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Bowmans · 09-28-2009, 07:04 PM

Question on the molding used with floating flooring... In normal household applications, quarter-round is nailed through to the wall joist. In an AS, where the floor hits aluminum trim or an aluminum wall, how did you all attach the molding? I know that if you attach it to the floor, it is no longer floating floor. Did you use like gorilla glue or some adhesive?

HiHoAgRV · 09-28-2009, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bowmans

Question on the molding used with floating flooring... In normal household applications, quarter-round is nailed through to the wall joist. In an AS, where the floor hits aluminum trim or an aluminum wall, how did you all attach the molding? I know that if you attach it to the floor, it is no longer floating floor. Did you use like gorilla glue or some adhesive?

I nailed it to the floor, right thru the flooring. I figure as much as the whole trailer flexes and moves, worrying about a big chunk of vinyl being 'over constrained' is not that big of a deal in the big scheme of things...

66Overlander · 09-28-2009, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bowmans

Question on the molding used with floating flooring... In normal household applications, quarter-round is nailed through to the wall joist. In an AS, where the floor hits aluminum trim or an aluminum wall, how did you all attach the molding? I know that if you attach it to the floor, it is no longer floating floor. Did you use like gorilla glue or some adhesive?

In my case all molding was nailed to the cabinets (after pre-drilling nail holes, since we used tiny brads and were going into hard oak) with one exception. Without pre-drilling the tiny brads would just bend.

Most of the molding is pre-finished stuff we got from Home Depot (or Lowes?). While is was maybe 3/4" tall, but was only about 1/4" thick. The color match was good for our cabinets, so we used as much as we could to reduce the amount of staining and urethaning we needed to do. In a few places this molding was not large enough to cover the gap between the cabinet and floor and we went with a larger oak molding that we finished to match the rest of the cabinets. All of this was nailed in place.

The one exception was a piece of yet larger oak baseboard that the PO had put in the bathroom by gluing it to the wall. Since we had to remove it to install the flooring and since it ripped the wallpaper when we did so, we felt encouraged to reuse that piece to cover up the wallpaper damage even though we would have otherwise gone with the smaller molding to match the rest of the trailer. We refinished the piece and I then installed it with screws from behind the wall (which was accessible under one of the twin beds).

I guess you could call the threshold piece at the entry door another exception. I made a new threshold and then installed it by screwing it to the floor through over sized holes in the flooring (to let it float). I have seen others that actually installed this piece by screwing it to the door frame rather than the floor.

AudioMike · 03-01-2010, 06:29 PM

The question I have is, "did the people that reported gaps forming in the flooring, as the temperatures dropped, install their Allure as a floating floor? Or did they fix it to the sub-floor at points?" I guess I want to know if the gaps were as the result of installation, product or possibly both.

Airslide · 03-01-2010, 08:42 PM

I installed mine in very hot temps all the way to the walls. When it gets cold the material shrinks causing the gaps. If I installed it cold to the walls Im sure it would buckle..

Thats my experience anyways..

Vin

HiHoAgRV · 03-01-2010, 09:45 PM

having done my second trailer with Traffic Master...I'd probably skip trailer #3.

I can say that the 2nd trailer worked better...I laid the strips crossways so MOST of the runs had no splices. They work great...

It's the end joints that move with temp and the GAPS DON'T CLOSE!

Even with that said...it's 200% better than carpet.

bdavolley · 03-22-2010, 11:59 PM

After several reads on several forums, I decided to finally remove the ugly stained carpet out of my '73 Ambassador and replace it with a wood looking laminate by Allure from Traffic Master. I have read nothing but good things...the ease of install, it's longevity, how great it looks, no breaks, no bends. etc., etc. Here is my question: The carpet I am removing has significant carpet padding underneath it. I have to remove the carpet padding and the carpet to get to the bare floor. I am POSITIVE that the carpet, coupled with the carpet padding, acts as insulation on the floor. Once removed I will have no floor insulation; Should I replace it with something? I will have the subfloor, the laminate, and then MY FEET! I live in the desert southwest where we have varying extremes of temperatures; high 20's to low 30's in the winter and low 100's during the day to mid 30's to mid 40's at nighttime in the summer. For those of you who have done this, are you missing the insulation? Is your Airstream hotter in the summer and colder in the winter after taking the carpet and carpet padding out? Did you replace the carpet padding with anything prior to installing the Allure. I was told to place the Allure right on the subfloor, but am now having second thoughts on that. Any ideas wouldl be helpful.

bolerama · 03-23-2010, 12:45 AM

Hi bdavolley,
We have laminate in our house and it is very cold underfoot. I have to wear thick socks or slippers from September-May. It looks good and is easy to clean and the dogs don't scratch it up, so I love it. We have a spongy underlay between the subfloor and the laminate.

