HELP with Laminate Flooring

[betsy28]

I have a 28' Argosy MH and have taken out the couch & chairs in the liviing space. I'm going to be putting down a laminate flooring. I have read that others have put the laminate down under the couch & beds. How did you attach the couch to the floor. My couch was screwed down length wise to the floor through the carpet when I was removing it. I understand that by using the laminate flooring, I will have to stop the laminate at the edge of the couch and allow it to float. I have three storage bins under the couch and would like to have the laminate go under the couch and continue to the side wall. Does anybody have a HELPING IDEA to my problem?

[HiHoAgRV]

One option is to make a hole in the laminate that is larger than the screw or bolt that holds down the sofa. I didn't bother and have had good results. I figure the floor under the sofa will float to and from the bolts just as all of the exposed floor will move toward and from the sofa.

You really don't want a true floating floor- if you hit the brakes really hard it will all end up wadded in the front!

[jjhypnotist]

Just installed the floor in my 28 foot 280 turbo deisel

I tore the whole thing apart....

Build your flooring to the edge of the couch and put trim

If you go under you are going to run into problems with your water tank and connectors... if you must put planking down where no one will ever see it then put some plywood ......

Also install it sideways not long ways... It will save you a lot of hassle...

check my posts and if you have any questions yell at me


Justinimg063.jpgimg061.jpgimg060.jpgimg059.jpgimg057.jpg

[betsy28]

Thanks for your replies. I talked to a shaw laminate flooring representative and he mentioned the same thing as boring a hole larger than the screws used to hold the couch down or I could mount a piece of laminate flooring to the floor and screw the couch to it but not connect it too the actual flooring but use a transition strip on either side. That way both sides are floating except for the piece holding the couch. Utilizing this idea, I will have to run the planks lengthwise vice sideways. Any ideas on this?

[jjhypnotist]

Hi Betsy
Here is the link to my project... the layout of my MH should be almost Identical to yous http://www.airforums.com/forums/f311...ons-40220.html
I do not recommend laying the floor lengthwise..

I had noted in my thread that I did that first.... The way click lock flooring works maks it strong when you lay it sideways however you will have a nightmare if it shifts going down the road when put the other direction....

Aside from that... Why would you put flooring under the couch??????????
Justin

[betsy28]

Hello Justin
Thanks for the pics on your thread. My MH floor wasn't that bad but it did have some water stains. I checked the wood flooring and it's all intact. Your MH interior looks like mine. Do you have any current pics with the flooring installed?

Why would the flooring shift, if installed length ways, while driving if it only has a 1/4" on all outside edges? The flooring I'm looking at clicks together on the sides as well as on the ends. So the flooring should not come apart. I'm looking at installing it all the way back from the living room area to the bath in the back.

As for why I'm looking at installing flooring under the couch is because when I remove the storage trays located under the couch to remove stored items, the raw subfloor will be visable and I thought if I was going to be putting down this flooring it wouldn't cost much more to go ahead and finish the whole floor.

Ron

[Fyrzowt]

The laminate was installed lengthwise in my '72 Globetrotter prior to me purchasing it. I used the trailer extensively for 1-1/2 years. It still looks as good as the day I bought it. FWIW.
Dave

[jjhypnotist]

Yep I have pics posted on a few threads but I will repost some here....

I take it you do not have a watertank under your front couch?

Personally I did a lot to the floors before I ever laid the flooring...
including sanding down the entire sub floor waterproofing and polyurathaning it....

The flooring in a MH I believe is subject to more twists and turns in movement because of the fact that it has four wheels not 2.... I could be wrong here however the flooing I was installing clicks together on all four directions however the length wise connection for the floating floors is not as secure as the side to side lock...
DSC00066.JPGFalse wall.JPGimg057.jpgimg061.jpgimg063.jpg
I found that out in practice... Now that being said I laid mine lengthwise first and found out the hard way...

If you read most of the posts on flooring they will tell you to lay it crosswise and visually speaking long ways looks much better..... but crosswise is easier and you can get a very close fit that way.

You will see in the one pic the floor laid out to the fridge lengthwise... and the finished floor in the other pics

[jjhypnotist]

Originally Posted by Fyrzowt

The laminate was installed lengthwise in my '72 Globetrotter prior to me purchasing it. I used the trailer extensively for 1-1/2 years. It still looks as good as the day I bought it. FWIW.
Dave

Dave is yours glued or Floating??

[Fyrzowt]

Floating.

