Replace Flooring in Class A

[Seagles]

We have a 2015 Itasca Suncruiser that I love everything about it except the floor. It has a rubber tile that to me always looks dirty. I would love to replace it with a wood laminate but hubby is not so inclined. Accordingly I will have to pay to get it done. Has anybody put laminate in their Class A and if so could you give me an idea of cost? Ours is 38 ft. Thanks in advance for your helpful information

[Oldmso54]

will be watching this as I'd like to do the same ...

[Solo_RV_Guy]

There are multiple threads about flooring replacement and you can probably find them with your favorite search engine or using the Google Custom Search in the upper right of each page.


Search for materials, not the RV brand, and you'll probably get more, useful results' "replace carpet with vinyl plank flooring", for example.


There are dozens of YooToob videos that show both the relative simplicity and the frustrations of this task. It's not rocket surgery but it will take some dedication. It's probably best if you aren't using/living in your Suncruiser while doing the work..

[Roger G]

My brother recently got a quote to replace the carpet and linoleum in his 37’ Coachman Encounter with vinyl plank. It was $3800.

[oilman51]

We are in the middle of putting in new 12 inch place and press tiles. Cost $200 for tiles, $100 for plywood underlayment and $10 for primer. Pulled up old carpet(not too many staples) layed plywood down, primed and now laying tile. Biggest thing is cutting plywood and tile to go around nooks and crannies.

[Ljwt330]

We replaced the flooring in our Alpine due to cracks in the tiles. We used the Lifeproof line from Home Depot, specifically Walton Oak, which comes in multi-width planks. It already has a backing, snap-locks into place, and is waterproof as well as scratch resistant. It is thicker than many at 6.5mm due to the attached underlayment. We had it installed by a professional flooring installer who also installs in motorhomes. He glued down the flooring instead of floating. We are extremely pleased with the results.

Costs ran around 3.5K plus cost of materials, but that included demo/removal of the old tile and carpet flooring.

[FatChance]

What was the installer's rationale for gluing it down? Was temperature sensitivity and floor movement not issues in his mind?

[Excesses]

Originally Posted by Roger G

My brother recently got a quote to replace the carpet and linoleum in his 37’ Coachman Encounter with vinyl plank. It was $3800.

I did mine in about 14 hours total including taking out the 18 year old carpet and linoleum. Fortunately, removal was a breeze and I had a floor base that looked like it was laid yesterday.
Used the glue down method with a releasable glue and it was a breeze. Took a bit of planning to get the look right (we went east/west instead of north /south) and we did the stairwell too.
The LVP is really easy to work with and the 5 mm thickness was easy to cut with 2 top side slices with a sharp utility knife, then folding it and doing a back slice like one does with drywall. Because we went east/west, we were able to have zero blade cuts butting up to factory cuts. Cutting around cupboards was easy with a sharp knife and a steady hand. I’m 66 and it was not physically taxing, but I’m pretty handy and laid all my own floor ceramic and porcelain tile in the house.
Our cost was $450 Canadian or $375 USD (approx) so I saved myself $3200 USD doing it myself. Over 14 hours of installation, I estimate that I paid myself $228 per hour.
So I went out and bought myself a bottle of expensive single malt Scotch, sat in the rig on our new recliners, and my wife and I toasted our decision to do it ourselves and the fine result.

Cheers

DJ

[Excesses]

Originally Posted by FatChance

What was the installer's rationale for gluing it down? Was temperature sensitivity and floor movement not issues in his mind?

The fellow who advised us at the flooring store advised us to use a releasable glue so that we could effectively do repairs as required. The LVP that we bought was 5 mm thick, and because of it’s construction it will not shrink or expand in cold or heat. It is layered and has a firm flexible fibreglass type backing. He said that he had sold the LVP to scores of RVers and had never had a customer returning with a complaint.

Cheers 🍷

DJ

[jmosiuk]

I will be doing mine next spring. I am researching what to use as I want to put electric infloor heating in first.

[Oldmso54]

Originally Posted by Excesses

Attachment 263712
So I went out and bought myself a bottle of expensive single malt Scotch, sat in the rig on our new recliners, and my wife and I toasted our decision to do it ourselves and the fine result.

Cheers

DJ

I love it ^. Good for you!!

[Ljwt330]

Originally Posted by FatChance

What was the installer's rationale for gluing it down? Was temperature sensitivity and floor movement not issues in his mind?

Well, he is an installer of floors in MHs and had no issues with gluing and favored that technique. The warranty on our flooring was voided because it is installed in an RV, because it may be exposed to a 3 season environment without climate control, so voiding the warranty because it was glued was not an issue for us. The adhesive is pressure sensitive so replacement of damaged pieces is not difficult, and he has not had issues with buckling.


Frankly, I trust the installer's decision though it does go against the recommendations of the manufacturer.

[Excesses]

Originally Posted by Ljwt330

Well, he is an installer of floors in MHs and had no issues with gluing and favored that technique. The warranty on our flooring was voided because it is installed in an RV, because it may be exposed to a 3 season environment without climate control, so voiding the warranty because it was glued was not an issue for us. The adhesive is pressure sensitive so replacement of damaged pieces is not difficult, and he has not had issues with buckling.


Frankly, I trust the installer's decision though it does go against the recommendations of the manufacturer.

I agree. Very few manufacturers will stand behind an installation in an RV. That’s their prerogative, but it certainly doesn’t stop one from installing a good product. We did make sure that when we installed the temperature in the RV was at a constant room temperature- about 70 degrees. Our LVT is nice to walk on, and we look forward to simpler cleaning as opposed to constantly cleaning carpet

Cheers��

DJ