Replacing RV Flooring Article

[ArdraF]

If you are considering replacing the floors in your RV, the March 2012 issue of Motorhome magazine has an article on pages 56-63 that describes a Trek floor renovation.  It's quite well written and includes 16 photos.

ArdraF

 

[Seajay]

We have a 2000 Pace Arrow and we decided to have a hardwood floor put in the coach from the ''doghouse'' in the front all the way thru to the back wall...  BIG ERROR........
When the floor was put in it looked beautiful.  Smooth and very nice.. 
Some time later we developed a leak in our line feeding water to the ice maker in our ''refer''.  Before we could find the leak we developed a big black streak in our flooring right in front and beside the ''refer''. 
We have a slide out in the back of our coach and when it rains really hard and blows toward the slide out, we would get a puddle next to the wall adjoining the wall.  Now we have black streaks back there also because the water was (and is) going under the flooring apparently.
In front of the stove and sink area most of the finish is worn off of the flooring and it is also turning dark from wear and the occasional water spillage. 
Here is the short story. 
Do not put hardwood flooring down when you replace carpet like we did.  You are throwing your money away on something that looks nice for a little while and then goes to pot.......
We are now considering ripping out all the hardwood and putting down a linoleum floor in the coach. 
time will tell ..............

ps.....  I just read the posting on putting tile down in your coach and this will probably be the way we go with this ''fix''.  It should look good and last forever and still look good.......cj....
This valuable information will cost you ten cents if you use it and you can pay me the next time you see me. 

Freedom is not free....... It is bought with the blood of your youngest and finest.....

 

[Ernie n Tara]

Cheap tile/wood may cause this type of problem and I have no problem with ceramic tile except the weight, but Allure does not have either of these shortcomings. It holds up well (at least for the year we've had it {full time}). We've managed some minor scratches, but overall the Allure has held up very well and still looks way better than the carpet it replaced.
Note that ceramic tile could easily add 500 lbs. to the Motor Home. This may not be much of a problem for big diesels, but may be a significant percentage of the CC for a gas MH.
Ernie

 

[Ernie Ekberg]

Seajay- what type and brand hardwood did you use?

 

[Seajay]

Seajay- what type and brand hardwood did you use?

I seriously do not know.  I had a guy down in South Carolina, near Columbia do it for us.  The old carpet looked like crap after ten years of being cleaned and three dogs running free in the coach.  When it was done it looked wonderful but it did not take too long and it started to show traffic.  The water really screwed it up. 
The flooring is a laminate type about half an inch thick.  It has an oak vanear on top and I guess the rest is popular or some base wood.  It is tongue and grove and I do not know if it is glued down or simply ''floating'' on the floor.  I can not remember the name of the company that done the work but it look really good when he got done.  I believe he said it could be sanded and refinished but I am not sure about it.  Willa said she still had the bill of sale in our files at home.  I considered trying to cut out the bad pieces and replace them but the ''new'' stuff would stick out like a sour thumb. 
To me.....  Motor homes should have a ''serviceable'' floor that can take spills ,,,  dogs,,  foot traffic,  dirt, sand, and water because they will get a lot of traffic in a reasonably small area and because most of us have no porch or mud room to enter before we hit the main floor.  The carpets look wonderful but in a ''used'' motor home like ours, they are impractical as I see it.  Our coach is ''used'' a lot.  It has over 115 thousand miles on the clock and is still running strong.
As to the floor, I can post pix if you like or send them directly to you if you have an ''idea'' as to how to fix them please.  I shall also be glad to pay you ten cents for any ideas concerning this.  I will give you the ten cents the next time I see you or I will simply e mail it to you, which ever is better for you....
Mind you ,,,,,,,,  all this is just my opinion and I could be wrong....cj....

Ok Uncle Sam...... Time to bring our troops back home for a big parade

 

[cheswynd]

We have a carpeted Monica with one slide.  The carpet is worn and tired.  Would love to replace it with vinyl tiles.  My husband is  very handy, but he is worried about the slide-out.  Will replacing the carpet with vinyl affect how the slide operates - does the carpet provide a function with the operation of the slide?  The capet under the slide appears compressed when the slide is in - does this mean the carpet is acting as a support for the slide when retracted?  How do we secure the vinyl under the lip of the slide (there seems to be a plastic strip securing the carpet edge, that is not accessible).  We are not planning on replacing the carpet under the sofa or dinnette - it still looks good.  Thanks for your help!