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Old 01-12-2020, 08:10 PM   #1
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Vinyl Plank Flooring

My 2014 fiver came with the same ugly, brown "Beaufloor" that probably 75% of RVs built in 2014-15 came with. I'd love to change it to something brighter.
I am not a full timer, live in FL and do not run the hvac while not in use so the interior is subjected to temps in the high 30's to the upper 90's.
I have been looking around the web at the few of the various wood look vinyl plank flooring manufacturers and they all say the same.....for use in a climate controlled environment.
I know that this product has been installed in some RVs. I would love to hear from those who have done so. What product did you use, what temperature conditions is it subjected to, how long have you had it, and have there many any issues such as gaps and separation. Thanks!
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Old 01-12-2020, 08:14 PM   #2
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Look for the click-lock stuff that has a backing on it already. We used the Allure that Home Depot was selling and it separated a bit on the ends in some extreme temp changes.
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Old 01-12-2020, 08:24 PM   #3
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my son put vinyl in his camper. he never had a problem but sold it after a few years so I cant tell you how it was in the long term. we are in northern Ontario Canada so we have everything from - 30 to +30 in the summer. Celsius that is. now you can also get the water proof stuff. Not sure if that would work better or not. good luck with your decision.
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Old 01-12-2020, 08:35 PM   #4
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I used the stuff that Lowes sells in my Cedar Creek. Installed floating, but fastened it down below the slides, so it's not completely floating. With 20-30 degree temp swings, it will gap/separate in some places.



I have glue down LVT in our new DRV. It also has some gaps here and there. Not sure there is a true solution out there.


I thought some Lifestyles came with engineered hard wood? Thought of that route? Ernie Erkberg on Facebook installs a ton of it in Class A motorhomes, and it looks great. He uses tongue and groove style and glues it down, I think. May want to check him out.


If I was to do it over again, I think I'd get the high end sheet vinyl, pull our island up, and install it. No gapping, and it's about 1/3 the weight of LVT.



Want to confuse your flooring supply people? Ask them how much it weighs per square foot. I had to weigh the box and do the math to get the answer - LVT is heavy. I figure I added about 4-500 pounds to my Cedar Creek when I installed it. I did the main floor, living/kitchen slides, stairs and bathroom.
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Old 01-12-2020, 08:54 PM   #5
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AkNavy, thanks for the input. The engineered hardwood floor in the LS fivers was an option I did not get. I have seen many of them scratched by the slide-outs in LS fivers as well as other RVs.
I really want to do something with the floor because its just so dark.
I figure I will get some good input here, for sure. Thanks!
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Old 01-12-2020, 08:57 PM   #6
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AkNavy, thanks for the input. The engineered hardwood floor in the LS fivers was an option I did not get. I have seen many of them scratched by the slide-outs in LS fivers as well as other RVs.
I really want to do something with the floor because its just so dark.
I figure I will get some good input here, for sure. Thanks!

LVT scratches really easily too. Easier than the hardwood, I think. I've replaced planks in the Cedar Creek from scratching, and the DRV has some scratched ones. When in the store, scratch a sample with a key to check it out. Laminate would be the perfect surface, but I don't think the cardboard plank would be good.
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Old 01-16-2020, 01:26 PM   #7
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I am interested in doing some peel & stick vinyl plank in my 5th wheel as well. I have seen a few youtube videos of people doing it in rv's but you don't get the information about how well it holds up.
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Old 01-16-2020, 02:03 PM   #8
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There's a reason why carpet and sheet vinyl were used for decades, before the trend to mimic stick-built homes There are some really nice sheet vinyls available these days and that's the trouble-free way to go. I saw this incredible New Horizons at the Tampa RV show Tues. Wish now I would've looked closer at the flooring. But, as shown, even NH uses carpet on the slides.
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Old 01-16-2020, 02:23 PM   #9
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Since posting this I have been looking all over the web for different types and brands of vinyl planks. I think the idea is out now......all the manufacturers say the same thing about temperatures and separation as well as not for use in RV and similar situations that would have the temperature swings an RV does.
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Old 01-16-2020, 04:58 PM   #10
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We have a number of luxury vinyl tile manufacturers in our town, including Tarkett.

The very best performing is a glue down vinyl floor. But it must be installed on plywood and a special Domco 404 mastic is a requirement. Home Depot/Lowes doesn't sell any glues that work properly.

I've also used the LVT in a couple of basements, and it's great stuff and looks just like wood. Fortunately our local flooring stores can retail it for $1.50 a square foot (seconds).
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Old 01-16-2020, 05:06 PM   #11
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There's a reason why carpet and sheet vinyl were used for decades, before the trend to mimic stick-built homes There are some really nice sheet vinyls available these days and that's the trouble-free way to go. I saw this incredible New Horizons at the Tampa RV show Tues. Wish now I would've looked closer at the flooring. But, as shown, even NH uses carpet on the slides.
I saw the video of this NH rig and it is just Amazing !! That kitchen is my dream kitchen !! LOVE it , sadly we could never afford it.
One day I'll upgrade the flooring in our rig, however I plan to still have carpet on the slides and bedroom. Will replace with a much higher end woven wool blend carpet. The kitchen and living area of our rig already has decent wood look vinyl plank flooring.
That New Horizons though ..... Drool drool drool :-D
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Old 01-16-2020, 06:16 PM   #12
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Copied from an older thread:

FYI, out of curiosity, (because of the expansion/contraction issue) I cut a plank of the Home Depot LifeProof LVP to exactly 30" while inside at 70 degrees, and then threw it outside one night for a couple of hours at -5F.

Then I measured the length.

29-15/16. 1/16 contraction with 75 degree change.

So, you don't need a big edge gap, but you do need one, unless you install at whatever max temp your rig might hit while buttoned up tight in the hot sun. If you do that, you'll only ever have to worry about shrinkage.


I've seen sheet vinyl split in unheated homes subjected to below-zero temps several times, where plank vinyl was ok. My theory is that, just as poured concrete needs expansion joints along which cracks can occur without harm, vinyl needs to be able to accommodate some of the modulus expansion/contraction, and, while planking provides a bunch of cracks which can individually absorb some of the change, sheet vinyl doesn't.

If I was subjecting an RV to big temp changes, I'd go for planking over sheet.


(ETA: Unless maybe it was a pure floating sheet, with no loads holding it in place anywhere.)

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Old 01-16-2020, 08:29 PM   #13
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Its not the edges that sound like the issue but all the joints. I have read that the planks will separate at each joint and then do not go back together due to the locking "device" being damaged as it pulls apart.
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Old 01-16-2020, 11:10 PM   #14
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"Its not the edges that sound like the issue but all the joints."

Sure, but at 0.0625" contraction at 30" (which is 0.0020833" per inch), for each 6" wide board you're getting 0.0125 of a gap appearing, which is 1/5th of 1/16th", which isn't enough, I don't think, to crack a lock, and is well within the normal play in each joint anyway so there won't be any huge stress on any one individual joint.

But on a 10' sheet, it's 1/4" total contraction, which, if you have an anchored sheet, is a lot of stress that's going to manifest itself somewhere (especially when the vinyl loses elasticity at very low temps.)

And I've not seen any cold-soaked planking where the gaps got big enough to break the locking sides. Just let it float.
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