Community Forums

jeffwit · 07-01-2014, 04:36 PM

Rick (bamaboy),
I've seen it both ways, so I don't think there is a usual. I think it's a personal preference thing.
Honestly, I was hoping to get away with just the walkway, but the DW said she wanted under the dining table to be hard surface as well. So, vinyl on everything it is. Happy wife....

jeffwit · 07-01-2014, 04:46 PM

RickO that looks nice! Did you do it?

mikeh2obury · 07-01-2014, 06:41 PM

what about using the discs designed for moving heavy furniture?

93 Southwind
2001 Saturn SC2 toad

bamaboy473 · 07-01-2014, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeffwit

Rick (bamaboy),
I've seen it both ways, so I don't think there is a usual. I think it's a personal preference thing.
Honestly, I was hoping to get away with just the walkway, but the DW said she wanted under the dining table to be hard surface as well. So, vinyl on everything it is. Happy wife....

My preference off the bat would have been wood or faux planking, but our slide tilts while on it's travel, so vinyl makes a lot more sense.

Removing the sofa/bed will be a PITA, what with the size and weight...and we can't get it out of the coach, so working around the gorilla.

Have you seen any issues with doing the slide floor other than moving the built-ins?

bamaboy473 · 07-01-2014, 08:51 PM

WAIT!! for you 1%ers that have ceramic or hardwood on your homes, do you have any idea about how that got done correctly?

Ernie?

Ernie Ekberg · 07-02-2014, 05:16 AM

Don't know about ceramic, as my job is usually to remove it. The sofa comes apart. unbolt it from the floor and move it to the main floor. In the back, you can see how it is put together

jeffwit · 07-02-2014, 01:23 PM

The saga continues. I contacted Apalachee RV about doing the floor for me. I emailed some pictures of the interior and asked for a round-about quote. The guy emailed back and told me he is reluctant to give a quote without seeing the rig. He told me their labor fee is $120/hour. I understand he can't quote it without seeing it, but I'm trying to get an idea of what I might have to spend. You all who have done this, about what did you spend? (If you don't mind telling me.) Any clue how many hours labor I might be looking at? I've already removed most of the carpet and tile from the interior. And finally, does $120/hour sound about right for labor?
I'm trying really hard to talk the DW into just letting me do it. But if the price is decent on the pro install, she'll want to go that route so it will be completed for our Maine trip.

Ernie Ekberg · 07-02-2014, 04:35 PM

Jeff, I f you go the route of that rv place, I suspect you may be out 5 grand +, by the time they figure out how to do your job.

Dan_public · 07-02-2014, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bamaboy473

WAIT!! for you 1%ers that have ceramic or hardwood on your homes, do you have any idea about how that got done correctly?

Ernie?

I'm not a 1%'er, but I have a good understanding about tile installation because I did it myself. I installed custom cut Travertine on my bathroom floor and Limestone in the shower, tub surround, and vanity top. After several very bad experiences, I found the old adage to be true, "If you want it done right...". (For a complex installation, stone is very difficult to do correctly and far more difficult to do than ceramic or porcelain tile. Unless you're anal retentive or a masochist, I don't recommend installing natural stone. It can be challenging.) In any case, I learned a lot.

I used Schluter Kerdi under the wall tiles and Ditra under the floor and vanity: Schluter Systems - Homepage - Schluter-Systems. Ditra provides an uncoupling layer between the floor and the tile that allows some floor movement with causing the tile to buckle and the grout to come out.

In my bathroom, I ripped out the existing subfloor and installed 2X12 blocking to stabilize the floor joists. Over that is a 3/4" tongue and groove plywood subfloor. Over that is 3/8" plywood. And over that is the Ditra and then the travertine.

To help ensure that the grout would not pop out, I used epoxy grout. It's a bit technique-sensitive to install, but it does not need to be cleaned like cementitious grouts and it's a bit flexible to help prevent cracking.

In any case, for tile to work well, the floor must be very solid and NOT flex. Ditra MIGHT help by allowing for some small flex, but the floor underneath need to be solid. Whether you can achieve this in your RV is an open question that I can't answer.

I hope this helps. If you'd like more info about home tile installation, please let me know. I'll try to provide more info.

Regards,

Dan.

Ernie Ekberg · 07-02-2014, 05:44 PM

Dan, was your installation in a home?

jeffwit · 07-02-2014, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ernie Ekberg

Jeff, I f you go the route of that rv place, I suspect you may be out 5 grand +, by the time they figure out how to do your job.

Ouch! I feared as much. That's too much, right?
I guess the silver lining is that I can complete the job myself. I'll keep y'all posted.

Ernie Ekberg · 07-02-2014, 07:08 PM

Jeff, and others contemplating this: rv dealers are money grubbing hounds, they want your cash and advertise their " ability" to install your floors "like" the pros do it.
Check out real flooring retailers. Ask their installers who would like some cash money after they complete the jobs they contract from the stores they work for.

Hugmongous · 07-02-2014, 07:23 PM

Jeff.. my offer to help still stands. Maybe myself and bamaboy can help knock it out. When I did mine, it took a day to put the LVT in two baths and the living area and another day to trim it out -- I replaced carpet on the slides instead of attempting to cover the slides wiht LVT, per expert advice from Ernie.. as well as extensive consultation from him. Now, I don't have a Winnebago nor the issues you describe with the metal floor and such - but I did have ceramic tile that took me many many days to remove.

Good luck and let me know. I think if you find a good flooring person, you will save big $ over the $120 per hour RV repair rate you were quoted.