Tips for installing wood flooring?

[64GT]

Hey Folks-

I'm planning on picking up a few bunddles of a Prego-type flooring this weekend. Anyone want to give me some lessons learned type info or is the job fairly straight forward?

I know to alter the seams and leave a little gap for floating.

I just had a flash - I have wall to wall carpeting in there now. Is there a reason why I couldn't use that under the wood floor as opposed to tearing it out and putting down the padding???

TIA for any tips!
Gillian

[InsideOut]

I would want to get rid of the old carpet for cleanliness sake...and the chance it may start to deteriorate sooner than new pad would effecting your new Pergo installation.

Shari

[74Tradewind]

I put my Pergo type floor in myself. The hard part is cutting out around the cabinets and room dividers. One particular problem is this...1) To get the floor straight I layed one continuous strip right down the middle, stand at each end and align the strip until it looks straight then mark the floor all along the length. 2) Start putting the next row in on the side with the groove alternating the end seams. This way you can pull the whole thing out from the wall to install the pieces you have to cut and then put it back straight along the line you made. 3) If you do it this way you will make the final installation by attaching the new boards to the tongue side of the already installed piece. This is because it is easier to put the final pieces in attaching to the tongue.

There are some tight places and you might have to cut off the end tongue piece

Be sure to use the underlayment foam. I have a picture on this board somewhere.

Ciao, Brian

[BobbyW]

Is there a reason why I couldn't use that under the wood floor as opposed to tearing it out and putting down the padding???

• You will void your flooring manufacturer's warranty.
• The carpet will retain moisture like a sponge.
• It will flex way to much. Remember this is supposed to feel like old wood flooring.
• Extra weight of the carpet. Not a whole lot, but it is weight.
• You will have to deal with the extra 1/2" thickness at the transitions at the door, cabinets and bath.

-BobbyWright

[j54mark]

Boy, talk about timing.

I just got the floor cleaned up (65 million staples, by actual count), and was ready to start laying the floor tomorrow. When I started thinking about this project a couple of months ago, I made a mental note to run a chalk line down the hall to get a reference line to work from. However, I had clean forgotten all about it until reading this thread!

Thanks for the reminder.

By the way, mine is not actually Pergo, but something called Alloc. A friend in the carpet business had enought left over from a large job to do my 25' and to spare.

Mark

[pjtaia]

TIA for any tips!

I'm an architect and I've specified laminate floors (Pergo, Wilsonart, Armstrong) many times. The simple rules are to leave plenty of space at the edges so that the floor can expand without buckling and to always install it over an approved underlayment sheet or foam. Never attach the laminate planks to the subfloor!

The tricky part about installing in a trailer is not just the cutting and fitting around the cabinets but the proper installation of a trim molding to cover all the edges. Remember, that you must leave 1/4" to 3/8" gap at the end of the laminate planks and cover it with a molding. Therefore the molding must be cut and fit around all those curves. That's the hardest part and the most important to do right.

I currently have a 1975 Overlander "in rehab". I decided to have the Airstream service center, which has installed many of these, to do it. Too much specialized skills required for me; but then, that's me. I almost destroyed a freshly painted and wallpapered bathroom trying to install a cover plate on the light switch...

Good luck!

[64GT]

See I knew there was a perfectly good explanation as to why the carpet had to come up! I was planning on using it as a template for the padding anyway.

Is the 1/4" gap on all sides or just the end. I was thinking it was just the ends...

[74Tradewind]

Caution when using a snap line for your alignment. I found that the doorways are not centered in the TT. Find the center of the doorway in front and the doorway to the bath in the rear, lay down a string and you will probably find that the line is askew as the doors are not centered. I used a line from the center of the front window to the center of the back window. My front gaucho was removed for the floor install so it was easier to stand in the very front and see the alignment.

Also the underlayment install goes so fast with a stapler and razor knife you will not need a pattern. You must remove the old carpet.