In the summer, it will feel fine underfoot. Use scatter rugs and/or slippers. In our 2008 Airstream, we just have vinyl flooring on top of the subfloor and it can get really cold in the spring and fall. You won't be any worse off with laminate. It will be colder than carpet, but way easier to clean and maintain, so I doubt you'll regret removing the carpet.

malconium · 03-24-2010, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bdavolley

After several reads on several forums, I decided to finally remove the ugly stained carpet out of my '73 Ambassador and replace it with a wood looking laminate by Allure from Traffic Master. I have read nothing but good things...the ease of install, it's longevity, how great it looks, no breaks, no bends. etc., etc. Here is my question: The carpet I am removing has significant carpet padding underneath it. I have to remove the carpet padding and the carpet to get to the bare floor. I am POSITIVE that the carpet, coupled with the carpet padding, acts as insulation on the floor. Once removed I will have no floor insulation; Should I replace it with something? I will have the subfloor, the laminate, and then MY FEET! I live in the desert southwest where we have varying extremes of temperatures; high 20's to low 30's in the winter and low 100's during the day to mid 30's to mid 40's at nighttime in the summer. For those of you who have done this, are you missing the insulation? Is your Airstream hotter in the summer and colder in the winter after taking the carpet and carpet padding out? Did you replace the carpet padding with anything prior to installing the Allure. I was told to place the Allure right on the subfloor, but am now having second thoughts on that. Any ideas wouldl be helpful.

Your carpet and padding is not the only insulation in your floor for a factory original Airstream. Unless you or a previous owner has removed it you will find that there is fiberglass insulation under the sub-floor in the belly pan area. I do not think you need to worry about losing too much insulation taking the carpet out. A hard surface floor will be cooler than carpet but it has lots of advantages otherwise especially relative to keeping it clean. I agree that adding small area rugs is a good solution. Another good solution is to wear slippers when it is cold out.

Malcolm

66Overlander · 03-24-2010, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 66Overlander

We put down Allure last year fully knowing that they did not recommend it for trailers. We figured that if it didn't work well, we could always change it out in a few years.

The Allure was great for the first camping season, but I will confirm that when we visited the trailer during the winter, a lot of seams opened up due to the cold weather and shrinkage. They have mostly closed up now that it is getting warm again, but we did discover a buckling issue as it warmed back up. We had a fairly heavy chair on the floor and while the flooring could "pull" it when it got cold, it couldn't "push" it back when it started getting warm causing the floor to buckle. I removed the chair and put some weight (just a few throw rugs) over the buckled area. I guess when we get ready for the first trip of the year in a couple of weeks we'll remove the rugs and see if the buckle is gone (at least for this season).

Would we put down Allure in a trailer again? Probably not

Will we be living with it as is for a few years? Yes.

We do love the look and with the underlayment we put down it is nice to walk on, even in bare feet.

I will suggest that is you live in an area that does not freeze in the winter, Allure may not experience the same issues we have seen up here in the north, but it will shill shrink and grow a little with any temperature change. Leave a little room around the edges for this unless you are laying it at 100+F temperatures.

Winter #2 Update

Over the past weekend, we went and took a look at the trailer and there was no buckling because the the chair not left on the floor through the winter. Also, there seemed to be less open gaps overall than last winter. Overall much better.

We just have one gap that has opened up significantly and it is is a dooway where the floor is narrowest. I think the gap has more to do with movement of the floor while traveling than thermal expansion and contraction. In retrospect, I think the gap has occurred because I did not finish the floor all the way to the front edge of the trailer and there is nothing to kee it from shifting forward a little when I hit the brakes. That's the theory anyway.

I will also update my opinion about Allure in a trailer. Now after two winters and a season and a half traveling, I think I would consider using Allure again. And I think I would consider the Home Depot red & white underlayment again also. It makes the floor a little softer to walk on, probably provides a little thermal insulation, provides a moisture barrier, and doesn't indent too bad unless you leave something heavy on it for a long time. Oh yeah, and we still love the Allure Red River color - that was the proper selection for us. The only thing I'd think about is installing the planks fore-aft or side-to-side. Not sure if I would change that or not.

And since I am writing, I just realized I never provided many photos of my installation. I looked and cannot find any overall photos, just some closeups from right after the installation, so I'll post a few here:

First is one at the door showing the new threshold I made from a prefinished hardwood floor transition piece from Home Depot. This shot also shows some of the prefinished molding I got from Home Depot to cover the gap at the base of the cabinets. This was used everywhere but in the bedroom and part of the bathroom.

Second shot is in the kitchen showing how I closed out the area under the stove so that the base of the furnace did not show. I used some prefinished aluminum with a stamped hole pattern to allow for air exchange. I think it also came from Home Depot.

Third is a shot from the bathroom showing the intricate cuts that can be made around door frames and rounded shapes.

The last photo is from the bedroom and shows the larger unfinished oak molding I had to use there to cover larger gaps under the cabinets. Lorrie was able to get a great color match when she finished those molding pieces.

