Allure TrafficMaster

[utee94]

Steve, is this for the new GT? And since the discussion has been around both the vinyl "planking" and the more traditional laminate floor, I'm wondering which one you're getting?

-Marcus

[magna1111]

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f461/new-armstrong-floor-just-needs-moulding-42373.html

My first task with my new old as...Took out 30 year old carpeting , made some strange cuts, and since the toilet was wedged with some wooden spoons, I took those out and put the flooring under the toilet at the edges. I could not figure out how to take the toilet out.
Now to find some nice moulding.
Someone recommended flextrim, has anyone tried it?

[byamcaravanner]

Originally Posted by utee94

Steve, is this for the new GT? And since the discussion has been around both the vinyl "planking" and the more traditional laminate floor, I'm wondering which one you're getting?

-Marcus

I ordered the Allure vinyl plank in teak... and yes it is for the GT. I need to get it set to go for an August 1st rally per the agreement I made with my wife.

I've made LOTS of progress so far, but still many things to do.

[utee94]

Originally Posted by byamcaravanner

I ordered the Allure vinyl plank in teak... and yes it is for the GT. I need to get it set to go for an August 1st rally per the agreement I made with my wife.

I've made LOTS of progress so far, but still many things to do.

Really, you've made lots of progress? Because from reading your blog, all I can tell is that you've got some questions about curtains. Perhaps I just missed your detailed thread on the restoration somewhere here on the Forums????

(Just kidding of course, but you know how much we all love to follow resto/reno threads-- especially people who don't yet have their own Airstreams to work on!) '

Anyway, back on topic-- I didn't know they had teak, but I've never checked into special ordering. My HD has three in stock-- a light oak, and a couple of darker ones (maybe a hickory and something else?). I was really looking for a really light maple, but the light oak is pretty close to the color I'm hoping for and would probably work just fine.

[byamcaravanner]

Originally Posted by utee94

Really, you've made lots of progress? Because from reading your blog, all I can tell is that you've got some questions about curtains. Perhaps I just missed your detailed thread on the restoration somewhere here on the Forums????

I prefer to spend my time actually purchasing and working on my trailers rather than posting and bloging.

When you actually get your trailer...you'll see what I mean.

To be honest, I created my blog because I knew if I didn't, I would have absolutely no record of my efforts.

As far as the teak... even though it was shown in the HD display, Ginger had a difficult time proving it existed. I sure hope I don't hear differently down the road. I think it will provide some nice contrast to my pickled oak cabinetry.

[peegreen]

Originally Posted by magna1111

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f461/new-armstrong-floor-just-needs-moulding-42373.html

My first task with my new old as...Took out 30 year old carpeting , made some strange cuts, and since the toilet was wedged with some wooden spoons, I took those out and put the flooring under the toilet at the edges. I could not figure out how to take the toilet out.
Now to find some nice moulding.
Someone recommended flextrim, has anyone tried it?

I used the quarter round that matched the laminate floor. Long pieces bend but I would not say very flexible. Will contour easily to not perfectly staight runs.

[whitelight]

Hi - we're also looking at ripping out the carpet on Our Gussy - the installation instructions for the floating vinyl flooring require that the floor, once down, should be rolled with a 100 lb roller! This is to ensure total adhesion of the "glue" strips.

Don't think a 100 lb roller will fit in the 22' trailer - what have others done to "roll out" the new floor??

[utee94]

Originally Posted by whitelight

Hi - we're also looking at ripping out the carpet on Our Gussy - the installation instructions for the floating vinyl flooring require that the floor, once down, should be rolled with a 100 lb roller! This is to ensure total adhesion of the "glue" strips.

Don't think a 100 lb roller will fit in the 22' trailer - what have others done to "roll out" the new floor??

I weigh over 100 lbs. If you pay for my flight to Hawaii, I'll gladly walk on the seams for you.

Steve-- yeah, I know, rub it in some more that I don't have a trailer yet...





-Marcus

[whitelight]

If you pay for my flight to Hawaii

Hey Marcus - thanks for the offer

We really don't physically live in Hawaii - just love the rainbow on the plate & the Aloha spirit!


