Visit our Popular Forums

drhoades · 02-08-2010, 07:53 AM

I am getting ready to install a floating floor in a 87 Excella and was wondering how everyone dealt with the screws and L brackets that are attached to the beds and some of the walls. Do you just make grooves in the bottom of the planks to go around these areas or is there an easier way?

Thanks!

HowieE · 02-08-2010, 08:21 AM

When I installed flooring I removed ALL cabinets, except the kitchen sink cabinet. This makes it very easy to install the flooring, on cutting around things and a clean look along the edge of the cabinets. When reinstalling the cabinets I drilled a 1 in. hole at each location where I had to screw something down to the sub floor and screwed through the hole. That will allow the floor to float. However in 3 years I have never seen any evidence of movement.

A good helper is a plus. She ran the drill.

drhoades · 02-08-2010, 09:14 AM

Thanks for the advice.

The cabinets and bed are all screwed down directly to the subfloor so if I were to install under the cabinets and bed than I would have to shorten everything by the thickness of the material that it is going on top of.

Any other recomendations?

HowieE · 02-08-2010, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drhoades

Thanks for the advice.

The cabinets and bed are all screwed down directly to the subfloor so if I were to install under the cabinets and bed than I would have to shorten everything by the thickness of the material that it is going on top of.

NO
If you removed rug you will find that is about the same thickness as the flooring and the sub mat under it.I removed rug and made NO adjustments when reinstalling the cabinets, dinette, or the coach.

If you removed vinyl or any other thin flooring the difference will not be noted.

drhoades · 02-08-2010, 10:47 AM

I removed carpet and pad. There were tack strips along the edges of all cabinets and beds. It did not go under the referigerator at all. The cabinets currently sit on the plywood floor and follow the conture of the shell exactly.

drhoades · 02-09-2010, 06:31 AM

Has anybody else had experience with this and if so what did you do?

Thanks.

HowieE · 02-09-2010, 07:51 AM

If you found tack strips around the cabinets I would assume someone has removed the original carpet and reinstalled new. Look under the bed or in any of the outside compartments and see if there is carpet there and is it different than what you removed.

Generally they cover the complete sub floor with carpet and then build on top of that rather than cut in around things after the fact.

Sav'h Steve · 02-09-2010, 09:55 AM

I agree with Howie. Been watching these threads for years and have noted that at the factory cabinets are installed over the carpet that covers the whole floorboard.

I too have bought a wood floor and plan to install it this year. I have the credenza out and BTW it was a BEAR too take out. The problem was screws that were installed from the frig side through the partition into the credenza. I wasn't about to take the frig out! Couldn't get a sawzall in there and slowly cut the several screws several inches back with a loose file blade cutting it through.

I am also going to take out the couch and the back twin beds. Think the couch will come out easily. The twins will be replaced with a short queen in the corner. Don't know about ordering the queen custom with just the corner springs removed so it will fit the curve better.

The wood floor will be ran north-south from the front to the back. Like the looks better than from side to side, although I hear it's easier to run side to side. I do not intend to cut holes for the reinstall. I've never heard of any problems with the floating floor being held at places. Mine is a 90 Excella 25 foot.

What's your plan? See any *holes* in mine?

Steve

HowieE · 02-09-2010, 10:06 AM

You will find several dozen different Brands of flooring. My first consideration was to find a color match that would go with the interior of the trailer.

Second consideration and the one that proved to be as important was the assembly system of the flooring. While they all have a LOCKING SYSTEM very few of them are conducive to assembly in a small area such as a trailer. NO ASSEMBLY TOOLS required it folds togeather. I chose the Armstrong system and laid the flooring out from the center to each side. This allows you to predict the size of the last piece along the walls.

drhoades · 02-09-2010, 01:28 PM

When I removed the nightstand there were only one set of holes. This suggest that it was originally screwed in place and the carpet laid around it, unless the entire interior endcaps and all was removed and replaced with new. I do not think that is the case.

I have almost every reciept from the PO and I would think that something that major would be in there.

HowieE · 02-09-2010, 02:33 PM

If your trailer was built without the carpet being laid across the complete sub floor it will most likely an Industry first.

The construction sequence is sub floor on frame, turn the frame over for tanks, insulation, belly pan and axles, right the frame and cover with carpet, assemble the shell, and then put EVERYTHING in through the door.