Airslide · 03-24-2010, 08:22 PM

Joe,

That looks really nice. I too have the gap near the door more so than any other area. I ran my strips length wise with the trailer and didnt continue under the gaucho as there is carpet in that area. I am going to see what happens over the summer when its really hot. If there is still a small gap I will tighten it up with a bit of pressure on the end and that should minimize the gap when freezing cold outside. Overall im happy too. Very easy to install with professional results from a non professional.

Vin

AluminumGirl · 04-01-2010, 02:33 PM

Thank all of you for the terrific info about Allure, underlay and prep. I will be sealing the plywood today to get ready to lay the floor this weekend. I have found that I am pretty good at the demolition/removal of the original parts to my 76 Ambassador, we'll see how the reinstall/restoration/remodel goes from here.

AluminumGirl · 04-19-2010, 12:09 AM

I am just about finished laying the Allure planks. The project for my 29 footer required me to buy 7 boxes, giving me enough to finish the closet and have a few spare. The outside temperature varied greatly during the project. I recommend working with the planks at least at 70 degrees. Below that, the planks were brittle and much more difficult to work with.

bdavolley · 04-19-2010, 11:46 PM

Wow. Did you demolish everything and put the whole floor down? I still have the goucho, cabinets, beds, closets, toilet, shower, etc. in my 29-footer and I am hoping to get away with 2-3 boxes. After reading your post I may have to get some more! I tore out the carpet a couple of weeks ago, the countertops last week and am doing some painting and sewing of new drapes this week. I will get to the floor soon. I agree that the demolition went much easier than expected. Off topic, I took down the drapes that had a bunch of plastic clasps that fit inside a rail. Does anyone have an idea of where I can get some more? They don't have them at hobby lobby, lowe's, home depot or the other local fabric shops. Any hints would be helpful. Thanks. Dave

Ganglin · 04-20-2010, 03:33 AM

Quote:

I took down the drapes that had a bunch of plastic clasps that fit inside a rail. Does anyone have an idea of where I can get some more?

Tabs, Snaps, Catches, & Curtains : ODMRV , Out-of-Doors Mart

mcair · 04-20-2010, 07:37 AM

Airstream sells the plastic clips.

66Overlander · 04-20-2010, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bdavolley

Wow. Did you demolish everything and put the whole floor down? I still have the goucho, cabinets, beds, closets, toilet, shower, etc. in my 29-footer and I am hoping to get away with 2-3 boxes. After reading your post I may have to get some more! I tore out the carpet a couple of weeks ago, the countertops last week and am doing some painting and sewing of new drapes this week. I will get to the floor soon. I agree that the demolition went much easier than expected. Off topic, I took down the drapes that had a bunch of plastic clasps that fit inside a rail. Does anyone have an idea of where I can get some more? They don't have them at hobby lobby, lowe's, home depot or the other local fabric shops. Any hints would be helpful. Thanks. Dave

I got my '94 28-footer done with 4 boxes, but I only took out the front goucho and fold up tables. I cut the floor around everything else and I did not finish the floor all the way under the goucho. Had I completed the floor under the goucho, I would have used 5 boxes. You need to measure the square footage of floor that you hope to cover and then add a fudge factor (maybe 10 to 25% extra depending upon your confidence) for scrap and botched cuts.

7 boxes for a 29 footer sounds high to me, but if the floor plan is different it might possibly be correct.

Roadrunner · 04-20-2010, 09:11 PM

Well, as a result of this thread, we decided to go with Allure Bamboo Natural Finish. I have been looking for a long time for bamboo laminate for our "78" Ambassador. This stuff looks really good and the price is right. Ordered it from HD. For those that have had their in for several years...are you still happy with the Allure. Any pearls or tips installing. Should I put something underneath it? Thanks. Will post pictures as the work progresses.

Bob
TAC PA-5

AluminumGirl · 04-21-2010, 11:28 AM

My 29 footer has the center bath floor plan and I did take out the bed platform, goucho, refrig and galley cabinet. The boxes of Allure I used have 24 square feet per box. I may have wasted a total of 6 planks cutting around the closet and cabinets left of the frig. I have about half a box left for future repairs....hopefully I won't need them

It was a bit of a bugger but I used the protective sheets between the planks for templates.
It is my first attempt, so it probably took me longer than someone with experience. However, I am VERY happy with the result. I will let you all know how it is holding up, or down, when the temperature heats up soon.
I round some nice, but expensive paint-able rubber quarter round that I will put down after the weather warms up- just in case I have to cut a little more space near the walls to prevent buckling.
Cherise

Aage · 04-21-2010, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AluminumGirl

It is my first attempt, so it probably took me longer than someone with experience. However, I am VERY happy with the result. I will let you all know how it is holding up, or down, when the temperature heats up soon.

Hey, Cherise, sounds great! What colour did you use?

Now, how about some photos....?