Best new flooring???

[Alumaholic]

Originally Posted by wahoonc

I am using wood grain floating vinyl, and Berber carpet. More vinyl than carpet.

As far as the stains, take an ice pick and poke around along the edges of the wall and see if there are any soft spots hidden underneath it. Sometimes you get water stains from condensation, old leaks that were fixed or someone dropped a beer or two.

As far as interior decor, do what you want. On my 1975 I am going back with pretty much an original interior with some minor upgrades. On my 1981 it is going to be full blown custom.
Aaron

Vinyl floor covering (free-floating or adhered) really is a nice choice. In the restoral where I've used it, I been very pleased. I had a chance to visit our first Airstream at Balloon Fiesta last week, and the vinyl floor still looks great after more than 12 years of use.
Our second Airstream, a 2000 Safari, came with carpet, which was very difficult to keep clean.
The indoor-outdoor carpet I installed in our third Airstream (the '76 Sovereign) began to look like Cr#@ within months. I couldn't do vinyl because the sub-floor was so rough, and I didn't want to install underlayment, which would have been the correct choice.
Our current AIrstream, a 2007, came from the factory with wood-grain vinyl that we really, really like. Unfortunately, there is still carpet in the very front around the sofa, and in the rear around the queen bed.

[Momoffive]

I really wanted the look of wood but not the expansive and absorptive qualities. I found an interlocking vinyl floor at home depot. It's called traffic master allure ultra. It's indoor outdoor and waterproof. Its easy to lay. I hope to have the back sub-floor installed in the next two weeks so I can lay it. It snaps together. It lacks the expansion of real woods, it's weight is comparable to the other flooring types already mentioned. It's under $3 a square foot. Hope others will chime in if they've tried this floor. Make sure to look specifically for the ultra, snap together style. I would not use the adhesive edged style. Happy flooring!

[Alumaholic]

That's the product I'm thinking of using in our 2007 when we rip out the factory installed carpet around the front sofa.
Sadly, we will be forced to remove the wood-grained vinyl too because of the way carpet and vinyl were installed.

[TouringDan]

Originally Posted by Luc

Hello everyone. I have a question about the floating floors everyone is talking about.
My Airstream is a 99 and has the original carpet. New flooring is in my future. It seems that the trailer was built, carpet laid and then the interior installed. Carpet is under everything.
If I want to do it right I am going to have to remove all the interior, install new flooring and putting it all back together.
How much floating will the new floor actually do when it is bound by all the furniture and cabinets?

Luc

If you want to install a floating floor, I would not remove the cabinet. My recommendation would be to remove the carpeting up to the cabinet. I left a 1/8" gap between the cork flooring and the cabinets to allow the flooring to expand and contract.

good luck, Dan

[TouringDan]

Originally Posted by egad

After a summer living with carpet, I have decided on glue down cork, primarily from having installed it successfully in building projects. My thinking is I won't be gluing it directly to the sub floor, rather I'll staple 1/4 inch plywood underlayment first. The ply will also be the good stuff ($20/sheet!) because it has no voids in the core. I'll fill the seams and any other surface defects with a latex floor leveling compound because any imperfection will "telegraph" through the cork. Has anyone done it this way? I would go the floating route except for bad experiences getting it to lock together in tight spaces where a "persuader" can't be used.

Egad!

Installing a floating floor in a trailer is not easy, but I would do it again rather than gluing the floor down. It has the following advantages IMHO:

1. Can seal plywood to protect it from moisture in case any moisture gets under the floating floor.

2. Can replace any flooring that gets damaged.

3. Easy to remove in the event you want to replace it completely. After removing the base shoe trim, the flooring could be removed in just a few minutes.

Installing underlayment will add unnecessary weight and raise the floor another 1/4". I would not do this.

I found a tool at Lowes that allowed me to lock the edge pieces in place. It would not have been possible to lock these pieces in place without this tool. Believe me I tried. I will post a photo if you like.

Dan

[TouringDan]

Originally Posted by rodsterinfl

Also, question for you corkers, is it possible to cork over the laminate? Would you?

I would not install the cork over laminate, although I believe that it is possible. Why leave the laminate that adds unnecessary weight and raises the level of the cork by the thickness of the laminate. I suspect this would be a problem at the door when it came time to install trim.

