Best Place In Forums for Remodel/Flooring Discussion

[zippinbye]

I actually thought there was remodel thread somewhere, but I cannot find it. Today I'm focused on flooring upgrades and later there will be other interior mods of interest. Certainly there are some educational threads on remodel projects spread about at random, but there seems to be little rhyme or reason. If I had to summarize what I've seen, Owners Forums seem to be the primary go-to for such things. But my feeling is that new floors in a Monaco Executive have 90% commonality with the same project in a Jayco travel trailer. Except I think you're more likely to see creative and skilled DIY endeavours in less expensive or older rigs, as the high end folks might be less apt to DIY and not likely to document upgrades performed by pros (which would also be a great source of guidance).

Of course a word search can steer toward a particular topic, but often the results require a lot of "sifting." It would be nice to strike it rich within a general category in order to get ideas when you don't have a tailored search word in mind. Maybe I'm overlooking a resource, so ideas are appreciated.

[MSHappyCampers]

Yup, they're usually just scattered between the owner's forums and the IRV2 General Discussion.

[zippinbye]

Our 40' Class A had a partial flooring upgrade performed by the original owner; in a nutshell they tackled the easy, leaving carpet in the slides and bedroom + tile in the kitchen and bath. We are doing the bedroom now with a laminate that's a compromise but necessary due to allergies to something in the carpet (pet dander?). This may be a temporary solution although I'll hate doing it twice.

My current dilemma is finding a plank that looks good with our cabinetry and other interior appointments (cherry preferred) that is also durable, water resistant or waterproof and a specific thickness/thinness for slide compatibility (about 7mm or 1/4" - our slides are adjusted up all the way and work well with the 1/4" laminate that's already in place). Would prefer a plank that's not too wide - thinking 5 1/2" or less. Since material cost pales in comparison to labor effort in a four slide approx 350 s.f. RV, I was willing to buy more expensive flooring, if available. But I ended up going cheap for the bedroom. The only thing I could find at my local "big four" suppliers (Lumber Liquidators, Floor and Decor, Home Depot, Lowes) is what I got for the bedroom. It misses some of the criteria to get close on color and thickness. It's 7.64" wide, 7mm thick and claims no water resistance properties (which matters less in the BR than in the eventual kitchen and bath/entire coach project). Plus it's dirt cheap. $.68 per s.f. at Floor and Decor, which probably compares to a one dollar product at the big box stores. This price point probably does not bode well for long term durability, but it does have a "15 year residential warranty" for what that's worth.

Now that I've rambled to paint a picture of our situation, let's get to the point: LVP generally fits much of our criteria, especially the thickness and water exposure concerns in bath/kitchen. But, unless you full-time and keep the coach's climate controlled CONSTANTLY to normal human comfort levels, I don't believe any of the vinyl plank products would comply with their manufacturer's recommended temperature range. One major brand specifies a indoor living range of 50F to 100F. Having installed a high quality LVP in our 32 foot 5th wheel, I can see the impacts of extremes; the end joints have expanded in many locations ( both unsightly and a dirt trap). We are in Southern Nevada. It's just not feasible or affordable to run HVAC 365 days to maintain flooring. Our outside air temperature runs from just below freezing (this morning 28 degrees, with 6" of snow at the house - very unusual and special) to over 110 degrees, so the interior temp probably tops 120 quite often in the late afternoon sun; this is hard on many things, but I need a flooring that stands a chance. Fortunately there's minimal humidity variation, which has worked well with a variety of natural and man made flooring products in our house. Even though, we let the temperature drift to extremes when away for extended periods. Bamboo has been great, but all the bamboo flooring I've seen is too think for the Class A.

Interestingly, LVP seems to be a factory choice from many manufacturers these days. Our daughter's 2016 Jayflight TT has LVP, and it has withstood the same temp extremes that have messed up our 5th wheel flooring. Why? No idea. (I know, I know - call Jayco to see if they'll tell me who's product the used; I will).

If anybody knows of a vinyl plank that would work in our situation, or another viable alternative, I'm all ears. Then it's just a matter of finding the right color. I've done quite a few flooring jobs in my time. Never fun, but finding multiple iterations of an appropriate material has never been this tough - usually just the opposite - too many choices. Please help my to find too many choices!

[Bobby F]

This is non-specific in terms of product choice, but to the overall topic:

In Minnesota, I have installed LVP of several brands and thicknesses and water-resistant ratings in houses and cabins and RV's and fishhouses. Most of those environments go through unheated periods in the Minnesota winters (which can range to -30F), and then hit 100F in summer.

Anecdote does not equal data, of course (but lots of anecdotes do), so:

I have found that if I run planking across the short dimension, follow recommendations concerning gaps (placing spacers all around in the gaps and leaving them in place until the entire installation is complete), avoid anchoring points as much as possible (which is tough to do with cabinetry), and seal around the gaps with a good flexible caulk (I use clear silicone), I don't see any expansion/contraction-related issues.

I have had problems twice, and both times involved installation to a metal floor. I believe that the difference in the coefficient of expansion between the two materials is what caused the problem. But installing on top of wood products has not been a problem. Yes, the LVP contracts and expands with temperature, but so does the substrate.

So, perhaps not completely germane to your question, but just to generally say that LVP ought not be overly feared for the expansion/contraction issue.

[veraken]

The guru for flooring is Ernie Ekberg.

You can see pictures of coaches he has done and he is very forthcoming in answering any questions you have.

https://groups.io/g/ErnieEkbergFlooring