Carpet removal and replacement

Roadking · 12-03-2009, 09:50 PM

The DW has been bugging me to replace our carpet in the living/dining area with some form of laminate wood flooring. I've viewed posts on IRV2 where the carpet has been replaced on other model rigs, but they don't appear to have the issues that I may encounter with the Winnebago level floor slide.

I'm very capable at doing things like replacing tile, flooring, ect., but this job has me a little concerned. I have several questions I'm hoping the experts out there can help me with.

Has anyone installed wood flooring in a late model Winny coach with a slide that drops to coach floor level when extended?

Will the clearance between the new laminant flooring and the drivers side slide as it is extended and retracted be and issue and will the slide rub on the new flooring?

What is done to ensure the joint between the coach floor and the slide floor seals ok and works ok as the slide is operated?

Also how is the carpet attached under the lip, or edge, of the slide?

Is there any type of flooring that is substantially better than other types, or works better in an RV? i.e. floating, snap together, ect.

Thanks in advance.

Lowelifes · 12-03-2009, 10:02 PM

King,
Just finished installing Traffic Master Allure Oak in my '01 Itasca Suncruiser, 32v. It looks awesome. It was a lot of work as I am not a master craftsman. The carpet was difficult to get completely out from under the slide but with enough pulling and a flat piece of metal I was able to get removed. The Allure is floating, but sticks together. Not sure how long it will last, but if it fails I will try something else. My slide seems to work as good as before. I read a lot of different opinions before I started and was concerned, but thought I would deal with it as it came along. One guy suggested a sheet of plexiglass to protect it, which I thought was a good idea. I have brought my slide in about 10 times and it has not affected the floor. As others stated, if something gets under there, i.e. a paper clip, you will get some scratching. I also put it in my bathroom, which was challenging due to the different and many angles.

As I said, it was lots of work but the appearance compared to the carpeting I tore out is incredible and worth every minute I invested in it. I printed up others advice and made a little notebook to keep me on track. There really are some "experts" on this site-very helpful people. GO FOR IT AND GOOD LUCK!!!

Lowelife

RickO · 12-04-2009, 10:21 AM

You could replace "Lowelifes" name in his post with mine and just say "ditto".

I just finished the job a couple of weeks ago and couldn't be happier to have that nasty (nasty!) carpet out of our 07 Itasca Ellipse. Full timing with 3 dogs just doesn't lend itself to carpet.

We used the Allure product as well, mostly because I have limited tool selection on the road and wanted to be able to make the necessary cuts without power tools. With Allure you can just use a sharp utility knife or a good pair of shears. It's great stuff.

Now for a few "items" which might be helpful to you:

* I wanted to have the look of a single level floor throughout the coach utilizing Allure for the entire floor. This required the use of 1/4" plywood underlayment in places and a lot of patching/leveling compound. In other words, the only carpet left in the coach is on the stairs in the bedroom near the closet. This includes under both cockpit chairs and the drivers pedals. A very clean look.

* Like Lowelife, I read about all the concerns and potential problems but came to the conclusion that there are so many differences between coaches that I should just go for it and deal with issues as they came up.

* Allure is a floating floor and, compared with snap together laminates, is very flexible. This led to my first problem. When I brought the slides in for the first time, the entire floor buckeled in the middle of the coach! Not what I wanted to see but as the slides attempted to slide over the new floor, their weight simply tried to sweep the Allure out of the way. Maybe this could have been fixed by adujusting the slides upward but I didn't know how to do that and ended up tacking down the Allure on both sides where the slides ride up over it to keep it in place. This has worked fine but the floor is no long a "floating floor" so I may well have problems down the road.

* My slides have a bevelled "ramp" which rides up on top of the floor when retracted. The ramp is covered with carpet in places wher it was to ride over tile and plastic in places where carpet had been. I've made sure that the area is clean and have had no problems yet with scratching, etc.
I've made no changes here. My gut tells me if I could adjust the slide up about 1/8" it would be a good thing but I'm still investigating this.

* Use a flush cut doorjam saw to undercut vertical trim where necessary for a cleaner looking install.

* I wanted to roll the floor with a seam roller but have had a hard time finding one so haven't done that yet and I'm not sure I should now that the floor has been tacked down.

* Like Lowelife, we installed this floor with the idea that it might not be our final solution and may well replace it again later. However, we like it so well I'm not sure now.

* We opted to install the planks on a 45 degree angle because we like the look better. It complicated the cuts and resulted in more waste but we still like it better that straight runs.

* I'm actually still finishing the project by installing the 1" foot molding all around. It gives it a very clean/factory look.

* Regarding the slides, the seam where they meet the floor when extended, and the carpet on them: I don't think you'll be able to get away from using carpet on the slides to cover the seam. If you're able to do it, take lots of pictures and post them here because I don't think many have been able to pull it off. We're hoping to address this but replacing the carpet on the slides with remnants we'll purchase for the purpose. What we plan to try is a new product called Instabind which allows you to cut carpet and then bind the seam with a professional look using the instabind product and a hot glue gun. I then plan to make area/throw rugs out of the same carpet using the same binding. We'll attach the new slide carpet using only double back tape since this area gets nearly zero foot traffic.

Ok, enough rampling for now. Good luck. I would say just go for it and figure it out as you go.

