Community Forums

nothermark · 02-02-2018, 05:25 PM

It seems to me that vinyl is going to expand and contract with temperature. It's a characteristic of the material. That leaves me wondering what is worse, opening gaps at the edges or gaps between glued planks to let in dirt.

BonS · 02-02-2018, 05:33 PM

I removed the carpet from the bedroom and went with vinyl planks from Shaw Industries. It's typically only lightly glued around the perimeter but I glued everything as a precaution against movement. I don't have slides that roll on it. The vinyl does shrink in the cold and spaces open up at the plank ends. When the cabin warms up the vinyl expands and the gaps close back up. For that reason they should be installed when they're warm or buckling could result. I used thin paneling to bulk up the overall thickness to match the height of our tile in the front of the coach and the surfaces match perfectly without a toe-stubbing edge.

grindstone01 · 02-02-2018, 05:45 PM

I used floating wood planking from Home Depot in our fifth wheel and have been very happy with it. I did not glue it down but did fit it tight against the walls and cupboards. I did this based on the floor area being so small that expansion/contraction should not be a issue and in 3 years have not had any seams open up. I did have some slide scratches and it is easy to replace the panels since they are not glued down. By also fitting the panels tight to the wall, I only needed trim molding in 2 places under the sink seen in the picture below.

Honwing · 02-02-2018, 08:14 PM

Currently installing Luxury vinyl plank in our 2004 Itasca Horizon 40AD. While at the Tampa RV Show I received two quotes for installing 140 sq ft of LVP. In the bedroom and the lounge. First bid was $4,000 and the second was $800 higher.
When we returned back to Carrabelle Florida I begin a search for the best product and installation method. As I have two opposing slides in the lounge (neither slide will touch the floor) I went with LVP that will be glued down. I purchased all materials from Southern Flooring in Crawfordville after they came out to the RV to discuss our options.
Removed all carpet except what is on the slide and covered with furniture and the little bit of carpet up front under the Captain’s and passenger seats.. Today I glued down 3 sheets of 1/4” plywood in order to bring the foot up close to the height of the tiles. Over the next couple of days I will install the tile, transition mounding and maple quarter round where needed. All together my total cost will be less than $500. Not concerned with expansion/contraction as we keep the coach between 60 and 75 year round. Winter in Florida and Summer in Washington State. I found that humidity is a bigger problem with flooring than is temperature changes.
Last year I installed 1,660 sq ft of laminate floating floor in our Florida beach house (Costco) and did have problems with buckling in a hallway where I did not leave enough gap under some door jambs. VLP also saves a lot of weight which also entered into our decision. Photos later.

Honwing · 02-02-2018, 08:17 PM

Sorry. Meant floor up close to the height of the 1/2” tiles

mbridinger · 02-03-2018, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SlaterDoc

I am also adding it in place of the carpet and vinyl tiles in the front. However, after watching a couple of videos of others doing it, speaking with several flooring installers and reading a number of threads on here, I am not using the "floating" type. Instead I am using the LVT that is glued down. One reason is the slides do ride over it. Plus, there is too much movement when traveling. Others have experienced a number of problems with the floating style with seams opening up from the wide temp changes. That is why the kitchen tiles being scraped off have not seen those issues in the rig's 14 years.

I have glue-down as well. 3 years and going strong.

dkwalsh · 02-03-2018, 08:11 AM

Thanks to all who replied. Seems glue-down is the way to go if we decide to go that route. I much appreciate all of the good information!

tinagh · 02-04-2018, 02:07 PM

I installed the ALLURE with glue strips last spring in our Motorhome. Easy to install. I noticed a couple gaps after a cold weather stint. But the gap has reduced with warmer weather. Overall I'm very happy with the new flooring!

Gary RVRoamer · 02-05-2018, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Installed ALLURE with adhesive strips. Use this same product in our house a few years back and was very happy with the results. Unfortunately this time around the product was defective. With in a few months separation at the joints and cracking.

That's what I was referring to in my earlier post. The adhesive strips are not adequate to tie planks together in an RV, where flex, expansion and moisture are a daily affair. You must use an snap-together interlocking plank and one that is thick enough to form a mechanically solid joint. The interlocking joints are also more water resistant if there is a spill. In the Allure brand, the Ultra has this feature but the standard (lower priced) grade does not (adhesive strips only). Material costs are a small part of an RV flooring job (not many sq ft of surface to cover), so spend a little extra extra for the good stuff.

Allure (Trafficmaster) cautions against installation in damp areas, even the basement of a fixed house. Especially for DIY installers who lack experience and skills to deal with problem areas. They also caution against installation where the environment is not temperature controlled, which described most RVs.

Wbonsell · 02-05-2018, 12:01 PM

We installed LVT planking over a year ago. Looks great but it is a bit soft and will scratch. But we have extra planks and scratched ones are easily removed with a bit of heat and a new plank applied as the glue will soften with heat.

The only downside is that since our main slide rolls(?) over the flooring, there is a bit of a track developing. Also since we left the carpeting on the actual slide, be careful regarding how the existing carpeting is rolled up under the slide base. Ours is stapled underneath and a couple of staples caused significant scratches until we removed them. But with pets and all, the LVT is certainly better than the carpeting we had. We did leave the carpeting in the bedroom as the vinyl flooring can be pretty cold on a frosty morning.

nothermark · 02-06-2018, 05:45 AM

Kind of off topic but not. We have vinyl for the flooring but throw rug on it for the cold and dog in the "family room" space. It gives her a non skid landing pad when she gets off the couch and us a warmer place when barefoot. Easy to roll and take outside to shake off to clean. Gets tossed in the washer occasionally. It seems to me that vinyl or wood plank would benefit from the same idea.

grindstone01 · 02-06-2018, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nothermark

Kind of off topic but not. We have vinyl for the flooring but throw rug on it for the cold and dog in the "family room" space. It gives her a non skid landing pad when she gets off the couch and us a warmer place when barefoot. Easy to roll and take outside to shake off to clean. Gets tossed in the washer occasionally. It seems to me that vinyl or wood plank would benefit from the same idea.

...

Why bother installing wood/planking if you are going to cover the floor with rugs? As far as cleaning or removing the carpet, now that ours has been replaced a couple of times, it would be easy to remove for cleaning and just restaple back in place if desired. We currently just replace/change the carpet every 2 years, it's that easy and you know what they say about a happy wife.

Gary RVRoamer · 02-06-2018, 08:29 AM

I kind of agree with grindstone. We chose to replace with more carpet in the lounge area, avoiding the concern about slide scratches/tracks, colder floors, etc. We did, however, put a good grade of laminate in the bedroom area where the slide rides above the floor instead of on it. Also could use a thicker under-layer of insulation there.

Sheet vinyl is often a good alternative for towable RVs where there are no driver seats. pedals, etc. to work around. There are some VERY nice sheet vinyl floors available - look beyond the cheap stuff. Wood and stone looks are available as well as the more classic patterns.

Frutza · 02-06-2018, 09:01 AM

Did Lvt, do your home work, my questions were the cold, this year it’s been 15 below, the big box stores only knew what was printed. My local suppliers were able to contact the rep. In short, the name exscapes me, but it was an interlocking cork backed and one of the thicker wear layers, everything expands and contracts, so get one the manufacturer recommends for temp extremes, the same with the adhesive,