I think the body thing would work IF the 100 lbs could be "concentrated" over a very small area . . . .

[malconium]

Originally Posted by whitelight

Hey Marcus - thanks for the offer

We really don't physically live in Hawaii - just love the rainbow on the plate & the Aloha spirit!


I think the body thing would work IF the 100 lbs could be "concentrated" over a very small area . . . .

My guess is that you could also accomplish what is needed with a rubber mallet by just pounding along the seams. Or maybe you just need to put on roller skates and roll up and down the seams.

Malcolm

[magna1111]

Mine works fine using that method, not recommending it though.
What material was the quarter round made of? Wood, or plastic?

[66Overlander]

Originally Posted by utee94

I was really looking for a really light maple, but the light oak is pretty close to the color I'm hoping for and would probably work just fine.

Home Depot has a special order version called Golden Maple:
Trafficmaster Allure, Golden Maple Resilient Vinyl Plank Flooring (24 Sq. Ft. Per Case) - 161215 at The Home Depot

And here is a link to Blond Maple:
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...ctId=100609203

Here is a link to all 25 Allure types (which include several other "blondish" ones):
Search Results for allure flooring

[66Overlander]

Picked up our 5 cases of Red River Allure at Home Depot last night (it was almost 4 weeks from the order date until it arrived at the local Home Depot even though they estimated 7-10 days). The stuff looks great, so it was worth the wait. Now we can't wait to see how it will look when installed. I am hoping to install it this weekend.

We even stopped by the storage yard yesterday during a fairly heavy rain to verify that I got all of the necessary seams sealed. We found everything completely dry inside the trailer. Woo hoo! But I still have a few questionable seams to tackle as a precaution as soon as the Vulkem we ordered comes in (now I must wait for that phone call).

We are still considering installing the red and white underlayment, but may not totally decide until the moment of installation. I think I can set the seams good enough just by walking on them (I am well over 100 lbs. and the bottom of my foot concentrates the weight more than a roller would).

But all of this talk about rolling/sealing the seams suggests to me that, if I do use the underlayment, I may want to utilize some sort of hard surface between the Allure and the underlayment when I walk on them to set the adhesive. It seems like I would just need a strip of aluminum or other hard material about a foot wide - I'd just move it every time I add another plank.

[utee94]

Originally Posted by 66Overlander

Home Depot has a special order version called Golden Maple:
Trafficmaster Allure, Golden Maple Resilient Vinyl Plank Flooring (24 Sq. Ft. Per Case) - 161215 at The Home Depot

Here is a link to all 25 Allure types (which include several other "blondish" ones):
Search Results for allure flooring

Muchas gracias, senor. A couple of those look about perfect.

-Marcus

[malconium]

Now that I think about it I bet the perfect seam tool would be the type of roller that is used for formica type laminate. The following Harbor Freight page shows what I mean. It is called a J-Roller.

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

When I thought a bit about a 100 lb vinyl flooring roller I suddenly realized that the 100lbs is pretty well spread out over a fairly large area of the floor. Lets say for sake of discussion that the roller is about 24" wide. That means that only about 1/24th of the 100lbs is applied for each inch of the width of the roller. So 100 divided by 24 works out to only about 4lbs of force per inch of roller width. You could easly apply that much force to a seam using a J-Roller. The roller is hard rubber too so ther is virtually no chance of damaging the flooring. J-Rollers are also readily available at the big box stores too. I think that the one I have I bought at Lowes for a kitchen counter project I was working on a while back.

Malcolm

[66Overlander]

Another delay on Vulkem. It seems they ordered gray/aluminum, and that is what the case was marked, but inside it had black. I am not sure if the tubes were mismarked as gray/aluminum also, but whatever the problem, apparently there is a recall by Trempro of at least the gray/aluminum colored 636 Vulkem. I guess I should have ordered off the internet for a couple of additional dollars per tube.

