Carpet Removal for Pergo

[Cstar]

Well, another fine mess I've gotten myself into! Ripped out most of the carpet this evening, now working on the area around the cabinets and dinette. To clean up the edges.

A few observations. The 22' International has a large number of curves to deal with along with several changes in material acting as base board. There are too many overhangs to allow easy removal of anything. Let alone three year old carpet that has found a cumfy place to lay. And foremost, If everyone with carpet looked underneath the carpet and pad, I believe everyone would replace it. Even if it is as big a pain as it appears it will be!

Oh yeah, those curves mean a much more difficult time getting quarter round to traverse the arc in those 90 degree bends around the fridge etc. I found some rubbery type quater round at a local shop that specializes in "bent wood" products. Expensive, yes, but it appears it will match the pergo trim we selected to go along with the maple look laminate.

Corky

[JohnG]

I don't know the name of the material, but on "This Old House" I saw them using a plastic looking material that they said came in the same sizes as wood for the exterior of houses on the eve facing. It was very flexable. You might try looking over some sites like his to find a less costly material.

[Navigator]

Put the trim in a metal pipe.
Add steam from a wallpaper steamer.
When wood is hot and wet, it will bend.
This is standard practice in architectural woodworking.
Dick

[hiyosilver]

Originally Posted by Cstar

Oh yeah, those curves mean a much more difficult time getting quarter round to traverse the arc in those 90 degree bends around the fridge etc. I found some rubbery type quater round at a local shop that specializes in "bent wood" products. Expensive, yes, but it appears it will match the pergo trim we selected to go along with the maple look laminate.
Corky

Corky,
When we put Pergo flooring in our trailer, well not really Pergo a different brand but the same type product, we discovered they also offer a kind of floor caulk that comes in colors that match the flooring & while not entirely invisible certainly less obnoxious than looking at gaps. You've probably seen it, but if you haven't it sure is a nice way to deal with any nasty gaps that might raise their ugly heads when one is trying to traverse corners. I know the whole point if for that NOT to happen but should it ....
Janet

[hiyosilver]

Originally Posted by hiyosilver

Corky,
When we put Pergo flooring in our trailer, well not really Pergo a different brand but the same type product, we discovered they also offer a kind of floor caulk that comes in colors that match the flooring & while not entirely invisible certainly less obnoxious than looking at gaps. You've probably seen it, but if you haven't it sure is a nice way to deal with any nasty gaps that might raise their ugly heads when one is trying to traverse corners. I know the whole point if for that NOT to happen but should it ....
Janet

Ok, in re-reading that it sounds like we just blobbed a bunch of caulk type stuff up & smoothed it over with a putty knife or something...what I meant was once you find a suitable trim the caulk is then an option for a final step to blend everything. We ended up using a rubbery kind of trim we found in the flooring section of Lowes that matched our laminate as well & in places just used a solid wood trim cut to fit with any gaps filled in with the caulk stuff.
OK, I'm done now, I think.....

[Pahaska]

When I installed cork tiles in my International AS, I trimmed it with a flexible, self-stick black vinyl trim that I purchased from Mcmaster-Carr. The trim looked great and was really easy to install. Just pull off the strip over the adhesive and press it in place. It bonds like iron. On the McMaster-Carr website, they describe the material as "bowling ball hard", but it bent quite easily during installation. It blended perfectly with the AS interior. If I remember right, I bought 25' of it and it came to me coiled up in about an 24" diameter coil.

You will find photos of it in my thread about installing a cork floor in the AS. Try searching on "cork floor".

If anyone seriously wasnts the McMaster-Carr web site reference for this material, PM me and I will find it for you.

[JohnG]

Originally Posted by Navigator

Put the trim in a metal pipe.
Add steam from a wallpaper steamer.
When wood is hot and wet, it will bend.
This is standard practice in architectural woodworking.
Dick

How long do you have to steam it and shold the ends be part-way closed to maintain the steam? Sonds like a good idea if that woks.

