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Old 07-27-2010, 11:35 AM   #1
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Walls attached to floating laminate floor?

I've read through some posts on this topic but guess I'm looking for a little more validation that what I'm about to do -- or not do -- is ok. I have an '81 Excella II that is completely gutted and I'm at the stage where we're ready to start putting her back together. We're not purists so we're customizing to our liking. We've repaired rotten floor, fixed all electrical and plumbing, added some new insulation in areas where we had the interior skin off, painted all screens, window coverings, and vinyl clad walls, and now we're wanting to put down the laminate flooring. We purchased some click-lock planks and I'm wondering if we should lay the entire floor before re-installing and building new walls and furniture. I like the idea of doing the floor first because it would be easier to install and would be a consistent covering underneath the cabinets and furniture. My concern is the floating aspect. If we put the floor down first and then attach walls and furnishing through the laminate to the subfloor are we asking for trouble? Will the planks end up buckling/separating as they expand and contract?
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Old 07-27-2010, 01:48 PM   #2
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I laid my Pergo-type flooring (clic-loc) before doing anything else, as you want to do- and have had no problems with any buckling. BUT- I do live, and travel, in the semi-arid western states, AND I drilled larger holes in the flooring than the screws I used to hold the divider walls in place, to allow them to expand and contract a little bit. Short story: try to allow for some floor movement, and I think you'll be just fine. Have fun! -tim
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Old 07-27-2010, 01:52 PM   #3
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We used a floating laminate floor when we did our re-do and we had everything out but the fridge and the shower (even the cabinet surrounds were taken off) and it went in in 2 days and everything went on top ok. One bad stomach night for our 3 year old we new that the hard work was worth it since the mess wiped up and in carpet it would have been a nightmare.
That said we wouldn't use it again. While putting back the sofa one of the metal leg frames chipped the surface so we had almost instant problem. It never met the walls where it could be seen and we never figured out the best option to hide it. If there is a next time we are thinking of vinyl, Lowes has newer peel and sticks not the old 12x12 tiles that are plank in style and look like wood. The thought being we could cut it exactly to the walls with no expansion gap. I guess someone would have to try it and say whether it too has it's own unique problems.
Lastly we didn't have any trouble attaching the dinette etc to the floor through the laminate.
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Old 07-27-2010, 02:20 PM   #4
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I installed Armstrong Flooring in the front half of my trailer and removed all the cabinets except the sink. When reinstalling the cabinets I drilled a 1 in. hole as clearance at each location that screwed directly to the sub-floor. I think if I were doing a complete trailer I would install any WALL first and work around them and consider them as fixed points. Cabinets including the sink cabinet could be floated as mentioned above.

The advantage of removing the cabinets over and above the ease of installation is you don't have all that 1/4 round, to cover the gap, staring you in the face at the seams.
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Old 07-27-2010, 02:47 PM   #5
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I intend to float a floor in my 1976 Sovereign. I have the living area and rear sleeping area opened up and I intend to cut around cabinets, closets, and bathroom. My laminate floor will float and be removable in whole or in part. I'm going to lay in a piece of carpet in the bathroom and on the closet floor.
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Old 07-27-2010, 05:32 PM   #6
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Thanks to everyone for their input. If we do the laminate I think we'll follow the advice and drill holes through the laminate that are larger than the screws to allow for movement - great idea! We might still go with the vinyl peal-and-stick. The only think I like better about the laminate is putting the underlayment that softens the floor, dampens sound, and provides a vapor barrier for all of the unknowns that occur in the belly pan. However, the ease of installation of the vinyl planks is certainly appealing. Anyone used the vinyl peal-and-stick planks directly on top of the plywood floor? We're replaced a few sections of our floor so we have some small seams. We've sanded so that it's a smooth transition from old to new. Also, we've painted the floor with Kilz - would that be a problem if we wanted to do the vinyl? Thanks again for all of the input.
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Old 07-27-2010, 05:42 PM   #7
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Just to add, we put our snap in flooring after the cabinets were all in and done. We found that cutting around everything was a slight pain as we tried to get it as close as possible to the cabinets. I don't think we will have any issue with buckling since at any given section there is only 1 piece spanning the width but we will see.

We went this route so I could pull it up easily if we have an issues with water later. Also, allows us to see the plywood easily under cabinets and the bed and catch any water early on. We did coat the entire plywood floor with epoxy so under the cabinets in storage spaces has a finished look.
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Old 07-27-2010, 06:47 PM   #8
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We did coat the entire plywood floor with epoxy so under the cabinets in storage spaces has a finished look.
Interesting! What epoxy? Like the garage floor stuff? Or what?

Thanks!