The gap at the edges is not that critical. If you had a whole room of flooring you might have some expansion but in your TT there is not enough flooring to expand that far. You will not be able to get the floor so close to the edges that sand will not get in. If you install prefinished quarter round as a baseboard using double sided foam tape on the wall side only, the floor will be able to slide around underneath.
Ciao, Brian

[pjtaia]

...Gaps at edges...

Gaps at ends of long planks are the most critical... Less critical along the long edges.

[j54mark]

Another point to consider is the weight of these types of floor. I do not know about Pergo brand, but my Alloc is about 1.5 pounds per square foot, several times the weight of carpet and pad.

Fortunately I do not have many sq. ft. in my 25' Sovereign, but if you are crowding your weight limits anyway, this type flooring is not going to help any.

Mark

[j54mark]

As I was putting the finishing touches on my new laminated floor last night I was troubled by one thought: any leak along the outside walls (which is virtually all leaks in an Airstream) will now just spread itself out on the floor beneath the laminated floor. Carpet gets wet and one can often spot a leak that way, but this stuff is likely to hide any minor leak - the kind that will ultimately rot out the floor.

Anyone have any comforting words here?

Mark

[Creampuff]

For what it's worth,here's a post I sent to another BB about 6 month's ago.* * * *
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The old floor tiles came up real easy-probably because the coach lived most of her life in AZ.If your's don't try lightly torching them with a propane torch to softhen the glue.The cabinetry rests on top of the tiles so you need to use a chisel to cut a clean line.Next,I used the old line pattern left on the plywood to get my layout.I started at the door with a ripped piece that needs to be scribed to the curve of the coach.I removed the aluminum molding along the wall .The floor 'floats"on a thin layer of foam rubber which you lay down first and tape the joints.I chose to run the material only to the bathroom door,as the curves of the bathroom are difficult and vinyl is a bettter choice.Follow the instructions on the box,although I lefft far less expansion space at the edges as the span is small.You glue each tongue with a bead of special glue as you go.the material is 1/4 '' thick so it still allows the storage cabinets to open.The only problem areas were the furnace vents and in front of the frig.where the panel won't fit really well unless your's is a tad higher than mine.The whole job took me a Saturday including brad pinning small molding.If you don't have a brad gun ,construction adhesive will work but allow the floor to move as essentilaly it ends up as a solid shhet of material that is only held down by the molding.The results were really great-we used a light oak which worked well with the original white oak cabinetry.Count on about 60 sq ft min.of material if you don't do the bathroom or in the closets.The torture test was a weekend trip where our two dogs ran in the stream and then the sand.We just kept sweeping it out the door and the floor washs up as new.
Any questions-email me.
UPDATEoing it now i would buy the new 'click down" product.It's way better and no problem getting tight joints.No glue is required.There is alot of the old stuff around for under a dollar/ft but it's worth spending the extra.

[DMAYRES]

Has anyone tried putting aluminum strips around the edge of the A/S to trim a floating floor, as opposed to using quarter round?

I think it would look great, match the trim on the credenza, etc,

Any suggestions?

[fdx753]

I just installed the flooring in my Argosy 20. I used the armstrong fake slate. It looks great, does not compete with the fake wood walls and cabinets.
I used aluminum transitions for the entrance door threshold and to the rear bath. The bath took a "T" molding. I had to trim the aluminum, but, it made it easier to fit the floor panels. Other than a lot of cutting, everything went smoothly.
I liked the product I used because it had the underlayment attached to the panels. The use of quater round covers the gaps and mistakes.
Have fun!

[Pahaska]

Originally posted by j54mark
Another point to consider is the weight of these types of floor. I do not know about Pergo brand, but my Alloc is about 1.5 pounds per square foot, several times the weight of carpet and pad.

Fortunately I do not have many sq. ft. in my 25' Sovereign, but if you are crowding your weight limits anyway, this type flooring is not going to help any.

Mark

Weight is one of the reasons why I chose to go with cork flooring. My trailer has a limited useful load as built and I wanted to avoid adding weight. The glue-down cork I am putting in will actually be lighter than the carpet and pad that I took out; about a third of the weight of something like Pergo.

