Carpet in 2004 Brave

[TN Bill]

Has anyone replaced the carpet in a 2004 Brave with vinyl  flooring? I would like to replace mine but have a lot of questions regarding the slide.  If you have don it I sure would like to see some pictures.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I've done my own and helped a pal do his, but neither was a Brave. 

Have you done any carpeting before? If not, an RV is a challenging way to learn. Lot's of odd cuts, lack of working room, etc.  The area around the driver/passenger seats and the entry door can be a chore.    Slide may or may not be hard.

Is the slide out a flush-floor type (drops down to be even with the main floor) or does it stay raised? The raised ones aren't bad at all.

 

[TN Bill]

My slide stays raised. What I am concerned about is what the rollers will do when I change the height (or thickness) of the flooring.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Are you sure it even has rollers? Not all slide mechanisms do. Most of the Winnies I've seen use a mechanism that has skids, though, and that would have the same concern.  You definitely don't want to increase or decrease floor height without making sure the slide can handle it, or can be adjusted to handle it.

The simple answer is "use the same thickness of pad and carpet". Or at east very close.  Or are you thinking of going with laminate, vinyl planks or engineered wood?  If so, choose carefully to avoid height issues.

 

[Lou Schneider]

I think Oriontn is asking about replacing the carpet with vinyl flooring, not more carpeting.  In that case, the only question is what does the slideout use for support as it comes in and out? 

If you vacuum the carpet smooth while the slide is out, then run the slide in and out, does it leave marks in the carpet?  If it does, it uses skids (probably Teflon blocks) to let it slide safely on the carpet and they may scratch a vinyl floor.

If it doesn't leave marks on the carpet, it's supported by rollers at the floor's edge and you should be able to safely replace the carpet with vinyl flooring.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I missed that in my initial read. DUH!  I've done carpet, laminate and vinyl plank, though, and the problems are similar.

In any case, he needs to make the final height come out the same or maybe a tiny bit less.  Scratching of the vinyl (or laminate) is a real possibility if the slide mechanism uses rollers or skids, but don't want a big gap either.

 

[Ernie n Tara]

We had the scratch problem. Simply placed a clear piece of hall runner under the appropriate area of the slide when extending or retracting. Works like a dream.

Ernie

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

A plastic mat works ok as long as the spacing isn't too tight. If the spacing is really think, the mat just gets pushed out of the way

 

[TN Bill]

Thanks for all the replies.  I find the slide out has a slide and Winny recommends it be changed to one that has carpet on it to prevent scratching of vinyl floor.  Guess I will do a little more digging before I start.

 

[SpencerPJ]

Thanks for all the replies.  I find the slide out has a slide and Winny recommends it be changed to one that has carpet on it to prevent scratching of vinyl floor.  Guess I will do a little more digging before I start.

Good idea
You might have to do a bit of patch work, fill in small holes on the floor, depending on issues created with carpet installation. The better your surface, the better the results will be.