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Old 03-20-2010, 10:24 AM   #1
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RV Renovation

We are full timers and have lived in our Monaco for the past 6 years. It is time to replace our carpet. (who in their right mind would put cream colored carpet in a motorhome?)

I'm thinking about putting in a Pergo type floorcovering, but am worried about the slide out. This will be a do-it-yourself project. I'm worried about how to secure the flooring under the slide out so it doesn't buckle as the slide goes in and out. I'm also worried about the height of the material. I think it will be lower on the side where the new flooring is and this may tweek that end of the slide out.

This is an older motor home (1998 Monaco Diplomat) and doesn't have the flush floor on the slide.

Has anyone out there done this? How hard was it? What problems did you encounter?

TIA
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Old 03-20-2010, 10:41 AM   #2
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We installed Armsrtong's best grade of laminate (because Consumer Report rated it high for abrasion resistance). It us about 10 days working 3 to 4 hours a day. It wasn't really hard, just had to do a lot of cutting.
The following is from a post I made about three years ago.

We did the installation of our flooring ourselves. We couldn't find an installer willing to do the job.
It took us about ten day’s altogether (we only worked about 4 hours a day though). It wasn't terribly difficult but did require a lot of cutting and trimming because of all of the corners.
There were some challenges involving the front of the slides, around the stairs, underneath the dinette, the transition piece between the driver’s area carpet and the laminate, and the trim piece along the back wall.

Before we did the installation we did a test by removing a square of carpet and making sure the slides would ride over a piece of T molding, laminate and underlayment.

Some people try to cut the carpet back under the slide, but we cut the carpet in front of the slides leaving enough carpet to be stapled down. I was afraid the slides would catch the carpet when the slide went back out. A Tee molding covers it so it doesn't show.

Also on my rig there is a transition from plywood to steel flooring under the carpet in the front - behind the captains chairs where the steel cabin cage begins. We did not remove the carpet in the cabin area. It is best to not put the laminate in the steel floor area because there is a small difference in height and the transition could be rough to handle.

If you do the job yourself I would recommend a few things to have:
1) Table saw, 2) Chop saw, 3) Good saber saw, 4) Rotozip tool, 5) Air brad nailer, 6) Air stapler, 7) Utility knife and sharp hook blades. 8 ) staple puller.

There were two grades of the foam underlayment available. We used the best grade - more expensive but thicker and provides a moisture barrier.
We also used a special waterproof joint glue in areas that are prone to getting wet - like in front of the sink, refrigerator, and around the stairwell. (This is used to glue the joints so spilled water can't get in the joints - not to glue the flooring to the subfloor).
We also used silicon caulk to fill the 1/4 gap at the edges in those areas.
The caulk and waterproof glue are both recommended in the instructions from Armstrong.

The challenge areas mentioned above might deserve more explanation if you actually decide to go ahead with the project.

Regarding the project; we are extremely happy with the results. It is very easy to clean and it looks good.

As far as the slides coming in goes, we have had one problem. The first few times we operated the slides everything was fine. Then we had a scratch show up in front of the dinette. The next time we brought the slide in we put a thin piece of plastic (flexible cutting board) down at that point. When the slide went back out the plastic was badly scratched and it left two paper clips on the plastic.
Apparently Damncat who loves to steal and play with them had batted them under the slide before we got the quarter round fixed to the front of the slide in that area.
Since then we have had no more scratches. We do vacuum carefully before we operate the slides. The good news is that the scratch is not noticeable and if you don’t know it’s there I don’t believe you will see it.

ADDENDUM:

There were places where the quarter round trim molding was difficult to attach. It couldn't be bradded or stapled because the angle the brad had to enter the trim was such that it would angle down and hit the floor.
We have decided to use some oak look 2 1/2 inch flat molding that I got at Home Depot. It can be attached on the edge of the bed and bradded to the bed.
I also got self adhesive door sweep strips that will be attached to the rear of the flat trim. It is a rubber strip with a stiff plastic strip along the top. We plan to use the flat trim and door sweep everywhere we had used the quarter round. The quarter round has come loose in several places because the contact cement and hot melt glue we had used to attach it didn't hold it very well.
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Old 03-20-2010, 11:35 AM   #3
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Thank you Clay!!!!

This was exactly the information I was looking for. I never thought of leaving carpet under the slide. The way our sofa sits, you couldn't even see that it is still there. I just didn't think of that. We have ceramic tile in the kitchen and bathroom, so don't have to worry about that part of the motor home.

I think I will just recarpet the driving area with a darker carpet.

Thanks so much for your information!!!!!!!
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Old 03-20-2010, 12:17 PM   #4
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Did you run the flooring side to side or lengthwise? I think if we ran it lengthwise it would be easier to cut the ends where the ceramic tile starts. There is kind of a "dog leg" angle of tile at the beginning of the kitchen. Just an idea. It may look better going the other way. Decisions, decisions.
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Old 03-20-2010, 01:52 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ruby2sday View Post
Did you run the flooring side to side or lengthwise? I think if we ran it lengthwise it would be easier to cut the ends where the ceramic tile starts. There is kind of a "dog leg" angle of tile at the beginning of the kitchen. Just an idea. It may look better going the other way. Decisions, decisions.
We ran it lengthwise because the installation guide said it would look better that way however I have seen some running side to side and it looked fine to me.
The cuts would be easier in general since you would be cutting across rather than ripping.
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Old 03-20-2010, 02:45 PM   #6
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Thanks a lot. It's always good to hear from someone who has actually done a project.
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Old 03-21-2010, 08:30 AM   #7
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One thing to watch for when redoing floors is changes in floor thickness (height). If the slide rollers contact the floor when in (not all do), a change in height will affect the angle of the slide floor, which in turn changes how the top of the slide fits against the sidewalls. A few peole have ended up with a slide that no longer came flat against the sidewall, leaving a gap at top or bottom (thicker floor results in gap at top, thinner yields a gap at bottom). If there is enough adjustment in the slide mechanism, this can be fixed (but adjusting a side is not simple).

Look at your existing floor for indents where the rollers rest when the slide is in. If you see an indent, be careful about thickness. Replacing a thick, compressible carpet with a similar thickness of non-compressible laminate could result in tilting the front of the slide up enough to cause a gap.
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Old 03-21-2010, 03:25 PM   #8
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Why doesn't IRV2 add a new thread called "Renovations or Remodeling" or something like that so all comments like these can be in one place.

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Old 03-21-2010, 05:14 PM   #9
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Yes, RV Roamer, that has been a concern of mine. I don't want to do anything that will compromise the fit of the slide. I am sooooooooo sick of this carpet, though. I've been able to keep it presentable until last summer when we hosted at a forest service campground that had lots of black ash in the dirt from a hundred or so years of campfires. Cream colored carpet and black ash don't go together very well. No amount of cleaning and throw rugs work. And............we got a new puppy last year. She still had accidents last summer.

I agree, CVRVR, it would be nice to have a spot for all of this type of question and answer to be together.
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Old 03-21-2010, 07:29 PM   #10
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Our coach came with newly installed hardwood floors and I don't think I would want it any differently. Looks great and is easy to clean. No issues with my slide rollers either.
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Old 03-22-2010, 05:50 AM   #11
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