such as heat/cold, movement, etc.

Gary RV Roamer said:
You don't actually need a lap joint to do that - the joint could be square cut instead of lapped. You just need a removable piece.

Gary is correct as long as the laminate is being installed directly on a hard surface (i.e. the subfloor) but if there is a soft cushion between like in most floating floors, the lap will keep the flooring even as people walk over it. The lap would also allow you to install some small flathead screws if needed to keep the two parts from moving indepently of each other.
 
I like laminate floors and have them in my home. I'm not sure how they would hold up when we go to the beach. Beach sand might make short work of the finish. I'm intrigued by the carpet squares. I've written to the eBay source mentioned above and he states that he's seen them used in campers with success and believes it is a good use for them. I think they would have to be glued down in the step area.....or at least carpet tape, but the hinged battery door would be less of a problem. Hmmmm.

I also like vinyl flooring, but it is harder to install.....especially the glued down type. I did a travel trailer many years ago in sheet vinyl, but it was just edge stapled. The winkles flattened out in a short time and looked great for many, many years.

Many things to take into consideration.
 
Jack, the carpet idea intrigues me. From what I can remember of watching them put it down in the commercial building I saw, I think they glued down the perimeter squares then left the field ones loose, but I'm not 100% sure that's how it was done. They are heavy enough that I don't think they would have to be glued and they could be put right against the walls to hold them in place. I'm sure you are right that you would have to fasten them at the steps, but that could be as simple as a nosing on the step edge and a few staples or carpet tape at the back edge. If you decide to go that route, I would be very interested in the outcome and how they worked out for you. We'll probably be doing something with our floor this spring and we haven't decided what we want to do either.
 
Water Dog said:
Jack, the carpet idea intrigues me. From what I can remember of watching them put it down in the commercial building I saw, I think they glued down the perimeter squares then left the field ones loose, but I'm not 100% sure that's how it was done. They are heavy enough that I don't think they would have to be glued and they could be put right against the walls to hold them in place. I'm sure you are right that you would have to fasten them at the steps, but that could be as simple as a nosing on the step edge and a few staples or carpet tape at the back edge. If you decide to go that route, I would be very interested in the outcome and how they worked out for you. We'll probably be doing something with our floor this spring and we haven't decided what we want to do either.

I'm sure they glue down those that abut other materials and through doorways. I've seen thousands of them in my 40+ years in commercial construction, but never studied them closely. I have burned a few when welding on steel doors and frames. They just picked them up and replaced them. I guess they expect a few to be damaged during consttruction so they have extras. They are quite heavy, flexible and the edges won't curl

Here's another site with more information.  http://www.interioroutlet.com/carpet.html
 
Has anybody considered cork flooring? Very comfortable on the feet.
George
 
Carpet tiles- or carpet squares are used extensively in the commercial sector. These are pre trimmed at the factory, are very dense and the adhesive used is a 'releasable bond'- which means they are kinda stuck to the floor, but not really. Cutting these tiles requires a super shap knife, as the backing is a dense polypropelyene and is difficult to cut. They wear so well, they are used in airports, etc with heavy traffic. If you like wearability, these babies are for you. If you damage one, toss it. They weigh about 3 pounds -or if your are into metric- I haven't a clue. :)
 
A decent quality laminate is all but impervious to sand. The cheap stuff doesn't even hold up to shoe scuffing, let along abrasives. You get pretty much what you pay for in flooring materials, whether it be carpet, vinyl or laminate.
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
A decent quality laminate is all but impervious to sand. The cheap stuff doesn't even hold up to shoe scuffing, let along abrasives. You get pretty much what you pay for in flooring materials, whether it be carpet, vinyl or laminate.

Oh Dear
Just got back after fitting Laminate in my kitchen area "Wow" it looks good !!! but maybe should have read this first !
Got it from my local DIY store reduced from ?30 a pack to ?12 but got one with damaged packaging for only ?8 with a 10 year guarantee so will have to stay away from the beach !!!!

Wyn
 

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