[Kistler]

I am thinking of going to Home Depot and getting their installer to replace the carpeting....I don't believe I have any curves...one angled corner is all.

The problem, as I see it for me/my situation, is that the whole thing was carpeted and then they installed all the cabients, etc.

Should the carpeting be cut at the bottoms of the cabinets, beds, refrigerator, etc.? If not cut close enough, I will see bits of carpeting....if cut too far it, the cabinets, etc. will drop....

What do you suggest?

[JohnG]

I have the same problem in the one I just bought. I plan on ripping the old carpet out (Completly) I will have to remove cabinets to do this, but what the heck....

Afterward I am going to replace with a high grade linolium about 1/4 inch thick. It cost more than a corpet would but it last forever.

I love the look of carpet, but a linolium floor in a camper is much easier to keep clean, never picks up a smell, and a small throw rug here and there looks nice too.

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by Kistler

I am thinking of going to Home Depot and getting their installer to replace the carpeting....I don't believe I have any curves...one angled corner is all.

The problem, as I see it for me/my situation, is that the whole thing was carpeted and then they installed all the cabients, etc.

Should the carpeting be cut at the bottoms of the cabinets, beds, refrigerator, etc.? If not cut close enough, I will see bits of carpeting....if cut too far it, the cabinets, etc. will drop....

What do you suggest?

Based on removing the carpet and putting a cork floor in my 22' AS, I would advise the following.

Buy a carpet layer's knife and a couple of packsges of blades (they get dull fast). The blades will have a rounded tip so that they don't cut into the plywood. Each blade is flippable and reversible so that you get 4 cutting edges per blade.

Cut as close to the walls and kick panels as you can get. Hold the knife at a 45 degree angle so that you cut under as far as possible. The little bit of carpet fluff that is left will just push back under when you fit the flooring up to the walls. Quarter-round trim or, as I suggested above, self-stick vinyl trim will finish the job.

[Kistler]

But if I cut in under the cabinets, etc., won't that put more stess on the screws holding all that stuff to the walls?

The reason I worry about that is we already have separation behind the sink and stove of the corian from the wall....... what you think about shoving a shim in to hold the cabinets up?

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by Kistler

But if I cut in under the cabinets, etc., won't that put more stess on the screws holding all that stuff to the walls?

The reason I worry about that is we already have separation behind the sink and stove of the corian from the wall....... what you think about shoving a shim in to hold the cabinets up?

No problem there. The cabinets, sitting on compressed carpet and pad are only about 1/4" or 3/8" at the most off of the plywood floor. By holding the knife at 45 degrees, you aren't cutting more than about 3/16" under the cabinets; this isn't enough to make a bit of difference in the support of the cabinets or walls.

The reason I said to hold the knife at an angle is that the bottom of the wall or cabinet acts as a guide and if you slide the blade along that surface, the carpet will be cut nice and straight and very close to the wall. Flip, reverse, or change blades often to keep a very sharp edge.

If you are real worried, you could buy a pack of the mini-shims at HD and drive them in under carpet and pad until they are flush with the wall front. That would be just about the right amount of support and might help your existing problem. In my experience, however, you won't need to support the cabinets in any way because you are simply not removing enough support to matter.

[Kistler]

John, I wish you lived closer "we" might be able to do this little job. By the way, you live in Texas Hill Country don't you? We were in Boerne last April; it was beautiful. Actually the geography improved west of there (Boerne) about 60 miles.

Kistler

[j54mark]

In regard to the question of how long to steam wood, it depends entirely upon the wood (hardwoods take longer than soft), the size of the piece to bend, and the amount of steam applied. You just have to take it out and see if it is bendy yet.

Mark

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by Kistler

John, I wish you lived closer "we" might be able to do this little job. By the way, you live in Texas Hill Country don't you? We were in Boerne last April; it was beautiful. Actually the geography improved west of there (Boerne) about 60 miles.