Savannah · 12-04-2009, 08:54 PM

Roadking, we have a Journey with a flat floor slide and when the coach was new we asked our dealer about replacing all the carpet with laminate. The quote was $5000 and we had to move out of the coach for at least a week. The reason is that that slide must be tipped out so they can "wrap" the laminate around the edge. Not sure what that meant exactly since we opted not to do it.

We did go to the factory and have tile put in that covers most of the living area up front. There are numerous posts on replacing the carpet and I have posted about our tile install here a few times.

Even now on the new units the slides are carpeted with the center floor being tile or laminate. I guess the slides just need to be carpeted in order to fall in place.

Do a search here and then tackle it!!

WeatherTodd · 12-05-2009, 07:33 AM

any of you guys happen to document the process with photos??

Theberrys · 12-05-2009, 07:49 AM

Todd

Here are some pictures of our floor project. We used Dupont Laminate from the Home Depot and did the job for about $700.00. Not an easy project but well worth the time and effort.

Dick
Floor Project - Windows Live

Norm3206 · 12-05-2009, 03:14 PM

Beutiful job Dick! I better not let DW see those pictures.

Theberrys · 12-05-2009, 03:24 PM

Norm
If it is any help, my wife pulled most of the staples from the old pad installation. She worked as hard as I did on this project.

If your wife helps it can be a lot of fun once you get past who's in charge.

Dick

pace89 · 12-05-2009, 06:11 PM

We have replaced the Carpet in our 2004 Winnebago Sightseer 35N with a "Pergo" brand laminate from HD. I did not have the "Level" floor issue to deal with so I cannot comment on that, however as others have mentioned replacing the carpet with a laminate/tile/vinyl tile-planks (whatever choice of materials) really helps to keep the coach looking good & cleans easier. If interested project photos are at: Picasa Web Albums - Terry & Bev + Cookie

RickO · 12-05-2009, 09:11 PM

Terry and Bev... great work! I enjoyed going through your photo gallery and admiring your workmanship. Thanks for sharing.

Rick

desertrv · 12-06-2009, 12:35 AM

Terry and Bev, you gave me a lot of ideas. I like the cabinets on the dining wall. The tv up front, I was planning on a fixed mount, I like the swing, a little more space to hide things.

WeatherTodd · 12-06-2009, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theberrys

Todd

Here are some pictures of our floor project. We used Dupont Laminate from the Home Depot and did the job for about $700.00. Not an easy project but well worth the time and effort.

Dick
Floor Project - Windows Live

Nice pics and thanks for sharing!

WeatherTodd · 12-06-2009, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pace89

We have replaced the Carpet in our 2004 Winnebago Sightseer 35N with a "Pergo" brand laminate from HD. I did not have the "Level" floor issue to deal with so I cannot comment on that, however as others have mentioned replacing the carpet with a laminate/tile/vinyl tile-planks (whatever choice of materials) really helps to keep the coach looking good & cleans easier. If interested project photos are at: Picasa Web Albums - Terry & Bev + Cookie

nice job on the remodel!

crumgj · 04-01-2010, 01:43 PM

Dick,
I love the photos and have one question, how is it holding up so far and has there been any problems with the movement of the MH versus the flooring?
Gary

Theberrys · 04-02-2010, 09:20 AM

Gary

It's been an almost a year now and no problems at all. The floor floats so movement of the coach just doesn't stress it. We were lucky, our kitchen and sofa bed are on the slide so no laminate had to be installed on the top of the slide and under we could just slide the flooring under the slide until the edge wasn't visible. That’s why the kitchen looks like it so well fit, not really due to any skill just slid under so the edges can't be seen. The rollers don't mar the laminate and that may be due to two things, first our slide isn't very deep because the kitchen pluming and all just can't be moved very far, and the laminate with attached padding is just a bit lower than the carpet with pad was. These really make a difference allowing the slide to move smoothly without marring the laminate.

Dick

crumgj · 04-03-2010, 08:18 AM

Thanks Dick! This was my primary concern and I'm very happy that it worked out so well for you. Looks like it's time to sharpen the saw blade...
Gary

Belgique · 04-03-2010, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theberrys

Norm If it is any help, my wife pulled most of the staples from the old pad installation.Dick

I read in one of the installation threads here or the other site that someone had used an angle grinder and just whacked all the staples off at the surface. It saved a lot of time and was effective. I haven't done an install yet but soon will be.

Ernie Ekberg · 04-03-2010, 10:37 AM

I use a wide blade drywall knife to find any hidden staples- you know the ones you can't see. If you miss one and install a floating floor you are guaranteed a squeak.

DAN L · 04-04-2010, 01:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roadking

T

Will the clearance between the new laminant flooring and the drivers side slide as it is extended and retracted be and issue and will the slide rub on the new flooring?

Is there any type of flooring that is substantially better than other types, or works better in an RV? i.e. floating, snap together, ect.

Thanks in advance.

did you read my post about my allure installation?

we like the fact that the floor is water proof, especially in the kitchen and bathroom.

the first time that we retracted the front slide it left minor scratches in 7 places on the new floor, the rear slide in 1 place.

we use 8ea 2.5-3' allure plank strips at those places to keep the scratching from getting worse when we retract the slides. the planks are short enough that they stick out from the dinette, couch or closet, about 1'' when the slides are retracted.

our new floor is still looking good and working well with our 2 cat furkids. we use a swiffer swivel sweeper from wally world to keep it clean, especially before and after we extend or retract the slides.