The only thing in my trailer that does not have carpet under it is the heater. That was cut out for fire safety reasons.

I can't imagine yours was built any other way.

As long as you have the carpet up look at how the plywood goes into the C channel around the perimeter. The wood should tuck into the C channel and have bolts down through the channel and wood into the frame. I mention this because it any of the floor has been replaced the wood may stop short of going into the C channel as it is hard to remove the original wood because of the pressure of the bolts compressing the wood in the channel.

3 Dog Nite · 02-09-2010, 02:50 PM

I found a similar suprise when pulling carpet out of AS MH. The L shape bracket hold the walls in place. There is another one on the head wall as well. I'll be removing cabinets & dinnette for new flooring. Don't think I want to mess with pulling bath fixtures & plumbling for a new floor. My decision so far is to groove underside of flooring to allow for bracket & screwheads. My fear is what to do should I have to remove the wall for any reason. I guess that's a good reason not to use glue on the floating floor.

Ricky

HowieE · 02-09-2010, 02:56 PM

Yes if you are covering the complete rig you will encounter spots that you can not remove the fixtures, bath tub and the kitchen sink.

In these areas you will have to cut the flooring back about a 1/4 in. and trim with 1/4 round molding.

Do not use glue in any place as that would require the floor to FLOAT against that point. If you were to glue in 2 places the floor may buckle during warm periods and separate during cold weather.

Sav'h Steve · 02-10-2010, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HowieE

Do not use glue in any place as that would require the floor to FLOAT against that point. If you were to glue in 2 places the floor may buckle during warm periods and separate during cold weather.

Howie, I was thinking of flooring under the sofa and then rebolting the sofa thru the new wood floor and into the subfloor. This I'm sure is the same as glueing down at two different points resulting in swelling during our very humid southern clitmate.

Thus I think I'll drill a hole/cut-out for the bolt to go directly to the subfloor with a slight space around the new wood floor - keeping it floating.

Also thanks for the reminder to start in the center, as that is how I ceramic tiled my kitchen, allowing one to plan on the size of the side pieces.

Think I'll repaint the front endcap first with Krylon Spray before the floor. Just need to get over the inertia to get this larger project started.

Thanks for sharing your experiences

Steve in Savannah

drhoades · 02-10-2010, 08:56 AM

3 Dog Nite.

That is exactly what I have encountered. I plan on putting a groove on the backside to go over the L-bracket.

All of the flooring looks original.

Sav'h Steve · 02-10-2010, 09:42 AM

I was wondering if someone who ordered a new 'stream with wood flooring installed originally had the wood done like the carpet - that is with all the walls and furniture installed OVER the floor and bolted thru it?

Or did they cut out around the bolts for a floating type floor?.....

dick&claire · 02-20-2010, 07:29 AM

Most floor coverings are installed starting in the center of the area and working forward/backward and side-to-side. With the click and lock floating floor, however, it is recommended that you start at one side, not the center, and install all the way along the length of that side. Then move toward the other wall. The reason for this is that you want to mate the clicking edges from above and then fold the new length down. The same is true for the ends...the new piece is held up at a 45 degree angle and folded down until it clicks and locks in place. If you start in the center of the area you will have to raise the installed edge to get the mate to fit under it which is very difficult to do especially on a long run.

The mating ends can lead to a lot of waste. I found that you can recreate the click and lock with two passes on a table saw. The inside cut is slightly deeper than the outside or end cut. A little practice and it works. I was able to do my floor (see picture on prior post) with very little waste.

Be sure to leave 1/4 inch on all outer sides for expansion/contraction. Cover these gaps with oak quarter round or a scotia cove molding. Cabinets with a round profile require careful scribing of the cabinet curve on the floor boards.

The only furniture I had to remove was the aluminum frame for one seat. I carefully marked the screw holes and used new screws that were 3/8" longer than the original to secure the frame tightly. I did need to fabricate new brackets to hold the (new) dining table to the trailer's aft wall.

HowieE · 02-20-2010, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sav'h Steve

Howie, I was thinking of flooring under the sofa and then rebolting the sofa thru the new wood floor and into the subfloor. This I'm sure is the same as glueing down at two different points resulting in swelling during our very humid southern clitmate.

I did not install the flooring ALL the way under the sofa. I just went in about 6 ins., material cost and no need.