Kistler

I live in the Hill Country near Austin. Pretty close to the edge of the Hill Country, though, about 6 miles from Austin City Limits.

West of Boerne is Bandera, the Cowboy Capital of Texas. and west of Bandera is my favorite Texas State Park, Lost Maples. 60 miles would put you pretty close to Lost Maples and Garner State Parks. That's my favorite part of Texas, also.

Back to the thread, I have already ordered 2 packages of bamboo flooring and bought the adhesive and some other items to do my 2003 Classic. Look for photos.

[74Argosy24MH]

Originally Posted by Pahaska

Back to the thread, I have already ordered 2 packages of bamboo flooring and bought the adhesive and some other items to do my 2003 Classic. Look for photos.

Definitely. I really liked your cork, will be interested in how you like the bamboo, differences in installing, etc. I know you didn't have the cork long, how was it holding up?

John

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by 74Argosy24MH

Definitely. I really liked your cork, will be interested in how you like the bamboo, differences in installing, etc. I know you didn't have the cork long, how was it holding up?

John

It seemed to be holding up great. I wet "Swiffered" it after each trip and it really shined. Real easy to clean up the trailer after a trip. I even dropped a can of sardines in oil on the floor when the can slipped while I was opening it. A little dish soap and water and there was no trac of the oil.

Interesting note: the Mayo Clinic installed cork floors about 50 years ago that are still serviceable. The stuff is really tough. About the only way you can harm it is to drop something sharp on it.

[Cstar]

Here we are, the end of day two in the Pergo project. All the carpet is out and trimmed neatly under the cabinets. The Pergo is just about the same thickness as the compressed carpet and pad. So far I have found it easy to get under the edge of the cabinets etc. to allow a clean look to the installation. If things keep going as they did today I might not even need the moldings!

Starting in the doorway, we are about four boards out (thats four Pergo board or about eight boards in appearance). I figure we are about a quarter of the way through the installation and hope to finish up tomorrow.

One fly in the ointment. We found wet carpet under the sink. (Wet under the plastic,) We cut out the area and are allowing it to dry and will treat the area with a little bleach to ward off the evils of mold/mildew. Will have to contact the dealer we bought from used and test the 30 day warranty they offered.

We did pressurize the water system and did not find any leaks that we could see. But I think a trip to the dealer is in order.

I don't know what it would cost to have the carpet removed (even the way we did it) and Pergo installed, but what ever it cost it would probably be worth it. It looks great but it is difficult to complete. The number of cuts to go around the curves etc. and the confined spaces make for a challenging installation.

Corky

[Pahaska]

One fly in the ointment. We found wet carpet under the sink. (Wet under the plastic,) We cut out the area and are allowing it to dry and will treat the area with a little bleach to ward off the evils of mold/mildew. Will have to contact the dealer we bought from used and test the 30 day warranty they offered.

I don't now what year your AS is, but my AS was flooded at one time due to some bad plumbing connections (do a search on "flood" for photos).

I would recommend that you unlatch the hinges on the rotating pantry and cut out all of the plastic under there so that it can breath. You can enlarge the opening behind the cushion to reach in there more easily ... my dealer enlarged the opening in mine when they fixed the plumbing.

Also, take out the rear dinette seat back cushion, take out the thin board behind the cushion, and cut out all the plastic that you can reach under the bathroom and check for wetness. You may find that is where the moisture is coming from.

Airstream created a terrible mold hazard by putting carpet with the plastic over under all that rear area. At least, removing the plastic will give it some opportunity to breath and dry out.

[Cstar]

We can stick a fork in it. It's done. Not perfect but very presentable. I like the appearance better than carpet, and I am sure it will be more serviceable.

And, of course, now that we have taken out all of the carpet, we will buy area rugs to add color and warmth. Seems weird but in the end more practical than meets the eye. They can be removed and cleaned much easier than regular carpet and the normal maintenance is a breeze.

All in all, a good project and probably saved a bunch of money doing it ourselves.

Corky