New ABS hollow core Vinyl flooring

[Polaris]

Just wanted to pass along some information on a relatively new product in vinyl flooring that should work amazingly in travel trailers! I stumbled upon it while trying to decide what to use in my 75 Safari remodel. I wanted the look of wood plank flooring but had come to the conclusion that anything press and stick or click was just going to fail in my climate and I really didn't want one piece vinyl. This product, made by Richmond Reflections, has an abs hollow honey comb core and a 3 mm top layer of vinyl. The total thickness is 10 mm. What appealed to me is the fact that it is water proof, light weight and has a strong j-mold style press fit seem. It does not have to be clicked to each successive joint at an angle and worked in. Simply drop each plank straight down and hammer with a rubber mallet. This product has minimal expansion and contraction in severe temperature changes and the joints won't open up due to flexing or punding on bumpy roads. Was pretty pricey at $4.50 per sq ft but I only want to do this once so thought I would give it a try. I'll be sure to post some pics once I start to lay it in the next week or so. Just wanted to start this thread as I have searched this forum myself looking for ideal flooring options.

[hippiechick]

Good info. We are trying to decide on flooring right now also. Considering marmoleum but price is hard to justify. Also considering VCT. Do these tiles come in any colors other than wood look? Where did you find it? Available in U.S.?

[Polaris]

I found this product at one of my local flooring outlets. I do believe it is available in other patterns or finishes other than wood grain. The product is called Press Lock by Richmond Reflections. If you search their site you should be able to find a dealer that distributes them. The owner of the store who sold to me had installed it in his rustic cottage that is not heated and shifts up and down substantially each winter and spring. He has not had a problem in two years with seems opening up or the floor expanding and contracting causing gaps. I was wanting a water proof flooring that was going to stay intact so I think this is going to fit the bill. The only hesitation I had was that it is 10 mm thick but my trailer was gutted so I have a completely open subfloor to cover. The only cutting in will be around the refrigerator. I am still deciding whether to go under the cabinets or butt to them. I will be posting pictures of this product as. I begin to install shortly.

[Al and Missy]

Originally Posted by hippiechick

Good info. We are trying to decide on flooring right now also. Considering marmoleum but price is hard to justify. Also considering VCT. Do these tiles come in any colors other than wood look? Where did you find it? Available in U.S.?

We were told that the PO of our trailer put in BeauFloor, which is one that Airstream uses. However, the tile is actually Allure Trafficmaster, available in stock at our Home Depot.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/TrafficMA...1713/100595258

Interestingly enough, it does say not for use in camping trailers, so I don't know why the PO selected it, but we have had the trailer for several months, it has been in our driveway for a month with the AC turned on and off and so far, no problems. It does slightly show subfloor seams when the tongue is aggressively raised to level it.

It has a very hard surface, almost like ceramic. When we went to look at the trailer I took a moisture meter. I could not penetrate the surface with the meter pins. With about a month of total use by us and our three dogs it shows no wear and it cleans easily.

According to the installation manual it is a floating install. The tiles stick to each other, not to the subfloor. I wonder if it was installed that way in our trailer as I don't understand how/why it would show subfloor seams if it was floating.

Other than the warning in the manual about use in camping trailers, I'm very happy with it. Time will tell. I have seen posts on here of others who have used the Trafficmaster Allure family in their trailers, so maybe there aren't any real issues.

Al

[Greg1410]

A friend of ours in the flooring business told us about Novocore prestige flooring by Lamett. It is a core-backed, vinyl plank flooring that is water proof, does not expand or contract, and is guaranteed for life (in a residential application). It is used in marine applications. We are definitely thinking about this. Not sure of the cost, but we will get the "friend" discount.
Has anyone else ever heard of this?
Greg

[mayco]

Here is another that recently caught my attention
http://www.placengo.com/

Waterproof, rubber backed, minimal subfloor prep, no adhesives to fail over time, certified "green" product, decent warranty, only 5/16" thick, click n lock

Ive got samples being shipped. Talked with the company and they seemed pretty enthused with the idea of an Aistream installation. The research on flooring is pretty overwhelming with the amount of products available. This Place N' Go flooring is sold through Home Depot or direct from the company. Kinda pricey at $5.43 a square ft but there isnt much flooring to do in my 310. We shall see......still searching options

Mike

[fth]

I used Allure and because of fitting around things it could not 'float' and some joints opened up over a few months time. I made a cut and put in a piece of aluminum molding to allow the float to occur. Looks nice but I would not recommend it for RV use and because it does not lend well to installing in tight quarters.

[Polaris]

I think the appeal of Allure plank flooring and similar products is that its widely available, looks pretty good and affordable. The problem with it in trailers is that in summer months the internal temp of the trailers get to over 100 degrees. Where I am well below -25 degrees in winter. Humidity is a big consideration as well. I believe the adhesives will fail in time and will cause loose joints. The other big consideration for me was weight! Those rubber backed drop inplace planks look amazing but require a perfectly flat subfloor or the high and low joints will broadcast through at seems. They are also very heavy. I was not interested in adding over 200 lbs of flooring to my trailer.

[Polaris]

The Novacore prestige is a very nice product but is very dense and heavy. What struck me first about the Press fit vinyl Planks was how light they were due to the hollow core construction. It was about have the weight of anything else thicker than 5 mm. I found a couple of products with the abs hollow core construction but Richmond Reflection's product had the thickest surface layer. Others were a thin plastic film layer that I thought would scratch too easily or puncture if something with sharp corners was dropped on it.