New Floor, old leaks, and Other Mods

[clarkst]

We purchased our first class A 2 months ago and recently found leaks around both slide outs during a hard rain. Some investigation showed the leaks were not new and the floor was rotted around both slide outs. The dealership forgot who we are and the extended warranty does not cover this damage. We tackled the problem our selves, and, thinking we fixed the leak problems proceeded with laying a new Allure floor (more on the leak later).
Allure posts in many RV forums are not that flattering and talk about a smell associated with the product. I asked our friends at HD about this and we were told those manufacturing issues where no longer. We ordered our floor and prepped the motorhome by removing the old smelly carpet and laying a thin insulation underlayment (not necessary according to HD folks, but would help in the areas of noise and cold).
The floor arrived and I stacked it in the motor home and let it set for a couple days (did I mention we are living it the motor home while we are doing this?). I started the installation at the wall that seemed to be the "most" square and straight and worked my way out and across the area. I used a utility knife to do all the cuts and it worked well; score and bend, just like small pieces of drywall. The sticky parts need to be tended all the time, make sure they are covered with the supplied paper until you are ready to join them. The sticky stuff is strong and if you press them together you wont get them apart without causing damage to one or both pieces of flooring. The floor looks and smells great! The carpet smell is gone and the place seems cleaner and brighter.
I added a sliding cover for the stairwell and put Allure on that as well (the cover is plywood riding on some drawer bearings and can be opened and closed with your foot). We also took the opportunity to paint walls and cabinets and remove the horrible window valences and curtain.
We tore out the dinette and sold the couch, so not much to sit on until we replace.
The leak - not quite fixed yet and I see the previous owner, or someone, tried to fix with loads of caulking and tape. A big storm is coming in tomorrow so I will have to cover with a tarp for now.
We took out the accordion doors and put in sliding closet doors to better control noise, light and temp (we have a 2 year old living in the bunk bed but she is looking for a job so we have some hope...). I also put some LEDs around one of the slide outs for some nice indirect lighting. Colors and stuff can be changed and controlled, but we find shades of white the nest for us.
In my mind I have attached pictures, I hope they are viewable.

[mhbell]

Looks like you did a great job of remodeling your RV. I have done mods to every rv I've owned.
Mel

[toadog]

Hi , Looks nice any problem with the slide scratching the allure.

[sbleiweiss]

I added a sliding cover for the stairwell and put Allure on that as well (the cover is plywood riding on some drawer bearings and can be opened and closed with your foot).

Nice floor. I am interested in the sliding cover. From the picture it looks like it rides higher than the main floor to clear. Isn't this a tripping issue when it is not slid into the door well? Or am I missing something?

[clarkst]

Originally Posted by mhbell

Looks like you did a great job of remodeling your RV. I have done mods to every rv I've owned.
Mel

Thanks Mel.. I wish I wasn't living in it while we are doing it!

[clarkst]

Originally Posted by toadog

Hi , Looks nice any problem with the slide scratching the allure.

Thanks!
No problems yet.....

[clarkst]

Originally Posted by sbleiweiss

I added a sliding cover for the stairwell and put Allure on that as well (the cover is plywood riding on some drawer bearings and can be opened and closed with your foot).

Nice floor. I am interested in the sliding cover. From the picture it looks like it rides higher than the main floor to clear. Isn't this a tripping issue when it is not slid into the door well? Or am I missing something?

Thank you!
You are correct, it can be a toe stubber, but most of the time it is closed over the well and out of the way, and we have become used to it and seem to not thump it any more. We also plan to attach a floor mat to the slider so it is easier to see! When it was plain plywood it was easy to see, now that it blends in we want to add some contrast. But, it is mostly closed so not a significant issue (we have a 2 year old exploring every crevice so we like to keep things closed up). We have some trim to add to the outer edges too which will make it less blunt, but I am on to so many other projects I am leaving that for a colder winter day.

[alvo]

Originally Posted by clarkst

We tore out the dinette and sold the couch

Probably one of the best changes you could make. They're always touted as features (Sleeps 14!) as if that's what people do living in these things. The dinettes are always uncomfortable, ugly, and space hogs; the couch always seem to come in some sort of Mary Tyler Moore Show color scheme floral print.

I would love to see photos of what it looks like after you get the new furnishings in place.

[toadog]

Good to here, will try in the spring.I am tired of the carpets.

[Jim_HiTek]

Good job so far...and it's great that your 2 yo is out looking for a job. With that extra money coming in, you can afford even more mods.