Dan

[Luc]

Dan,
To do it right I am convinced all the interior has to be removed.
There are too many gaps and voids in between each piece.
Are you saying that a floating floor cannot be installed under the cabinets?
Thanks
Luc

[badkat]

What did you remove to put the floor in? Cabinets, sofa? Looks great.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by egad

After a summer living with carpet, I have decided on glue down cork, primarily from having installed it successfully in building projects. My thinking is I won't be gluing it directly to the sub floor, rather I'll staple 1/4 inch plywood underlayment first. The ply will also be the good stuff ($20/sheet!) because it has no voids in the core. I'll fill the seams and any other surface defects with a latex floor leveling compound because any imperfection will "telegraph" through the cork. Has anyone done it this way? I would go the floating route except for bad experiences getting it to lock together in tight spaces where a "persuader" can't be used.

Egad!

This is the way we did the last TT. Did the prep, hired a pro to put in cork tile. I wouldn't use a floating floor in a TT. Pics in sig.

By contrast, my parents had new carpet put in every couple of years. Had it cleaned professionally while on road 6-9 mos of each year. That worked for retirement during the 27-years of ownership.

.

[TouringDan]

Originally Posted by Luc

Dan,
To do it right I am convinced all the interior has to be removed.
There are too many gaps and voids in between each piece.
Are you saying that a floating floor cannot be installed under the cabinets?
Thanks
Luc

Luc, Badkat

I removed nothing to install the floor. The cabinets and sofa stayed in place. You can see this if you look at all the photos that are referenced in the link about 10 posts back. I did cut under some of the short wall sections. It would have been a real pain to go around these.

The idea of a floating floor is that it is allowed to expand and contract. I believe that if you remove the cabinets and install the floating floor under the cabinets that the weight of the cabinets will not allow the floor to move. If you remove the cabinets, then I would glue down the floor.

Remember Luc. New solutions have new problems. I would leave the cabinets in place and just leave an 1/8" gap between the cabinets or walls and the floating floor. Hope that this helps.

Dan

[egad]

Originally Posted by TouringDan

Installing a floating floor in a trailer is not easy, but I would do it again rather than gluing the floor down. It has the following advantages IMHO:

1. Can seal plywood to protect it from moisture in case any moisture gets under the floating floor.

2. Can replace any flooring that gets damaged.

3. Easy to remove in the event you want to replace it completely. After removing the base shoe trim, the flooring could be removed in just a few minutes.

Installing underlayment will add unnecessary weight and raise the floor another 1/4". I would not do this.

I found a tool at Lowes that allowed me to lock the edge pieces in place. It would not have been possible to lock these pieces in place without this tool. Believe me I tried. I will post a photo if you like.

Dan

You've got me rethinking this a bit, Dan. And yes, if you would, please post a pic of the tool. The combined height of the glue down cork and underlayment is about the same as floating cork with its substrate and I would guess the weight would be about the same. That said, I do like the idea of its ability to expand and contract freely and though I doubt I would ever replace it, the next owner might want to.

egad!

[TouringDan]

egad

Glad you are rethinking your floor plans. I am out of town now, but will post a photo of the tool when I get home Monday or Tuesday.

Dan

[Wazbro]

II would still suggest you get as much of the carpet out from under the cabinets as you can, no need to leave a sponge on the sub floor to help it rot faster.

[Momoffive]

I've ripped out 98% of the carpet in our 34' Excella. The refrigerator cabinet is easier than expected to get out carpet with the cabinet in place. I used a utility knife and brute force to ply it out from under the cabinet. Just need to get the carpet out of closet and from under sink. It's really strange that it's light beige under things and dyed blue in visible areas. Dyed it in place I guess.

Removed the dinette, couch, and rear twin beds for flooring access and repairs. Reupholstered the dinette. Replaced front and rear fantastic fans, pipe vent covers, and have a new bath fan sitting next to me as I type. Removed refrigerator vent shield, re-caulked vent, and reinstalled shield. I'm on to resealing and re-screening all the windows next. Hoping to drastically reduce the amount of water entering the trailer Before I put the new floor in! I also used a pop rivet gun for the first time. FUN! There have been a few rivets here and there that have gone missing over the years. PO threw a little electrical tape over a couple of them.

Trailer already smells soooo much better. Can't wait to get the new wood sub-floor in. I'm planning to seal it up with rot doctor in the "danger zones" and a sealant to reduce water absorption everywhere else.

