New flooring?

[3twoGO]

We are planning on doing an interior remodel/modernization over this fall/winter. Our 2010 26rl has the old person decor(nonoffence to the older crowd) but just not our style. We are in our 30's, and this trailer was pretty much given to us, (that we paid for), so had no decisions on what it had. Love the layout, but hate the colors. We are not going to replace the couch, but possibly the two rockers in the back. We will redo all of the window coverings, probably paint the walls, and possobly stain all of the woodwork. My biggest job will be replacing the flooring. I want to get rid of all the carpet, and existing vinyl.
Have any of you tackled this? And if so, any tips insight for me? Wanting to go with the wood plank look, I have seen the peel/stick, as well as people doing floating laminate flooring. We have the large full living room slide out, so that is my biggest concern is that transition.

[Iwannacamp]

Take many pics and keep us posted.

[MacGumbo]

What do you want to know?

[larrytbm]

While many people use wood laminate planks, they are subject to water damage. Use 100% vinyl planks instead. But use at least 5 mm thick planks, thinner planks have very thin edge locks that are subject to damage and separation. Also, vinyl planks handle temperature extremes better than wood planks, so they can tolerate a smaller edge gap. In fact, instead of using bulky baseboards to hide the gap, a matching color flexible caulk will work just fine in the small area of an RV.

I have installed Smartcore from Lowes, while better than Allure from Home Depot, my real preference is Lumber Liquidators, Rustic Acacia or comparable. In a house, this stuff needs 1/2 the gap of wood laminates. Have it in my house and there are several places in the kitchen with complex shapes, that I simply used a 1/8 inch gap filled with caulk. Even with white cabinets and a dark floor, the floor appears to run right under the cabinets.

Lumber Liquidators also makes a 1 mm thick underlayment. It is expensive, but will improve the look and durability of the job. Flaws and imperfections in the sub flooring will not telegraph thru the flooring. And installed with the smooth side up, it allows the entire floor to float as a single piece, otherwise over time, individual planks can move differently resulting in gaps at the joints. And in an RV the floor will flex and temperature range will be worse than any house.

[retiredcamper47]

In my previous trailer, I used Allure flooring from Home Depot. It is a "floating" floor. The planks stick to each other, not the actual floor. No glue required. I added quarter round mouldings around the walls and cabinets to complete the job. I used an "golden oak" style that went quite well with the cabinets. The planks are 6" x 36" and come 24 sq ft per box. This trailer did not have a slide.

Bob

[larrytbm]

Originally Posted by retiredcamper47

In my previous trailer, I used Allure flooring from Home Depot. It is a "floating" floor. The planks stick to each other, not the actual floor. No glue required.

Bob

Some RV owners experience failure of the self adhesive, especially at higher temps. Allure states "After installation room temp should stay between 55F and 85F". This is pretty difficult to achieve with an RV. Allure's warranty is also voided if any kind of pad is used under the planks because any flex between adjacent planks can cause the self adhesive to separate.

A tongue and groove type of lock between planks is more likely to withstand the flexing and temperature variations seen in the typical RV.