Flooring

[Fun-Lovin]

Ok I know this has probally been asked before but im going to ask for myself. Im am currently redoing the interior of my a/s and I was originally wanting to put in vinal flooring but I dont think the floor is smooth enough to do this. I am still looking at using a cheap vinal now but using it to seal the plywood and give me a smooth surface to install 12"x12" floor square tiles (not the ceramic ones) with a wood theme, has anyone had any experience using this kind of flooring before?

Thanks
Greg

[thenewkid64]

My experience with the floor is that as long as you get it smooth, not glass smooth, but no bumps or lumps a good quality vynil will be fine. There is one issue to think about in a trailer though.......

The whole unit flexes and twists as you tow. If your single sheet flooring spans a seam in the plywood floor you may end up with a tear or crack. I know there are those that have done it and had great success, just being a bit pessimistic. The only issue I see with laying a sheet flooring down and then putting a 12X12 tile over it is that if there is ANY patter to the lower flooring it may end up telegraphing into the top surface over time.

I would get it smooth either with a basic sanding, fill the low spots and use the 12X12 tiles and be done. If you can lay a seam at the floor joint line so much the better. This is what I am planning on doing in my kitchen.

[Fun-Lovin]

Now thats a good idea didnt think about it but I was going to lay the 12x12 squares offset 1/2 square and run the flush line across the width of the trailer instead of the lenght but by placing the seams in line with the plywood seams it could flex with no problems.

Greg

[thenewkid64]

I have completed my kitchen floor with the 12 inch squares and am I happy I followed my own advice. The floor will flex as a person walks across it to the point that you can see the seam move slightly if you watch from a distance. :eek The floor is solid, but there is some flex. The plyood of the floor is laid in four foot sections. 12 X12 tiles will have a seam fall on the plywood seam every time!

[Davydd]

If you are considering a 12" x 12" tile you are most likely looking at what is normally called a Vinyl Composition Tile. This is what you see on the floors at Wal-Mart and Target. VCT has a very low vinyl content and is mostly chalk limestone, some vinyl to give it flex and binders. It will crack over a joint and if you try to line it up over a plywood joint you will most likely get an ugly joint separation. The PO of my Airstream installed VCT which I will replace. So far I have no cracks.

A better option would be a SVT, Solid Vinyl Tile (though they are not truly solid vinyl). They are similar to sheet vinyls but come in tiles. Most are larger in size ranging from 18" x 18" up to 36" x 36" but can be had in 12" x 12". They will bridge cracks. They can get by with larger tile sizes because they are not as brittle as VCT. SVT has a much wider range of designs than VCT. I would recommend them over sheet vinyl simply because I think they are easier to install in the narrow variegated space of a trailer.

SVT is longer wear lasting than VCT but I doubt that is a critical factor considering the traffic on the floor. SVT does cost considerably more. Typically about 2-4X the cost of VCT. VCT should be waxed to protect it. The better SVTs need no waxing.

[59toaster]

Put down a 1/4 inch underlayment to bridge the seams if your going to go with a 12x12.

I'm in the process of major floor repair. I plan to pull the body. I will be using a pure vinyl sheet flooring over the deck that will wrap the sides. The stuff I'm using does not have the paper backing.
It will serve as a moisture barrier to keep any water from getting to the deck. It will only be glued at the parimeter and wrapped under. The U-channle will then be bolted over it. by only fastening the parimeter it will alow the flooring to float and give when needed. I will then install a floating laminet flooring over that once the cabinets are reinstalled.

[thenewkid64]

I ended up going with an Armstrong brand self stick tile. I wanted the thickest tile I could get. I avoided the solid color commercial tiles due to how brittle they seemed. Thanks for the detail info. The Armstong stuff would only snap after I had scored it and then flexed it right at the score. If I flexed the tile from the edge it would just bend.

The floor of the MH was not the most level where the sheets of plywood met, so I took the belt sander to the floor overall, and sanded the floor joints smooth. I also filled all of the screw holes that attach the plywood to the frame with bondo. I did not want one of the dimples to telegraph thru the tiles or cause or to break/crack/of dimple. I figure if I need to pull one of the screws I can always knock out the bondo with a flat screwdriver.

[stellablu]

Any pictures? I need to do my floor and was going to go with vinyl too, but this might be better.

stellablu

[thenewkid64]

Check out this thread. The picture of the floor shows some detail. I will try to get a long shot tonight.

http://www.airforums.com/forum...&threadid=6350