hardwood or laminate?

[Rick 2005 Dolphin 5376]

Good day all. I'm about ready to take out the carpet in the Dolphin and replace with bamboo or laminate. The area I am going to replace will be from the rear of the drivers seat, through the living area / kitchen, toilet room and vanity area. The Bedroom will stay carpeted.
Question: How do laminates do around water? The kitchen and shower area always get a few drops of water on the floor during use.
Who's done it? How hard is it and what did you use?
Thanks for the help

[bldr11]

I just did mine with laminate. The temperature fluctuations and humidity would affect the hardwood.

[Theberrys]

Our Laminate Project has held up for over two years now, no problems and your right it does get wet sometimes.
Here are some pictures of our floor project.
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=ae67f...2766057%211681

We used the Dupont Brand from the Homedepot. Here is a link to the selections Flooring - Laminate Flooring - DuPont*at The Home Depot

You do need to buy this tool kit. Accutite Wedge Laminate Flooring Installation Kit-TL129341 at The Home DepotWithout the wedge in this kit it's impossible.
Watch these videos and you'll be a lot better off. DuPont? Real Touch® Premium Laminate Flooring Installation Videos

We liked this product because of the locking method and the fact that it has the backing pre installed, so there's nothing needed between the floor and the product.

It took us about five days to complete the job from just behind the cockpit chairs to the bedroom door.

Just be sure there are no staples left in the floor and that the slide has no protruding screws on the bottom surface.

OH Yea we really like it. The Throw Rugs now stay where we put them, and cleaning up after the Dogs is easy, with the central vac I installed. But that's another story

Dick
Dick

[Rick 2005 Dolphin 5376]

You did a great Job on that floor Dick. I'm feeling better about doing this on my own. I had a guy come out that does this as a side line. Materials and $80.00 an hour for labor? A little rich for my blood. I don't see this as a $80.00 an hour job.

[Theberrys]

I can see him needing $80 an hour if that's how he makes his living, but I can't see me paying that for a floor in the coach. Ours cost around $750 in materials and really with the Videos and the Tool Kit it wasn't very tough to do, just a little hard work and a few days for a lot of usefull results. The slide can be a problem area. Ours wasn't but not many models have the kitchen in the slide. Also the entry Door requires a few decisions, ours is a front entry so by cutting it off behind the cockpit seats we jumped slik on that. So ours was probably as easy as it gets, but still it's well worth doing yourself if at all possible.

Dick

[two2go]

Floor replacement is on my to do sometime soon list. I am pretty much ruling out laminate. When I think of all the water incidents we have experienced with RVs, laminate just doesn't seem like a good idea for us. We just had a nasty surprise when I retracted the LR slide after an all night rain and about two gallons of water spilled off the slide roof onto the carpet by the dinette. If that had been laminate, the water would have gotten underneath and the particle board layer would swell and destroy itself. Been there, done that with a kitchen installation. I know lots of folks have successful laminate floor installations. But we just seem to attract water more than most I guess. I am leaning to Allure or regular glued-down tiles.

[Sohapi]

We are also considering re-doing our floors, and one of the products we are looking out is cork. Has anyone re-done their floors in the new cork products?

[clyon51]

We did our new home in laminate a few years ago. The problem is water. If it lays on it over a seam, it will swell and buckle at the seam. It will also buckle if water gets under it.

When we did the MH, we used Allure, which is a solid vinyl flooring, but installed just like laminate. The only tools you need is a utility knife and installs much easier. It's available at Home Depot.

[NFlcamper]

Engineered plank! Do NOT use anything with press board for middle layers. Used to work for 2 different companies installing, repairing, refinishing hardwood floors. I have seen engineered plank flooded and then dried with dehumidifiers and you couldn't tell they had been under water. Hardwood would have warped. Laminate with press wood would have been swollen. Engineered plank is like plywood - layers of wood and glue, with each layer of wood turning 90 degrees from the previous one. If you buy a quality brand and product, if ever needed, it may be sanded and refinished like real hardwood floors in your stick home.

[Theberrys]

The Dupont Product doesn't have the water problem. The pictures are a piece that has been in the glass of water for almost 24 Hours.
The other two things that influenced my decision was the pre installed backing and the joint design.
I knew I was going to have to slide this stuff under the slideout for a few inches and having the backing attached to the plank really helped get it in the right place.
The joint design is really impressive. You can see in the pictures how tight it is so water really doesn't have a chance to get through to the sub floor.
Also I absolutely wanted a floating floor in a Motor Home because of the constant movement.
Dick

[Mr_D]

I wouldn't use the laminates in a MH. Our 2000 DSDP can with Wilsonart. Some of the joints were too wide so Newmar had it replaced twice (the last was due to water damage from a dog dish that spilled and wasn't noticed till the next morning). The last time we paid extra and had real tile installed.
Put Pergo in the stick house using the correct joint glue, cat's knocked over a watering can and the next day the water had swelled the joints up.
I would never use a laminate where water can spill on it.

[Rick 2005 Dolphin 5376]

I'm thinking the Allure product from HD as well. I brought home a few samples yesterday. I think we are going with the Dark Bamboo. 5 boxes aught to do the trick.

[Theberrys]

Originally Posted by Rick 2005 Dolphin 5376

I'm thinking the Allure product from HD as well. I brought home a few samples yesterday. I think we are going with the Dark Bamboo. 5 boxes aught to do the trick.

A lot of folks have used the Allure with very good reports. The only thing that put me off using it was the temp spec. But you never really know about specs, sometimes they are only there to protect the company selling the product.

Dick

[Ernie Ekberg]

Originally Posted by Theberrys

The Dupont Product doesn't have the water problem. The pictures are a piece that has been in the glass of water for almost 24 Hours.
The other two things that influenced my decision was the pre installed backing and the joint design.
I knew I was going to have to slide this stuff under the slideout for a few inches and having the backing attached to the plank really helped get it in the right place.
The joint design is really impressive. You can see in the pictures how tight it is so water really doesn't have a chance to get through to the sub floor.
Also I absolutely wanted a floating floor in a Motor Home because of the constant movement.
Dick
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I hope you corrected your joints before you proceeded any further.
you don't have to have a floating floor in a coach.