[betsy28]

Justin or Dave:
Have you finished your flooring project. If so, have you had any problems with it while driving down the road, i.e. excessibe noise, buckeling, shifting, etc.?

[Fyrzowt]

Mine was already installed when I bought it. It performed flawlessly, no shifting or buckling. If there were any noises while going down the road, I couldn't hear it from the cab of the truck.
Dave

[Frank's Trailer Works]

I used a click type cork in my TT. I put it down across the trailer only because I was only doing half the trailer this year and the front half next winter. I wanted a good seam to be able to pick up where I left off.


Maybe fact, maybe the ramblings of a sick mind:
A)If you screw the couch through a large hole, it will make zero difference. The couch will act as a even larger anchor than the screw will.
B) the floor is a solid sheet after it is put together. Orienting the planks with the trailer or against will make zero difference. The only reason for the plank direction is to please the installers eye. If you take the time and tap the planks together firmly, the joint will disappear and it will not matter except when the grain of the flooring is very dominant and then running it with the length of the trailer will make it look longer.
C) A motor home is on a frame much stronger than a travel trailer... the flexing is far less than in a trailer.
D) If you go under everything, you need to cut down the bottom of any cabinets going all the way to the ceiling or the curve of the wall will be wrong when you go to reinstall it.

Good luck... I ran my floor under everything. I cut down the cabinets accordingly, I screwed right through the floor into the subfloor. I am happy with the results.

[87MH]

A lengthways installation does indeed look "better" - in my opinion, anyway.

Either way you install the floating floor in a Motor Home, the entire assembly will soon be full forward up against whatever it runs into.

On my installation I left about 3/8 of an inch in the front, after the first trip it was crammed upagainst the cockpit riser, and has stayed there.

If I were to do it again, I would fit as close as I could to the front, and leave all of the expansion width at the rear.

[OregonArgy]

I've done a lot of floating laminate around the house. On the scale of difficulty, I think this will be the easiest job this "vintage" trailer has tossed at me, from wiring issues, to rotted subfloors, to burst pipes and leaky tank valves. I'm actually looking forward to taking a break from real repairs and just doing a floor.

My original plan was to install sideways, put the first pieces flush to the front gaucho. Then, as I hammer in the next pieces and they click in, the floor will remain as far forward as possible, which would happen the first time I apply the brakes down the road anyway. I don't want there to be any movement at all during driving except temperature expansion.

Also, if that movement forward isn't minimized, then those pesky little turns around the bathroom doors, etc. could be a source of headaches if I cut those to a 1/4" and the floor slide forward 3/8". I'd end up with separation around those parts. If I install from the front back, always keeping the floating floor flush with the front couch, I won't have to worry about those little areas.

I plan to continue the flooring only to visible points, not under the gaucho. If I did, though, I would install the couch to the subfloor first, then install laminate floor around and underneath. Or, if it is enclosed, a completely different section of flooring.

I am now beginning to wonder about lengthwise installation. Hmmmm... I wonder if that would look better.

[jjhypnotist]

All I know Is that it is more likley to buckle in an rv with a lengthwise install and you dont have to take my word for it there are more posts on flooring then any other I think.......

I have read and did read through all of them and I was stubborn and laid my floor lengthwise first and it does look pretty however as the floor shifted it would gap because the end locks are not as strong as the side locks... Now I laid bamboo and if the laminate flooring you are laying locks more firmly lengthwise then go for it...

Now keep in mind this commentary is originally from an RV guy to an RV guy... Not to not include everyone with a trailer however the classic RVs do handle differently and have different stresses then the trailers especially with the P30 chassis.....

Justin

[OregonArgy]

Originally Posted by jjhypnotist

I have read and did read through all of them and I was stubborn and laid my floor lengthwise first and it does look pretty however as the floor shifted it would gap because the end locks are not as strong as the side locks...

I never thought of this problem with laying lengthways. I guess this issue is the decider. It does make absolute sense that there would be more possibility of end to end separation than side to side separation.

VERY good point. No I haven't spent too much time on the floor finishes part of the forums. Thanks for the heads-up, jjhypnotist.

[betsy28]

Thanks for the replys. I kinda figured that when the floor shifts and settles, it probably won't shift again, except for minor expansion and contraction due to temperature. As for it shifting toward the front, that should be expected due to stopping is more prevalant than taking off. As for my MH, it don't take off very fast and with the gas prices the way they are, if I took off fast my gas guage and economy gauge will go crazy.