Of course, equal reasons for choosing cork are the appearance, quietness, ease of maintenance, and good feel underfoot.

BTW: I saw a single-axle 26' yesterday with a Pergo floor. Very attractive, but I wondered about the weight gain.

[Chuck]

FWIW, the pergo I used weights about 30 lbs per box, and I used 3 boxes. I didn't weigh the carpet and pad that I took out, but it must have weighed something. So I added what? 50, 60, maybe 70lbs, spread out over the entire length of the trailer. didnt' think that was too much of a penalty. the empty weight of the trailer is (allegedly) 3500 lbs, and the gross is 5500. So..that's a pretty good "useful load".

[Pahaska]

The cork that I ordered comes only in case lots of 11 1' x 2' tiles. In order to determine whether 2 cases would cover the area, I measured the trailer and made a CAD image of the floor plan.

I laid out a tile at a reasonable starting point and then used the stamp function of the program to place additional tiles as needed to cover the whole area. Where the tiles extended out of the area, I could see what portion of the tile could be used elsewhere. I required that all joints must be factory edges.

I then went back and started numbering the tiles. The odd shape of the floor requires a lot of tile cutting. Part tiles are numbered 1a, 1b, etc.

I made 3 layouts using different starting alignments. In all 3 layouts, the 2 cases of cork will cover the area. What I did find out that one of the layouts involves much less tile cutting and fitting than the other two.

[bambam]

I just picked up our oak tongue and grooved, just replaced the 3/4 inch subflooring. What is this rubber foam ? Ive been to Home Depot and Lowes, and sever RV parts centers, no one knows what it is. How do you adhere the rubber foam to the subflooring. What specific adhesive do I use to adhere the oak flooring to the foam rubber?

Originally Posted by Creampuff

For what it's worth,here's a post I sent to another BB about 6 month's ago.* * * *
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The old floor tiles came up real easy-probably because the coach lived most of her life in AZ.If your's don't try lightly torching them with a propane torch to softhen the glue.The cabinetry rests on top of the tiles so you need to use a chisel to cut a clean line.Next,I used the old line pattern left on the plywood to get my layout.I started at the door with a ripped piece that needs to be scribed to the curve of the coach.I removed the aluminum molding along the wall .The floor 'floats"on a thin layer of foam rubber which you lay down first and tape the joints.I chose to run the material only to the bathroom door,as the curves of the bathroom are difficult and vinyl is a bettter choice.Follow the instructions on the box,although I lefft far less expansion space at the edges as the span is small.You glue each tongue with a bead of special glue as you go.the material is 1/4 '' thick so it still allows the storage cabinets to open.The only problem areas were the furnace vents and in front of the frig.where the panel won't fit really well unless your's is a tad higher than mine.The whole job took me a Saturday including brad pinning small molding.If you don't have a brad gun ,construction adhesive will work but allow the floor to move as essentilaly it ends up as a solid shhet of material that is only held down by the molding.The results were really great-we used a light oak which worked well with the original white oak cabinetry.Count on about 60 sq ft min.of material if you don't do the bathroom or in the closets.The torture test was a weekend trip where our two dogs ran in the stream and then the sand.We just kept sweeping it out the door and the floor washs up as new.
Any questions-email me.
UPDATEoing it now i would buy the new 'click down" product.It's way better and no problem getting tight joints.No glue is required.There is alot of the old stuff around for under a dollar/ft but it's worth spending the extra.

[Pahaska]

The foam is used only on floating floors, whether it is a part of the planks or is in a sheet. You don't use foam on glue-down floors. It is a good noise deadener.

[bambam]

I dont know what a 'floating floor is' I have oak planks, this is not a peel and stick, it is raw wood that I will sand and finish also. I dont know where to start , from a plywood subflooring , do I need a foam rubber or moisture barrier? What is the best way to lay the oak so it wont pop up, staples, nails, glue? Thanks in advance.