The other cool thing about that traffic master allure ultra is that it has minimal expansion and contraction. I think it calls for 1/8"space between walls etc. No underlayment needed. I'll trim the floor out with a piece of shoe molding or quarter round matching the cabinets or flooring. Contact cement to adhere it to the walls or cabinets. Trim nails where appropriate. Will not attach to floor to allow the floating to occur. I'm going with a light cherry floor and changing my cabinetry to espresso. It will be look like a new trailer when I'm done. Someday.

[ddruker]

I recently completed this same project on my 1999 Safari. Lots of pictures of installing the floors are in the 1999 Safari Forum in this thread - http://www.airforums.com/forums/f196...one-94405.html

I had the ugly blue shag carpet. I also installed tile in the bathroom.

You do not need to remove the existing cabinetry to "do it right" - this would turn a relatively easy two day project into a huge project. You also do not need to install underlayment with a floating floor - that would just add extra weight.

Just use a razor knife and single edge razor blades to cut the carpet back flush to the cabinets. I used a needle nose pliers to reach under the cabinets and clean up the edges when there was a bit of foam or carpet fibers protruding, either by pulling the fibers out or pushing the cut edge of carpet and padding back to the other side of the cabinet. This way your storage compartments remain carpeted.

I installed floating click-lock hardwood flooring running across the trailer, which requires more cutting on the table saw, but allows for a much closer to flush fit where the edges of the flooring runs into the cabinets, if you are looking for the professional look.

To finish up the cut edges, I used 1/8" think by 1" tall aluminum bar from Lowes as moulding. This both hides the edges and provides a nice, professional look. It's also important since you need to leave a small gap in between the floor and the cabinets to allow for expansion of the flooring in the places where you cannot run the edges of the flooring underneath the cabinets on at least one side.

Home depot and lowes also sell click lock installation kits with the tools you need to make the joints lock together even in tight spaces - about $20 for the kits. This is a requirement for installing click lock - there are lots of places you need to be able to hammer the boards in place instead of snapping them together and the kits has the tools for this.

All in all this was a relatively easy and satisfying project.

I purchased the click lock wood flooring from Costco. It was on sale for less than $1 a square foot for a while this summer. I am not happy with how it is wearing - it's getting scratched too easily from people tracking in small rocks. I'm used to Costco having premium products for great prices - but in this case you get what you pay for.

Here's an example - more pics are in the thread above.

[ddruker]

Also - these tools will come in handy for a project like this. Oscillating tool for a couple of places in the trailer that are easier to notch the bottom of the front of a cabinet than cut the flooring, and the aforementioned pulling and tapping tools for seating click clock floors.

Amazon.com: Porter-Cable PC250MTK 2.5 Amp Oscillating Multi-Tool Kit with 36 Accessories: Home Improvement



Amazon.com: QEP 10-26 Laminate Flooring Installation Kit with Tapping Block, Pull Bar and 30 Wedge Spacers: Home Improvement

[Wazbro]

I was told that bamboo is the hardest and best wear resistant laminate wood floor material they stock at Home Depot.

[Roadrunner]

Girlscan you're likely to get lots of ideas from members of this forum. I've seen some pretty nice flooring jobs...like the ones that have posted to this thread. One thing you will want to keep in mind is the added weight. When we lifted the carpet in our "78" Ambassador, we found areas of water stained flooring...none bad enough to replace. Make sure your seams are sealed well and correct any leaks. We put several coats of Rustoleum floor paint down and laid Alure vinyl bamboo flooring. It has been down 2 years and has held up well. Like others we had considered cork before deciding on bamboo...but it fits the decor of "Island Girl". So many options...so much to choose!

Bob
PA-TAC 5
WBCCI 4871

[girlscan2]

Gotta say it looks great Dan! My floor looks about like yours Dan, in that area. Should I be sealing it? I've noticed all the flooring options and am leaning towards the square of carpet. I'll check their instructions, but does padding go under it? Just curious as to how it would feel like carpet without it. LOVE the bamboo look but I don't think that is something I can tackle on my own right now. I think it was Touring Dan who said something about putting down carpet and living with it; possibly wanting to change it in a couple of years once I can see other options. I like that idea for my own situation. I just officially retired and will kick it into high gear now (although I'm not sure I have any more time now than I did when I was working full time

Gotta say that I LOVE this site; the ideas and pics to go with them!!!

[drboyd]

By the way, Harbor Freight also has one of those vibrating multi-tools. Just make sure you get the variable speed one, not the single speed. I guess there's a pretty big quality difference, plus you get a case with the variable speed tool. It goes on sale for $39.99 or less pretty regularly.