Replacing Carpet with Vinyl Plank Flooring

[Boberp]

Hello,

We have a 1999 Winnebago adventurer 34-B with a slide out. We would really like to replace the worn-out carpeting with vinyl planking. Wondering if anyone has had this done and what if any issues did the slide out cause. Lastly what did it cost?

Thanks!,

Boberp

[geordi]

I did the interior of my entire coach, the cost will vary based on how much you decide to cover but I bought quality fully-waterproof with a natural wood top layer for about $800 for the entire coach.

Now do you have a raised slide or a flat-floor? I have both. The rollers will need adjustment (that's not hard) to properly ride on the new floor height, but the flat floor (if you have one) might need adjustment to avoid scratching the new flooring if it doesn't float over the top properly.

Don't get ANY product that is just a sticker / veneer top layer, as that cannot be repaired if it is scratched, and definitely avoid anything with an MDF layer as that will explode if it encounters water (which it most definitely will eventually). Plastic mid-layers are great, and any damage you find in the sub-floor can be solved by pouring epoxy resin all into it to create a rock-hard surface.

[FitzinMac]

Just did a 2001 Adventurer with a raised slide. We are contractors so got the flooring at wholesale. About $485 for the flooring. Hard part is getting the danged staples out. These morons with air powered staplers went nuts putting the carpet and power from. I stopped counting the ones I pulled out at 1,000! The tricky part in mine was getting all the carpeting out from under the inner edge of the slide. That was I could install the flooring without making a bunch of weird cuts. The last row is the toughest to get in and have the edges snap together properly. Be patient. We live how ours came out.

[FitzinMac]

That should read carpet and padding down

[Bobby F]

Originally Posted by FitzinMac

Hard part is getting the danged staples out. These morons with air powered staplers went nuts putting the carpet and power from. I stopped counting the ones I pulled out at 1,000!

My theory has always been that the manufacturers paid the carpet guys by the staple. Why use three when you can fit thirty in a spot?

[Boberp]

Thanks for the follow-up posts!

[sixkilo]

I did my 2002 Minnie-winnie with a floating plank[ 1/2 inch off walls]. Run out room and begin installation with a spacer placed along the wall. The length of that wall will probably be the best edge to key on. The slide in living room had poly covered skids. You cannot get to them without removing entire slide[$$$$$$]. So I beveled off left over planks to place at skid points that lift the slide over new floor and thus reduce scratch factor. Just put them along side of the room in the out position. I cut them to disappear with side in. Rear skids can be gotten out and covered with carpet. Not easy but doable.

[NeilV]

Originally Posted by Bobby F

My theory has always been that the manufacturers paid the carpet guys by the staple. Why use three when you can fit thirty in a spot?

I built equipment for making upholstered office partitions using a variety of carpet material and they usually use automatic fire staplers for this type of work in a factory. Hold down a straight edge, set the gun in continuous fire mode and just slide it down the guide until you reach the end. The guns often have extended magazines or use continuous wire that cut and formed into staples on the fly.


Saves hours of labor reducing its cost while the staples are relatively cheap by comparison.

[Our05Winneba]

You are going to have to change your slide glide strip.

The glide strip is a length (full length of the slide) of 3" wide nylon which fits under the inside edge of the slide. Its function is to take the weight of the slide as it is brought in. As originally built that glide strip will slide across the carpet as the it comes in, taking the weight of the slide. Actually works pretty well as carpet is tough stuff.

HOWEVER - when you remove the carpet and replace it with vinyl plank flooring (as we did in our 2005 Adventurer) the glide strip is no longer sliding on top of the carpet - but directly on your new vinyl floor - and it will quickly put scratches in it. This is why Winnebago specifies a different glide strip for use on vinyl plank floors - a glide strip which is made of wood and covered with felt. In that case the felt acts as the sliding surface and helps protect your solid floor.

Just be sure that your floor is clean before bringing in your slide, as you do not want the felt picking up and holding grit that could also scratch your vinyl fllor.

[jerichorick]

I know this has been a hot topic with lots of interest over the years. Materials are changing all the time. We are interested in replacing our vinyl flooring in the coach. These are self sticking tiles. Any suggestions for new flooring (Brand names) and how to deal with the left over tile stickum? One slide drops down and the other slides straight out.

[sixkilo]

You need to be aware that the heat can cause a fixed floor to buckle. Glue to ooze. My floating floor has tight seams that stay tight. The product is Coretec by US Floor. Cork backed thus not requiring underlayment. Water friendly.

[RollingJones]

Originally Posted by sixkilo

You need to be aware that the heat can cause a fixed floor to buckle. Glue to ooze. My floating floor has tight seams that stay tight. The product is Coretec by US Floor. Cork backed thus not requiring underlayment. Water friendly.

I would never recommend Coretec or US Floor. We had it installed in our house by a highly-rated local flooring company. We paid a bit more to have them both provide and install the Coretec, so that if there were any problems the installer couldn’t point the finger at the seller and vice versa. We specifically asked that the installation be done by employees and not sub-contractors, and delayed the project to do so. We had the material delivered weeks in advance so that it could acclimate, and read the product instruction manuals. But the installer appeared to be unfamiliar with the product (for example, the instructions say to use a pH neutral floor cleaner and I was having trouble finding one so I asked him for a recommendation and he said “What’s pH neutral?” then told me to use any vinyl floor cleaner). So at the risk of sounding like a Karen, I called the manager to express my concerns, and he said he’d talk to the installer (who, it turns out, was a sub-contractor with 20 years of experience) to make sure everything went smoothly. I mean we literally took every possible precaution. Sure enough, the installer used an incompatible adhesive or solvent and damaged planks at every doorway and transition. Then, instead of having someone who knew what they were doing replace the damaged planks, the company refused to take our calls, ignored our emails, and “weren’t in” when we showed up in person. Finally we contacted Coretec, and they said we had to deal directly with the provider who was ignoring us. Fortunately our credit card company refunded 100% of our money.