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Old 05-01-2015, 09:35 AM   #1
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Patch the flooring or replace it all?

We're going to have to have the front floor replaced and the vinyl flooring above it is in bad shape, lots of mold stain underneath. I think it's leaking at the window and we're taking it to Jackson Center to have all the work done. I've removed the L-couch and cabinet so there's nothing forward of the door.

The floor from the doorway back is OK, I've peeled the vinyl back to the doorway and I can see good clean wood aft of that front plywood.

So here's my dilemma. The wife wants to replace it all, front to back. That means AS will have to remove everything (won't they?) and lay down the new floor. For now, I want to put in something else in the front (laminate e.g.) with a short strip where old meets the new. Between the sink and fridge it's fairly narrow. I want it to look nice but there will be a definite change between the two areas.

My thinking is, I want to be sure the leak is stopped before taking out everything and laying down a new floor. Also, if I wait, I can probably remove most of the other furniture myself and have someone else lay the flooring.

Thoughts? Advice?
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Old 05-01-2015, 11:08 AM   #2
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if it is just sheet vinyl on the floor, I don't see why they would need to remove everything to change it out, just cut along the perimeter. When they put the flooring in during construction, they lay it down all over and build on top because its much easier to do it that way. But I see no reason why you cant leave it underneath the cabinets and just put down something new on top. Lots of folks replace with plank flooring, its a fairly easy DIY job for most people.

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Old 05-01-2015, 11:32 AM   #3
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I left carpet under cabinets and razor cut and trimmed so none show. Installed laminate flooring 2 years ago and it is great!
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Old 05-01-2015, 11:35 AM   #4
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Find the leak first. Then you have lots of flooring options. You can cut around most stuff without a problem. Most folks can DYI it, with laminate, vinyl planks, or cork. I did the Allure vinyl planks in our AS.
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Old 05-01-2015, 12:58 PM   #5
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If you are talking about replacing all of the plywood.... That is a lot of work, a shell off...

I wonder what JC would charge for this?

Probably the sheet of ply in the back is shot too.

If it was mine, I would not worry about replacing wood that is still good unless the rot was more than about 25% of the entire floor.

Patching can be done well shell on.


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Old 05-01-2015, 01:19 PM   #6
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If you are talking about replacing all of the plywood.... That is a lot of work, a shell off...
Just the front portion is bad, one spot would probably go through to the belly pan if I pushed. We felt that soft spot this January when we were in Florida. As far as I know, the rest is OK, certainly the floor in the galley is in good shape. Back by the left rear corner is iffy. I'm going to see what AS will charge for it all.
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Old 05-01-2015, 01:32 PM   #7
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Thanks, everyone, I appreciate the quick responses. On such a pretty day too. You should be outside playing

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Originally Posted by aquinob View Post
if it is just sheet vinyl on the floor, I don't see why they would need to remove everything to change it out, just cut along the perimeter. When they put the flooring in during construction, they lay it down all over and build on top because its much easier to do it that way. But I see no reason why you cant leave it underneath the cabinets and just put down something new on top. Lots of folks replace with plank flooring, its a fairly easy DIY job for most people.
Hmm, well, that's good to know, I thought it all had to come out. What I've taken up so far isn't glued down, just lays on top, stapled at the edges. Is that normal?

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And if you haven't heard, "If Mama aint happy, nobody's happy"
Yeah, that's the mantra around here. I get reminded quite often

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I left carpet under cabinets and razor cut and trimmed so none show. Installed laminate flooring 2 years ago and it is great!
I'm thinking laminate but then, that's me, not momma. I'm really glad to see several replies about just cutting at the edges and laying down new.

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Find the leak first. Then you have lots of flooring options. You can cut around most stuff without a problem. Most folks can DYI it, with laminate, vinyl planks, or cork. I did the Allure vinyl planks in our AS.
Yes, fix the leak, that's why I want to wait a while before putting anything new down. The Allure looks interesting, I see it at Lowes and Home Depot. Is that interlocking or does it glue down?
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Old 05-01-2015, 04:09 PM   #8
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The allure glues together with sticky sides, and is a floating floor. the only down side I found so far is the seams will collect dirt as they expand and contract. Not a big deal with a darker floor, but could be very noticeable with a light colored floor.

As noted above, sections of the sub flooring can be replaced. The labor can range greatly depending on what needs to be done.
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Old 05-01-2015, 05:27 PM   #9
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Thanks, Silver. I may opt to try this myself. If I can convince the wife to allow me to just roll back the existing flooring and wait for a while to make sure the leaks are solved. Then I can remove the old flooring, maybe paint the floor black or put down black layer of something. Then, assuming I get the green light from you know who, I'll put in the Allure. A project for this fall.
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Old 05-01-2015, 05:33 PM   #10
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Replace the plywood if it is bad and saturate with epoxy before install.
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Old 05-02-2015, 11:17 AM   #11
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P$S Trailer Service in Helena OHIO do a lot of this kind of work on Airstreams. I have seen some of their work on flooring after complete interior removal and they only change the rotted sections. For the vinyl flooring just cut around the cabinetry. I have seen lots of carpet and vinyl replacements by the pros and they only trim back to the cabinets. The advantage of vinyl under or inside the cabinets is that is it waterproof from the top side and protection against water getting onto the subfloor from a leak above the flooring.

Be thoughtful about what you use for new flooring. At one of our seminars we were warned to use the best quality laminate if we were going that route, since cheaper laminate is not moisture/wet proof and swells if it gets soaked by a spill.

