Elly Dalmaijer
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2006
- Posts
- 362
We have purchased laminate and the black underlay and are planning to install this in our 1993 27 ft Itasca Sunrise with no slides. The area will be fairly narrow (2-3ft) with the widest spot being from the dinette wall to the counter area, about 6.5 ft.
We have two questions and would appreciate your input:
1. is there a chance (because of the free-floating installation) that in time the underlay forms ripples underneath the laminate?
2. do we need to install a vapor barrier on the sub-floor, underneath the black underpadding? If so, should the padding, together with the moisture barrier be stapled down to the subfloor in order to prevent the laminate from sliding all over the place?
I will describe the environment of our RV: we live in Alberta, where the unit is stored outside on a lot (no electricity), and where the temperatures in winter are mostly between 0F and -20F with frequent nights that are much colder (as low as -40F). The air here is very dry: 20-40% humidity. By March we like to take this motorhome to warmer places and it warms up to 70F-80F. Summers in Alberta also give dry air but the daytime temperatures go up into the 80s and 90s.
All this means that our unit experiences huge temperature fluctuations during a year , but that it is rarely exposed to a humid environment.
So: is a vapor barrier needed? So far on the general internet most seem to say NO, however I greatly value the input of the Framily and would much appreciate your advise. Thanks!
Elly
We have two questions and would appreciate your input:
1. is there a chance (because of the free-floating installation) that in time the underlay forms ripples underneath the laminate?
2. do we need to install a vapor barrier on the sub-floor, underneath the black underpadding? If so, should the padding, together with the moisture barrier be stapled down to the subfloor in order to prevent the laminate from sliding all over the place?
I will describe the environment of our RV: we live in Alberta, where the unit is stored outside on a lot (no electricity), and where the temperatures in winter are mostly between 0F and -20F with frequent nights that are much colder (as low as -40F). The air here is very dry: 20-40% humidity. By March we like to take this motorhome to warmer places and it warms up to 70F-80F. Summers in Alberta also give dry air but the daytime temperatures go up into the 80s and 90s.
All this means that our unit experiences huge temperature fluctuations during a year , but that it is rarely exposed to a humid environment.
So: is a vapor barrier needed? So far on the general internet most seem to say NO, however I greatly value the input of the Framily and would much appreciate your advise. Thanks!
Elly