Replacing 5th wheel carpet in a 5th wheel with slides

[AtTheBeach]

I'm in a pickle. When my wife smells a smell (even when I can't) I'm in trouble. Therefore, she wants all the carpet out and a ? to replace it. I was with linoleum, but that was vetoed, at least for now. We are ON salt water (Chesapeake) about 16' away from the Bay, so it has to stick down whether I do it myself or not. It has 3 slides (Montana Big Sky 39') which I find to be the issue on how to tackle that so they will slide without problems. I have done click lock laminate in a 8x20' Coleman, but it had no slides so it looked and held up great. I appreciate all the help I can get! Any info on what to with the install, the stair issue which is carpeted, or the materials is greatly appreciated. THANKS!
M

 

[workinonit]

I'm not sure what the stuff Keystone uses now is called but that's what I would go with. It's some type of laminate. I don't think I could own one of these things with carpet in it.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I'd vote for LVT/LVP (luxury vinyl tile or plank) rather than laminate. It's totally moisture resistant and the better grades resist scratching quite well. Thin enough to fit under the slide too. Carpet will act like a sponge in that damp environment and most laminate has a composite wood backing that is prone to swelling or warping due to either humidity of large temperature changes.

 

[Onyrlef]

^^ What Gary said and the vinyl planks will be floating as opposed to most of the laminates which require nailing or stapling to the substrate. Beware of some of the click lock type plank flooring, it's a thin finish on a particle board backing and doesn't do well in highly humid environs.

 

[DutchmenSport]

I (eventually) removed the carpet from my slide out and replaced with self-sticking floor vinal. The end result was good, even though the color did not match the original floor. But that stinking carpet was gone.

The slide out floor had a sag in it that I could not straighten out. It was like that from it's first day, brand new. Over time, it got worse. I laid a new floor on top of the slide (inside) and made floor joists out of metal L-braces, attached wood to that and built up a new flat floor, using the metal and some bolts to pull up the sag. I then had to cover the jagged L-braces and bolts, and when I was done, laid a new floor on top of that. The end result was good!

I was fortunate that I found a contrasting floor tile that we liked. And, by the way ... these were self-sticking tiles. BUT, before laying them down, I did apply floor tile glue, let it dry, and then put the tiles with the adhesive on top of that. In spite of being in Louisiana swamp heat most of the year, and then the artic tundra of Indiana in the Winter, the tiles has not pulled up, cracked, or curled. And ... its easy to clean, and best of all .... no longer any smells!

 

[UTTransplant]

Plank luxury vinyl is quite popular in RV remodels. There are two places near Red Bay Alabama that have done a lot of it. You could at their FB pages for pictures of the installations. They are MS RV Solutions and Precision RV.