Flooring Ideas

75Airstream500 · 07-21-2004, 09:04 PM

We will be replacing the brown indoor/outdoor carpet that was put in our 77 Excella years ago by the previous owners. I would love some suggestons and feedback, maybe some pictures on what others have used for flooring. I have read that some have put in wood flooring. Isn't that a bit heavy? I liked the laminate flooring idea, but we will always be spending our Airstream time near water and am afraid of water getting under and damaging a laminate floor. So what are the thoughts out there?

Happycampers · 07-21-2004, 09:12 PM

Hello.. We are getting ready to put laminate flooring in our Argosy.. have ordered it and it will be here near the end of the month. It has a green coating to the backing and it clicks together... slate colour.. not cheap .. will be great to work with.. will post pics when we have it installed.. Annie and Marvin

Over59 · 07-21-2004, 09:18 PM

Clear coat and Marine paint in your choice of bright color

. Loves water and easy to clean. Don't forget to clorox the floor after you take the carpet up.

JohnG · 07-21-2004, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Over59

Clear coat and Marine paint in your choice of bright color

. Loves water and easy to clean. Don't forget to clorox the floor after you take the carpet up.

Why do you clorox the floor after removing the carpet???

InsideOut · 07-21-2004, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnG

Why do you clorox the floor after removing the carpet???

Kills mold which leads to floor rot ~

Shari

75Airstream500 · 07-22-2004, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Over59

Clear coat and Marine paint in your choice of bright color

. Loves water and easy to clean. Don't forget to clorox the floor after you take the carpet up.

That is something I hadn't thought about. A nice slick, glossy, painted surface. And since we are painters by trade, I am intrigued.

Should we use a garden sprayer to mist on the clorox? Hey, this could only help with our cigarette smelly problem too.

Now, I read in another topic that plastic that is put down on the floors to protect the carpet of new airstreams needed to be removed so the floor could breath and would help prevent rotting. If I paint with a clearcoat, seems the floor won't be able to breath. Any thoughts on that?

**Chuck** · 07-22-2004, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 75Airstream500

That is something I hadn't thought about. A nice slick, glossy, painted surface. And since we are painters by trade, I am intrigued.

I don't think painted plywood is going to look that great.

most brands of laminate flooring are resistant to water spills. not water proof, but very resistant. it can be installed in kitchens and bathrooms in houses; unless you tend to dump buckets of water on the floor and then just leave it there, it won't be a problem.

Laminate is heavy, but so is carpet. I think I may have added about 30 or 40 lbs to my trailer by replacing the carpet w/ pergo. there's not alot of square footage of floor space in there...even on the "big" trailers.

look at my photo gallery for some pics, and do a search for "pergo" and you'll find numerous discussions on the subject.

59toaster · 07-22-2004, 08:20 AM

Sealing the floor when new might block some out the outasing of bothe the new carpet and new partical board floor. After that I don't see an issue. If its sealed the moisture will not get in it in the first place.

Make sure to pick a time when the floor has completly dried and humidity is low so it has as little moisture in it as possible.

We just replaced the floors in our coach and we used and epoxy wood sealer like that used on wood boats. We did it before the wood was even installed. Where we cut it down to the correct width we then redressed to keep it sealed.

We used a pretty good quality of wood and once it was sealed it had a very nice honey color to it. It was almost a shame to cover it up but with all the elevator bolts it looked a little odd. Once bolted down we did a final top coat to try to seal around the bolts. Then we installed a solid sheet vinyl flooring before the body was set back on the floor. That made sure all the storage areas have nice clean floors as well.

Our attempt was to prevent water from ever getting a chance to make direct contact with the floor ever again. In a camper its not a question if it will leak as much as a question of when it will leak. So we took extensive preventative measures.

In a couple years we may do a thin laminate pre finished floor in just the visable areas. Most coaches will only take 2 boxes at most to do the visable areas. If using the thin floor it's only about 70-80lb of total weight at most and it is spread evenly through the coach.

**overlander64** · 07-22-2004, 08:59 AM

Greetings 75Airstream500!

Quote:

Isn't that a bit heavy? I liked the laminate flooring idea, but we will always be spending our Airstream time near water and am afraid of water getting under and damaging a laminate floor. So what are the thoughts out there?

I had ruled out laminate flooring for my coach for many of the reasons that you mention. When it came to new flooring for my Minuet, my usual first choice (Congoleum Industrial Grade Sheet Vinyl) was out of the question due to the rows of rivets that hold the aluminum composite floors to the chasis. Arlene Fowler of Fowler Interiors advised me to try Armstrong Laminate flooring with the Quiet Step underlayment system - - this installation is in its second season and is meeting my every expectation. It still looks new to this day and clean-up is a breeze - - there is some flex to the floor (typical for the aluminum composite floor material) and it hasn't produced any noticeable problems with the laminate. The laminate floors and the quiet step underlayment increased the weight of my coach (6.0 Metres or 19' 3") by just a bit less than 100 pounds - - an acceptable trade-off to get away from the hassles of dealing with carpeting in an RV.

Good luck with your research!

Kevin

75Airstream500 · 07-22-2004, 01:10 PM

Thanks for the feedback. I have found this forum so helpful and am grateful to everyone who pitches in their advice.

I am curious about cork flooring, or maybe bamboo flooring. Anybody out there have experience or feedback on those ideas? I know they are great with the moisture or wetness factor.

1956Safari · 12-12-2008, 09:35 AM

I'm curious what the experts think I should do. Here is my situation:
I currently have a gutted 50's trailer (Everything is out and the interior skin is removed) and the floor had been replaced 3 years ago with a shell off restoration (by previous owner). Since then the floor has gotten wet near the door and under windows, etc. I've pretty much taken care of all the leaks now but the plywood is stained slightly in areas and I'm sure had areas that were saturated. The floor actually still feels solid and since the belly pan is off & insulation removed, I'm not concerned with wet insulation. I'm about to undertake the interior work and I'm wondering if I should do any prep to the floor besides a clorox treatment and then some sort of sealing. I would hate to have to rip out a new interior in a few years because of smell or floor failure.

I think it's a good idea to keep this thread going since leaks are a way of life with trailers.

purman · 12-12-2008, 09:48 AM

I would think what you are going to do should be fine.. Does the plywood smell now? You can buy stuff to get rid of mildew smell.. But I would definitely put some sort of sealer down on the plywood. Whether it be Tompson water seal or an epoxy. Put something Before you put your flooring down..

1956Safari · 12-12-2008, 09:55 AM

Thats what I was thinking Jason. Currently I plan on a few Clorox treatments, then marine paint/sealer of some sort. (suggestions appreciated)

Muddy_Hollow actually put down on top of his plywood a membrane (ice and water shield) before his final floor covering. This sounds like a good idea to me as well. Has anyone else done that?

1956Safari · 12-12-2008, 12:59 PM

Here is the actual product: grace ice & water shield