I purchased bamboo flooring for out old trailer and then decided against it because of the extra weight...that is another consideration

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Old 05-02-2015, 06:40 PM   #12
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We replaced the vinyl flooring in our Classic as we were already having issues with the factory installation. We installed a product called Marmoleum by Farbo and it was under the dinette and sofa since they were out for other work and cut in on the rest of the trailer. We put ¼ round hickory trim on the edges to hide the joints. This is a plus down product.

While this was expensive, it is at least twice as thick as the factory stuff and the color is thru the entire thickness, so no white spot if a small gouge happens.

Just something else to consider.

The factory only installs what is on their rolls in the shop. We did get a different pattern initially (after I caught the wrong one already installed on the line and they had to remove parts of the cabinets already in the put down the correct ordered and approved flooring). Watch like a hawk while the work happens. It is good to be there to answer questions when they come up.
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Old 05-03-2015, 03:34 AM   #13
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I have had a fair amount of work done at Jackson Center, I would take their advise on what to do. I think they know their stuff.
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Old 05-03-2015, 07:46 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Silverflames View Post
The allure glues together with sticky sides, and is a floating floor. the only down side I found so far is the seams will collect dirt as they expand and contract. Not a big deal with a darker floor, but could be very noticeable with a light colored floor.
Allure also comes in an interlocking version. Personally, I think that's a better option. I installed this a couple of years ago & we are quite happy with it. MUCH better than the factory flooring.

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Old 05-03-2015, 11:36 AM   #15
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P$S Trailer Service in Helena OHIO do a lot of this kind of work on Airstreams. I have seen some of their work on flooring after complete interior removal and they only change the rotted sections. For the vinyl flooring just cut around the cabinetry.

Be thoughtful about what you use for new flooring. At one of our seminars we were warned to use the best quality laminate...
JCW

As best as I can tell, the wood goes under the shell, so there's no way of replacing the entire piece. I think they will cut at the edges and replace the bad area. I agree on the flooring, always go with the best. I understand the Allure is a floating floor, but the vinyl that's down now doesn't have glue on it. It's tacked at the edges. That's why I thought everything had to be removed to put down new. If they cut the old vinyl at the edges, what holds down the new vinyl? 1/4" round trim?

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.... We installed a product called Marmoleum by Farbo and it was under the dinette and sofa since they were out for other work and cut in on the rest of the trailer. We put ¼ round hickory trim on the edges to hide the joints. This is a plus down product.

The factory only installs what is on their rolls in the shop. We did get a different pattern initially (after I caught the wrong one already installed on the line and they had to remove parts of the cabinets already in the put down the correct ordered and approved flooring).
Sorry, what is a "plus down product"?
Did you take your choice of Marmoleum to the factory and they installed it or did you? Everything is out of the front of ours, so they/I can lay down tile wall to wall there, and staple. I'm just not sure how to secure it in the aisle way and toward the back. Silverflame said the Allure is glued on the sides but floats on the floor. I'm guessing 1/4" rounds on the new stuff.

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I have had a fair amount of work done at Jackson Center, I would take their advise on what to do. I think they know their stuff.
The wife and I agree on that. We have a couple of big RV places here in town but I think we're going with AS on the first attempt. I'm fairly handy but I've not attempted this type of work before. There are a lot of rusted screws, really rotted wood in the center (edges seem to be OK) and I'm not sure how to secure it. I think they pressurize the AS and use soapy water on the outside to find the leaks. Anything I would do (or POs apparently) would be a guess on where the leaks are.

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Allure also comes in an interlocking version. Personally, I think that's a better option. I installed this a couple of years ago & we are quite happy with it. MUCH better than the factory flooring.
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I saw the interlocking Allure as well. Another good option.

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Old 05-03-2015, 11:02 PM   #16
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Patch the flooring or replace it all?

It is very important to replace the wood under the edge of the shell. It will likely be the most rotten there, and it holds the wall in proper position.

It is easy enough to get the old wood out of there, and the new wood can be split down the center and slid under the shell once the hold down bolts are removed.


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Old 05-04-2015, 06:59 AM   #17
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Re what holds the new floor down? I have seen 1/4 round over staples and I have seen glue down around the edges. A matter of choice? Any sort of trim will cover the staples. 1/4 round is a bit clumsy for my liking.
Re getting the plywood under the perimeter frame; for sure. If you are having problems with plywood joints and can't fit tongue and groove, you can lap a piece under the joint by screwing through the sub floor into the lap. P$S trailer service also made a big point to us on our '89 that we needed to keep the exterior joint (at the perimeter frame) at the rear of the trailer well oiled to keep water out and prevent rot to the sub floor. On that trailer there was a steel ledge under the trim that was part of the Bumper storage and it collected water. I just poured lube oil along the joint and wiped up the excess. I don't trust silicone, and you cant be sure you have all the points of ingress covered
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Old 05-04-2015, 07:17 AM   #18
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I think Jackson Center will remove most of the interior. There were a couple of trailers there with interiors removed when we were there in September. They would have installed a new floor and pocket doors for me if I could have left the trailer. I'm thinking they remove the furniture to make the roll vinyl as it was from the factory. In the factory, the put down the roll vinyl before they put the shell on or put any furniture or cabinets in.
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Old 05-04-2015, 08:31 AM   #19
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Lots of good advice, thanks everyone.

I'm glad to hear they can put new wood under the edges. I'd like to have AS just replace the entire piece with new wood, pressurize the shell, then find and seal the leaks.
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Old 05-04-2015, 08:22 PM   #20
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The Marmoleum is a glue down floor. Auto correct on iPhone is still a challenge for me
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