Exploding Floor

[Friday]

Soooo.... has anyone ever seen this happen? We had a cold snap a couple of weeks ago. I hadn't been in the trailer since then, but today went inside to check it out. There is a huge tear in the vinyl... it's hard to see but there are stress lines that branch out from the huge rips but are not through the whole layer... kind of like the clear-coat is cracked.

Needless to say... I am sick to my stomach. Just bought this last fall and haven't even made a trip in it yet. From what I can see, the 'proper' way to replace the lino is to take the whole interior out... not good...

Anyway... called insurance and they are going to send an adjuster sometime to look at it... hopefully they will cover it, but I have my doubts.

If they don't... what are my options? Try put in a laminate flooring and just cut around the cabinets and such?

Sigh...

[Skatiero]

Oh my gosh! Could you have a water leak? Water expands when it freezes. Yikes!

[Friday]

Nope... the floor underneath is dry... and frozen... it's been below freezing for months. We had some -40 weather for a week though. I can't find any sign of water, ice, or anything like that. The crack goes all the way forward under the bed (FB) but the entire back half of the trailer is OK.

It is just the lino that is damaged as far as I can tell... underneath is particle board, it is flat and true... no bulges, cracks or heaves... all water was drained from the unit in the fall... I don't want to mess with it too much until the adjuster looks at it...

[Ridgerunner3]

Have you considered sending some pictures to Jackson Center to see if they have seen anything like this before? I would want to understand the root cause before I installed new floor covering. I would think it is caused by expansion and contraction but that a purely a guess.

I hope all goes well for you in working through this.

[eubank]

I've seen that exact thing here. One of our guests stores their trailer here for winters, and the linoleum in it split all over the place during the winter.

Big throw rugs.

Sorry to hear (and see) that this happened!


Lynn

[Aage]

I wonder if your customer's flooring is the same as Friday's? I can't imagine that something designed for outdoor use in North America would do that in New Mexico, of all places.

Just how cold does winter get there, Lynn?

[perryg114]

They are going to say -40 is out of the duty range of that material. I guess you found the glass transition temperature of that material. Lots of things are brittle at that temperature. Good luck on the insurance claim.

Perry

[eubank]

Last winter, we did reach -40F one night. That was a record for our stay here (last 12 years), but not a record for the area.


Lynn

Originally Posted by Aage

I wonder if your customer's flooring is the same as Friday's? I can't imagine that something designed for outdoor use in North America would do that in New Mexico, of all places.

Just how cold does winter get there, Lynn?

[clancy_boy]

Frozen then cracked - seen this before in a SOB - looked the same in that trailer to.

[vswingfield]

Originally Posted by Aage

I wonder if your customer's flooring is the same as Friday's? I can't imagine that something designed for outdoor use in North America would do that in New Mexico, of all places.

Just how cold does winter get there, Lynn?

Not sure how cold it does get, but Angle Fire is a ski resort. I learned to ski there.

[Friday]

Has anyone tried a paint-on rubber floor instead of vinyl or laminate? In a tool shed I built once I painted the floor with a textured rubber paint. Seemed to hold up well... but it was over actual plywood. This is of course chip-board underneath.

[Elf1]

You are VERY wise to wait for the adjustor to inspect it.....too many people will self attempt, then the adjustor will or can decline coverage. Be sure to really document the facts for him, perhaps a quick word document on what you did in preperation for the winter ( a winterzation check list if you followed it) or a receipt form the RV shop that did it for you if that is the case would work wonders. I am very sorry for your experience. Take it one step at a time, then work within the network here and at the Mother Ship in Ohio to get a fix.

I can not say I ever experienced the floor .....but I can lend some hope, A table that I had made for our dinette out of hard woods was true and level when I parked it last fall. I went to get a few items out of the unit in storage and I almost had a heart attack. The table was warped 4-6 " I kid you not over a 3' length. I thought it was lost. I called a good friend in the business, and he said, after a good shot of your favorite beverage to calm your nerves, get it to a warm tempature over a period of time, THEN, apply wet cloths to it, and seal it in a bag. OK, I thought he was out of his mind, but we were at -35 for 8 weeks straight. Soooooo, advice in hand...thats what I did. Sans the ONE finish nail I needed to drive....that was it....I am now writing to you from the same table.

PERHAPS, if you leave it be, it is the content of whatever that is in the chipboard underneath or in the lyno that caused it the fracture. It may be less noticable in the spring, and at a more stable "state" that you can start the repair or redecorating if need be. Best of luck to you.
Rob aka ELF1

[tpi]

Sorry to see your damage.

I'm sure I'm in minority here, but if it were mine I'd put in some kind of synthetic low cut or berber carpet. I'm single, no kids, and I'm certain I could keep this carpet looking new for a decade if it had a good quality fabric.

I think with a good pad it would serve as bit of insulation. Just a hunch but it may tend to breathe a little bit and help keep the floor dry.

This is my plan if damage occurs to my vinyl floor. Certainly in your case I can not see carpet being damaged by the same conditions which caused your damage.

[Lumatic]

My guess PO did the floor with a residential vinyl. Some residential vinyl can't take the expansion/ contraction of temperatures. I have marmoleum and a floating laminate floor in my 71 with no problems. Maybe it would be helpful if a few other post what they used for flooring. Manufacturers won't be of much help because they all will tell you not recommended for RV application.