Community Forums

wb6epp · 01-18-2012, 06:14 AM

New to class "A" RVing, I bought a 1991 Monaco Signature 40 Ft. M/H with 37,000 miles on it. Mostly very nice shape, but has a few areas of concern. Someone layed Vinyl flooring in it and did a poor job as well as the style was poor choice. Now "Please no fighting"!!!
I would like a nice carpet, but I do see draw backs, so I am looking for you kind people that has had some time in one to help me make a good decession regardiing this manor. Carpet would provide warmth, and noise reduction, but how hard to keep clean? Vinyl, {a better quality} would be easier to mop and clean, floor would be cold at times in winter, no noise reduction. Hardwood flooring is the thing I guess. Looks nice, I assume easy to clean, but does have joints for dirt to fall in.
So, I am asking "YOU", since I will be full timer for awhile when I sell out here, your thoughts??
Happy Motoring, drive safe!!
Ron.

OSP1268 · 01-18-2012, 06:47 AM

We like laminate. Had it in a house and it worked very well. Had to replace some carpet in our motor home and we used laminate. Very easy to maintain, a Swifter works great. Never noticed dirt getting into the seams as it fits very tightly together.
Keep in mind that not every campground will have you on a concrete pad & patio. Some are sand and grass or just plain dirt. You can track a lot of stuff in on carpet that will be hard to get out. Laminate or vinyl is a quick sweep up.

ralphie · 01-18-2012, 07:15 AM

I'm all for carpet in the main living areas except the bath, kitchen, and entry area, where I'd put in wood laminates, upscale vinyl, or ceramic tile. You just have to be prepared to clean each with the appropriate tools, because they'll all get dirty.

Lostdog · 01-18-2012, 07:33 AM

For us...anything but carpet. Have had carpet in the past and wished we didn't. We do a lot of state park/dry camping and the dirt, especially sand here in the south, would just get ground into the carpet. Our current class "A" was ordered without any carpet and we use throw rugs for looks and and warmth. When they get dirty we just throw them in the laundry.

pumper9x9 · 01-18-2012, 08:02 AM

We have tile in our entry way kitchen and bath with carpet in the bedroom and living area. We want to dump the carpet in the living area. It's a pain to keep clean, seems to take days to dry out (that's out west with low humidity), and it's hard to find someone to do quality work. I don't know what we'll replace it with but it will be a hard surface and then well just get throw rugs that we can clean or toss when they get too bad.
Good luck remember it's your house so do what works for you.

wizzo442 · 01-18-2012, 05:54 PM

I took all the carpet out of the front of my '06 Dip and put in laminate. The amount of grit under the carpet when I removed it was amazing. Vacuuming never gets it all out. The laminate fits so tightly together that grit in the seams is not an issue. I do not notice any more noise with the laminate than with the carpet. Throw rugs catch the majority of the dirt and are easy to clean. Laminate is slightly heavier than carpet, but the difference is negligible. I really like the change to laminate.

USMCRET · 01-18-2012, 06:09 PM

Carpet can work for some people but we aren't in that group. We are in the process of obtaining quotes to have the carpet replaced with a quality vinyl.

I have discovered that as much as I like the look of carpet, I also like CLEAN carpet, and the forces of nature work against us in that regard. For example, a simple act such as refueling can result in grime being brought into the moho from the fuel islands. I could go on and on, but suffice it to say we have found it difficult to keep carpet looking good over the long term without being obsessive-compulsive about it.

Pet hair and dirt are much easier to deal with if it can be removed with a quick sweep.

dajudge · 01-18-2012, 06:22 PM

I have the same problem I am debating whether to tear out the carpet and replace it inthe living area. In my former MH, I pulled up the carpet, except for the cockpit and the bedroom and replaced it with vinyl that looked like hardwood. It was hard to tell the difference and it was easy to clean.

Papa_Jim · 01-18-2012, 07:30 PM

We threw out the carpet because it was impossible to clean. We also threw out the ceramic tile because it was like ice to walk on when it was cold.

We put new carpet in the bedroom. We put high end sheet vinyl through the rest of the coach. It has a pattern that looks exactly like ceramic tile. It is not cold. It is very easy clean. It is very durable. I can't tell you how many unsolicited positive remarks and comments we have received about the floor.

Winnebeater · 01-18-2012, 07:54 PM

After removing the carpet from our Winnebago and seeing all the junk that a vacuum cleaning can't get out. I don't think I will ever go back to carpet. We did Laminate throughout the whole motor home. Except the bathroom, there we installed granite. The laminate flooring is made of very dense medium density fiberboard which is great at suppressing outside noise (road noise). The interior surface however will actually make noises on the interior of the motor home reflect more (more noise). For example if something rattles on the inside of the motor home while you drive then the sound from that will probably be louder or more noticeable. As for maintenance the laminate is incredibly easy for us to take care of. When I say "us" I really mean my wife.

Winnebeater · 01-18-2012, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimkate

We threw out the carpet because it was impossible to clean. We also threw out the ceramic tile because it was like ice to walk on when it was cold.

We put new carpet in the bedroom. We put high end sheet vinyl through the rest of the coach. It has a pattern that looks exactly like ceramic tile. It is not cold. It is very easy clean. It is very durable. I can't tell you how many unsolicited positive remarks and comments we have received about the floor.

The laminate doesn't seem to cold even on cold days in our motor home, but the granite on the bathroom floor gets real cold. Luckily in there we have a heater vent that we can point towards the floor, which makes the floor very warm.

Sofiatalvikw · 01-18-2012, 08:51 PM

We put vinyl 'hardwood'. Looks like hardwood but is soft like vinyl and also comes pre glued in boards. Very easy to install and cut. Don't even have to cut straight trough just a small cut and then you can bend it off. We bought it lowes and it cost nearly nothing. Looks great, easy to sweep and is not stiff like laminate usually is which is good as our floor underneath wasn't completely level everywhere.
We used the same kind but with a stone look for the bathroom. It's sometimes a little cold but we got some nice slippers to wear inside.
Good luck!

sdennislee · 01-19-2012, 02:04 AM

Tale a look at LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile)/ Lighter than laminate, better looking than vinyl, easier to clean than carpet. Comes in lots of styles and colors.

wb6epp · 01-19-2012, 06:24 AM

Hi YA'all: Ok=ok-ok you have convenced me {LOL}! Carpet is out, maybe in the bedroom only. And I thank all who have supplied info, as there is no better source than the end user, and I do see a majority here.
Tha Vinyl that is in the coach now looks like bricks, and a lot of mistakes were maid in laying it, so it does look second rate to me.
I own property here, which I want to eleminate, but as always 50 + years of accumalation, it's going to take some time to get it sorted of what to keep, and get rid of the rest. I'm sure some of you have been there. Maybe I should start another thread of how to get rid of alot of stuff!!
Thanks for all you input, hope to meet some of you someday.
Happy Motoring, drive safe!!
Ron