As for the flooring - tomorrow is the day I start (and hopefully finish) the install . . . and just my luck, they are now predicting low 90's for the next 3 days - not my preferred working temperature, but I don't have the time to wait any longer, so I hope to get started early before it gets too hot.

[66Overlander]

Finally got started on the floor this weekend! Yeah!!!!

Unfortunately, because of the delay in getting the Allure, the project really needed to be finished this weekend. It wasn't. And this despite working until after dark both Saturday and Sunday (must be my measure 10 times cut once philosophy). Now it will continue as an "every evening" project until complete. Oh, we also lost over an hour lost to a storm warning that drove us to the basement and uprooted trees and overeturned an RV a few miles away.

Among other projects, I put new carpet over the protruding humps in the bathroom because they already were covered in carpeting and this looked much easier than boxing them in with panelling. The complexly shaped humps cover pipes that didn't fit under the bath vanity - maybe this is an anomoly with the 28' models, or maybe all split baths have this issue - I am not sure.

I did put down the red & white underlayment from Home Depot throughout the whole trailer. I had less than one foot left over from the 30' long x 40" wide (100 sq. ft) roll when finished. A trailer longer than a 28' would probably require a 2nd roll.

And after much debate, I began putting the Allure in the rear bedroom and worked forward orienting it side-to-side. I got most of the way thru the center bath. The bath was slow going because of a lot of custom cuts, But the good news is that very complex cuts can be made with Allure if you are willing to take your time. It should go faster now because I now know what I am doing and because most of the cuts now will be straight.

I did get the toilet closet flange reinstalled and just oversized the screw holes a bit, but I did need to buy longer screws. When it came out, the flange was set with Vulkem - I just used the teflon thread past when I reinstaled it.

One other observation is that pulling the protruding carpet fibers and tucking the flooring under the cabinets did not produce a finished appearance. The gap is just too large vertically in most places and I can see the underlayment in a couple of places if I look at the right angle. I will eventually have to put down some quarter round or other molding to cover the gap, but that won't be until later in the summer for sure.

I have been taking photo's, and will eventually post them, but it is not a priority at the moment. Sorry. I willl keep everyone posted on progress but may not post pictures until the project is done.

[malconium]

For molding around the edges I suggest checking out some plastic molding that I have used for several things. I found it at Home Depot. It is about 3/8" x 1/2" with a double curve that is a little fancier than just quarter round. It is white but I found that it takes paint nicely. I spray painted some black that I used around the new formica counter tops that I put in my kitchen - the house not the Airstream. The good thing is that it is very flexible. Another good thing about it is that it is pretty reasonably priced at less than $3 per 8 foot piece. It is available in a couple of other shapes too by the way.

Malcolm

[66Overlander]

Yeah, we have looked at the vinyl covered plastic molding at Home depot - some of it is even embossed with a wood texture and looks pretty real. My concern is that there may be places that the cut ends will show and they are just an off white that I am not sure can be stained to match. We'll eventually have to make a decision, but right now I just have to get the trailer ready to go camping in less than two weeks - the molding is not required for that purpose, but I do need to get the goucho and tables back in, and I don't want to do that unless the Allure is completely installed.

Today, because I had an appointment after work, all I could do was reinstall the toilet and tow the trailer back to the storage yard to avoid the wrath of the Homeowners Association. Work will have to continue in the storage yard.

Oh and I can't help but say that the Red River Allure looks fantastic so far - I can't wait to see it in the larger area near the door and goucho.

[Mexray]

Well, I took the plunge and picked up some Prego 'Indian Tigerwood' laminated flooring from Loew's tonight...I'll start ripping out the old carpet tomorrow...

Indian Tigerwood Laminate Flooring

This style flooring has foam type underlayment already applied to the bottom...should provide some additional insulation.

Our Ambassador is a rear bath with twin beds, so I think I'll tackle the 'lengthwise' pattern. I'm not going to remove the fwd gaucho, as it's not carpeted underneath.

The actual laying of the flooring looks easy enough, but there are enough nooks and crannies to deal with... wish me luck! If your ears are ringing in a couple of days, you'll know it just me making the air blue as I'm working on this jigsaw puzzle!