Gary
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Old 07-27-2010, 07:06 PM   #9
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Gary,
Yeah, the garage floor stuff but for wood adherance. We got it at Shermin Williams. It is called Tile Clad (1 gallon part A and 1 set gallon B which did 2 coats). I had used it on my shop floor which is also wood and it doesn't let water in at all. Great barrier. It can also be tinted. The shop floor is a light blueish and the camper, we tinted it tan. We also had to replace the floor in the rear end so used the epoxy around the edges there also so seepage wouldn't happen. Here is a photo back when, of the epoxy on the floor before everything inside was built:

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Old 07-28-2010, 08:02 AM   #10
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A friend used the peel-and-stick vinyl plank flooring in his Avion, and it was an unmitigated disaster. It has all shrunk, and curled, it did not work! I would choose either sheet vinyl, or clik-lock pergo, cork, or marmoleum.
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Old 07-28-2010, 09:29 AM   #11
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I've not got a horse in this race, but I can add that I have seen maybe twenty Airstreams with vinyl tiles and at least 15 of them had some problems with the tiles either shrinking, or the adhesive becoming soft so tiles could slide or curl up or something like that.

I think the rule is that stiff tiles with a separate adhesive work well, and flexible soft tiles with peel and stick backs do not, due to heat and humidity.
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Old 07-29-2010, 04:35 PM   #12
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I really want to do glued-down cork tiles, then layer on the walls, cabinets, fixtures, etc. but I fear the seams will be a problem later with heat and cold. Has anyone laid sheet vinyl? I know this is what the factory does. Seems like the best route. Glue it down and staple the edges to ensure it doesn't curl up if the glue fails.
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Old 11-19-2010, 09:01 AM   #13
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If you dont use floating floors can you just attach cabinet frames directly to the subfloor? Is their anything special I need to do about attaching to the subfloor? Thank You all!
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Old 11-19-2010, 09:17 AM   #14
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If you dont use floating floors can you just attach cabinet frames directly to the subfloor? Is their anything special I need to do about attaching to the subfloor? Thank You all!

The Airstream employees who made my trailer used diagonally installed screws through the base boards of the cabinets to the floor deck.

Gary
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Old 06-28-2011, 06:30 AM   #15
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I know this is an old thread but a silly question please. We have prepped our floor, painted with Kilz, have an underlayment down, and are ready to install laminate flooring around existing cabinets. Once I cut and install the floor, living the required 1/4 inch gap, what keeps the flooring from shifting side to side? Or is it unnoticeable?
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Old 06-28-2011, 05:09 PM   #16
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The weight of the floor itself should keep it from sliding. We also put a 1/8" foam/plastic sheeting (moisture and sound barrier) underneath the flooring (thinner than you would use in a house). This should help as well.
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Old 06-28-2011, 05:30 PM   #17
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Kind of had a feeling it was a silly question. Thanks, we have the underlayment down and will be doing the floors over the holiday weekend. Just had that momentary mental drift... Having fun. Went to the Glen Rose Rally in TX and holy cow, we have been busy ever since. New stereo, new speakers, Skye made new covers for the speakers, new screens going in, ripped out the carpet, installing flooring (and the many steps in between), replaced the Univolt with an Intelipower 9260. Ordered new reclining chairs... And we thought we really loved it "before" we went! Silly Rallies, Darn you Highland Lakes Unit!
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Old 06-28-2011, 05:42 PM   #18
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I'm a long way from doing the floor in my trailer but I've thought about it a lot. IMHO it's easier to make changes later if you put in the cabinets and walls first.

You may not think you would ever want to change the floor again but what if water gets in between the finished floor and the subfloor? What if the material is defective and it curls, marks, shrinks, fades from the sun..... It's a straight forward switch-out if its not under the cabinets. Plus you have the added benefit of being able to see any water damage. My dad was am accomplished woodworker and I remember him saying that wood getting wet was not a problem. Wood getting wet and not being able to dry out WAS a problem. I think epoxying the subfloor before laying anything is an excellent idea.

I HATE the look of shoe molding too, but I think its the lessor of two evils here. I'm hoping to find some sort of cool aluminum trim instead!
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Old 06-28-2011, 07:20 PM   #19
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so just for grins...How "DOES" everyone that has to use molding attach it. I know I can pop nails into the wood under the beds and in the bath, but I am not going to be driving nails into the aluminum. So, do you glue it to the wall?
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Old 06-28-2011, 08:52 PM   #20
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I have seen some posts where people have used trim and the ones I have seen use a glue of some sort and attach it to the walls (not the flooring). Some used quarter round, others have used the rubber trim like office buildings have which is more flexible for the curves. We didn't leave a gap at all on ours because I didn't want to have to trim it out (I know we probably should have). I figure it it starts to buckle, I could trim later. No buckling or gaps yet in over a year. The only issue we have is we do get some squeaks walking close to cabinets where it rubs slightly but I can live with that.

@reinergirl - I agree as well on flooring after cabinets. We used a floating floor and I want to be able to replace it easily if needed and also pull it up if we find leaks. We also coated the under floor on top with epoxy to seal it off.

Here is a shot after epoxy:


Here is one with the flooring down:
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