Carpet or Wood floors?

[Aldo]

In chasing down my water leak, I have removed both the dinette and gaucho. It doesn't take much more to replace the flooring. I am thinking of taking out the carpet and putting in wood flooring.

I am wondering how that has worked out for those who have done this. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[AtomicNo13]

In my opinion... carpet is the silliest idea! I'd go with a very cleanable surface and throw down an area rug.
Who thought a dirt moisture pet hair mold spilled soda sand wet dog ant stinky sponge if a carpet would be a good idea in a camper? I think something like rhino line should be sprayed on at the factory! It can be scrubbed then hosed out if needed! In my Pan America went with solid sheets of textured rubber flooring. Area rugs keep your feet warm in cool weather but overall a dream to clean. Can't wait to do the Classic 34 this coming fall.

[crazeevw]

My motorhome came with carpet and wood flooring. 1st thing I did was clean all the carpets when I purchased it. Then I went camping. Between me and the dog, the carpet was dirty all over again. Running a vacuum cleaner while camping is not my idea of fun, so now all of the carpet has been removed and will be replaced with hardwood flooring throughout. Will keep a bit of carpet in rear bedroom area though.
Just my .02, Derek

[kswelsh]

Wood, or laminate, or vinyl sheet goods - get rid of the carpet, you'll be so much happier.

[EZEtwo]

I removed my complete floorsystem of my Excella 310 motorhome last winter. I worked my way down up to the Aluminium sheet hat covers the chassis. Have glued 3cm thick (1,18inch) (sorry, living in Europe = decimal system) PIR foam rigid board insulation on top of the aluminium. covered the whole with light weight poplar multiplex board with a thickness of 12mm.(0.47 inch). I then have put on a 2.3mm vinyl floorcovering. Very easy to clean, just put an extra carpet under the table in cold periods. Sweeping the floor is very ease with this vinyl material, it comes in thousands of different designs and colours. Will post some pics. if you want.

[Schools Out]

I might be the only vote here for carpeting…for the following reasons:
It is warmer on the tootsies. It has reduced the road noise noticeably. (also quieter while parked) And, it is no harder to clean than the old vinyl we covered over & easier than the old carpet. What makes it work for us, is a good quality, low nap, stain guard type product, and, yes, running the vacuum occasionally. But I did that with the old floors, too. I also like the way it looks. Here's how it looks after 3 years use.

[RickDavis]

Carpeting is not a good idea if you do any amount of camping away from paved campsites.
Also trailers tend to leak in non obvious places . Wet carpet in these areas won't dry out and will cause floor problems much sooner than would otherwise happen.
Having had carpeting, tile, and sheet vinyl, my vote goes to sheet vinyl and throw rugs.
Most of our camping is boondocking so we tend to track in much dirt, grass, etc.

[Wingeezer]

Seems to me that sheet vinyl product is perhaps the most practical flooring for an RV. Our trailer has a combination of that plus carpet in the lounger area and bedroom and really I wish it were sheet flooring throughout.

Even though there are just two of us and we try to be careful it is hard to keep that carpet looking good.

Our last trailer had carpet with hardwood in the galley/ bathroom area. The hardwood looked great at first, but looked a mess a few years later when condensate leaking from the fridge and water from the shower found its way between the wood strips and caused black mold to appear in those areas!

Brian.

[BradB]

Actually, I'll vote for carpet too. I know it doesn't make sense for all the reasons listed above (but perhaps having an Airstream doesn't either) - it is a treat for us. We have hardwood throughout our home and this just makes for a nice change. That being said I am vigilant about leaks knowing the issues there.

Originally Posted by Schools Out

I might be the only vote here for carpeting…for the following reasons:
It is warmer on the tootsies. It has reduced the road noise noticeably. (also quieter while parked) And, it is no harder to clean than the old vinyl we covered over & easier than the old carpet. What makes it work for us, is a good quality, low nap, stain guard type product, and, yes, running the vacuum occasionally. But I did that with the old floors, too. I also like the way it looks. Here's how it looks after 3 years use.

[dougandlori]

I just replaced the emerald green carpet in my new to me 99 safari. I read the forums, looked at product and settled on hardwood. Definitely worth the effort to make the change. The hardwood was the most expensive, hardest to install and the detail work of the molding, still a work in progress. I need to get the project completed before the Pinnacles rally next month. If I had to do the project again I wouldn't change a thing.

[Bill M.]

replaced the carpet with a engineered laminate flooring. Best thing we did in the trailer. Makes it easier to clean and makes it brighter. Our other trailer already had hardwood flooring in it when we bought it. Looks better than the laminate, but has the cracks between the boards. I like the laminate better for traveling.

[idroba]

I am another in favor of carpet in my RV's. I like the warmth of it, I like the fact that you can easily pull it up to look at the condition of the real floor, especially for water leaks, I like the fact that it does hold dirt! Yes. Carpet holds dirt very well and I don't have to constantly chase a small amount of dirt on a solid surface floor all the time.

When the carpet is no longer easily cleaned, I change it out.

Laminate floors are another current fad, and in a few years will be a great way to date an RV... Oh, that was from the 2005 on era.

The silliest thing is the fake laminate flooring in my new 20' FC. It is vinyl flooring made to look like wood laminate which was made to look like real wood. Just nuts in my mind.

[Jim Foster]

We replaced the carpet with vinyl and throw rugs in our '65 Caravel. The PO of our '83 Excella replaced the carpet in the living and kitchen areas with hard wood and area rugs, still have carpet in the bed and bath areas. Wish the bed and bath were hardwood with throw rugs.

The removable area rugs are easily removed and cleaned. While removed, the hard floors can be easily mopped or swept.

If the floor is cold, we put on socks or slippers. Usually not a problem as the trailers have wheels and are usually in a warm climate.

[n2916s]

We have laminate everywhere except the bathroom which is Marmoleum. The laminate can be cold on the toesies so we do have some throw rugs. If I had it all to do over again, I'd do the whole rig in the Marmoleum -- it is warmer that the laminate, easily cleans with a wet swiffer and, so far, is indestructible.

Mike

[mprokop87]

I've got oak parquet flooring in mine, including the bathroom. I love the looks of it however it does need to be resurfaced because it's showing its age. The only bit of carpet I have is up near the driver seat and under the couch/dinnette. If I had to do it all over again I would do the hardwood but put the electric radiant heat under it for the cooler months.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Airstream Forums mobile app

[la nomade]

i picked up the carpet,to find a rotten wood floor here and there,picked that up too and replaced it with good plywood which i painted and then polyurethaned it (several coats)it looks great,cleans easely,have area rugs ,your can sweep sand and mud ,no problem...its a great, inexpensive solution.

[goshawks00]

Another vote for carpet with vinyl at the door and in the bathroom. A caveat to think about is to run the carpet up under everything but leave it a foot or so away from the walls. That way it's an easy check for leaks and keep an eye on the floor. Works for us.
Barry

[m.hony]

Vinyl planks that resemble hard wood and area rugs here and there-

[79nTOW]

The wood was in great shape when we replaced the carpet. It doesn't take any longer to vacuum than to sweep. I have excessive sweating of my hands and feet and nothing feels worse to me than a gritty floor to walk on.

[Len n Jeanne]

It really depends upon what kind of camping you do. Ours tends to be more of the backwoods, wet-feet, bugs & dirt variety. Our unit came with vinyl flooring, which we top with small non-skid area- rugs that are easy to shake out and clean. As much as I like hardwood, I think it would be impractical to change over to it.

Pavement-campers may feel differently.