Foretravel Motorhome Forums => Foretravel Renovations => Topic started by: GleamB on June 14, 2017, 05:33:31 pm
Title: subfloor questions
Post by: GleamB on June 14, 2017, 05:33:31 pm
I have demo'd the wood floor and most of the carpet. I knew the wood floor would be difficult, but that is an understatement. There was a thin, black metal sheet glued down at the sink area. It was under 90% of the wood floor. I tried to salvage it, but could not. I heard that it was possibly installed to help in the event of a water leak ?? Does anyone know what it was intended to do?? We will be installing a commercial vinyl, and I don't think I can install metal beneath it. Also....I am attaching ( I hope ) pictures of a detail I have seen in my buddy's Foretravel, and in mine. It is a piece of wood, about a 1" x 6", attached at the outside wall, passenger side. I would, obviously want to remove it, so as to have a nice surface for the vinyl, but my common sense tells me it's there for a reason. Does anyone know what that reason is?? Also, it seems that my cabinet behind the passenger seat was installed on a plywood base that extends past the sides/front of the cabinet. It also seems that the cabinet was installed OVER the carpet.....I was going to remove the cabinet, to "take a peek ", but now will just cut the 3/4" plywood flush to the cabinet sides. That should maintain the integrity of the original design, and meet my criteria. If anyone has any insight into these items, I'm all ears.....thanks
Title: Re: subfloor questions
Post by: wolfe10 on June 14, 2017, 05:37:10 pm
The 1X6 is probably covering a wire chase. Pull it up and check. You may be able to reduce it's size or reroute the wires (less likely).
Title: Re: subfloor questions
Post by: Bill Willett on June 14, 2017, 05:45:01 pm
I have demo'd the wood floor and most of the carpet. I knew the wood floor would be difficult, but that is an understatement. There was a thin, black metal sheet glued down at the sink area. It was under 90% of the wood floor. I tried to salvage it, but could not. I heard that it was possibly installed to help in the event of a water leak ?? Does anyone know what it was intended to do?? We will be installing a commercial vinyl, and I don't think I can install metal beneath it. Also....I am attaching ( I hope ) pictures of a detail I have seen in my buddy's Foretravel, and in mine. It is a piece of wood, about a 1" x 6", attached at the outside wall, passenger side. I would, obviously want to remove it, so as to have a nice surface for the vinyl, but my common sense tells me it's there for a reason. Does anyone know what that reason is?? Also, it seems that my cabinet behind the passenger seat was installed on a plywood base that extends past the sides/front of the cabinet. It also seems that the cabinet was installed OVER the carpet.....I was going to remove the cabinet, to "take a peek ", but now will just cut the 3/4" plywood flush to the cabinet sides. That should maintain the integrity of the original design, and meet my criteria. If anyone has any insight into these items, I'm all ears.....thanks
Remove the 1x6 in the second photo, I think you will find that is the cable run and it may have the plumbing if you have a blower unit for the Aqua hot in that cabinet.
Title: Re: subfloor questions
Post by: John Haygarth on June 14, 2017, 08:22:55 pm
Just as mentioned the 1x6 is a cover for a wire. You can move the wire right against wall and use a narrower piece, but what I did was once floor is done buy a piece of nice grained fir or? and stain it a colour close to floor finish. Put it back then use a piece of 1x4" x 1x2" crown trim and stain that too. Then put this crown around the edge of 1x? and pin it to it, but angle the pins down so not to hit wire. The front and side of cabinet has the wood under it to keep the base of it level with the original 1x6" Take that cabinet off wall to do flooring then put it back and use a slightly thinner new piece and stain that too. It makes a nice flowing trim piece that will look OEM. JohnH
Title: Re: subfloor questions
Post by: GleamB on June 14, 2017, 09:00:19 pm
Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated.
Title: Re: subfloor questions
Post by: John Morales on June 15, 2017, 03:51:38 pm
Glenn, I removed the cabinet in my coach my coach. I also removed the cover over the wires and replaced with some of the same flooring. Under the wire cove was 3/4" square stock to hold the cover. I put double sided tape I purchased at Harbor Freight and used some of the same flooring to cover the wires. Flooring was ripped the same size as the cover. Then I laid the floorin down and cut the cabinet to fit over the wire cover and flooring. With the tape I will be able to remove the wire cover if need to. Lastly I trimmed around the entire coach with a 3/4" door mounding that I stained to match. It also covered the edging where the wire were. I closed off the steps with a rubber stair nose and made a trim plate around the cockpit pedals.
Title: Re: subfloor questions
Post by: John Morales on June 15, 2017, 03:54:48 pm
Missing pictures.
Title: Re: subfloor questions
Post by: turbojack on June 15, 2017, 05:03:05 pm
Looks Great. You will love it. I know we did once we switched to wood from the carpet.
The one thing we never noticed until we put in wood is the shower door leaks when open after a shower. We almost always have a puddle we need to dry up after taking a shower.
Title: Re: subfloor questions
Post by: erniee on June 15, 2017, 05:37:22 pm
If you are adhering your vinyl down, you would need some Durhams Rock Hard Water Putty in the paint section of Home Depot. This will fill in the bad areas of the floor
Title: Re: subfloor questions
Post by: Dave Cobb on June 15, 2017, 07:04:00 pm
The one thing we never noticed until we put in wood is the shower door leaks when open after a shower. We almost always have a puddle we need to dry up after taking a shower.
Stop by a glass door company and get the small "plastic cap" for your shower door bottom drip channel. There are both a left and right part. I only installed the door handle side one. Then I squeegee the glass door, and then chase the water out of the door bottom drip channel onto the shower floor with my little finger. I get little or no drips on the shower mat.
Title: Re: subfloor questions
Post by: GleamB on June 16, 2017, 08:59:40 am
Beautiful job, John....and great pictures. I, also want to raise the base of our commode , and wondered what product you used and if you encountered any problems. We have an electric flush. Were there any issues you would have approached differently, now that the flooring is done? Enjoy your " new " coach!! Much better without the carpet!
Title: Re: subfloor questions
Post by: GleamB on June 16, 2017, 12:56:13 pm
John,
How much did you raise the toilet?? Looks like about 6" from the tile .?? Problems ??
Title: Re: subfloor questions
Post by: John Haygarth on June 16, 2017, 01:02:38 pm
Glenn, I am sure his toilet position is the same as mine and others in that FT built the box below it so that has been unchanged. Joh M may or may not concur.. If you toilet is floor level you should be able to do a box but would of course have to put in abs pipe and lift flange etc up. I would think you need to cut open floor to add the additional height as you do not want just a flange to flange fitting in case of water leaks. Gluing a bushing or? is only way to go. JohnH
Title: Re: subfloor questions
Post by: wolfe10 on June 16, 2017, 01:58:26 pm
Some brands of toilets also offer low and high bowl models. May be easier than modifying the coach.
Title: Re: subfloor questions
Post by: John Morales on June 16, 2017, 10:43:20 pm
Glenn, Some motorhomes have a full height toilet or a low profile toilet that requires a platform for the height. I have the lower profile. Underneath the platform I have a register for my aqua hot. John M.
Title: Re: subfloor questions
Post by: kb0zke on June 16, 2017, 10:48:38 pm
A couple of years ago we had problems with our toilet not keeping water in the bowl. The cost to repair it was about an hour of labor plus parts. The cost of a new toilet was about an hour of labor plus the new toilet. We elected to go that way and get a somewhat taller toilet than what was in the coach when we got it. Longer legs appreciate the taller toilet.
Someone on WOG had a Foretravel and switched to a 'Bird. When I asked him why, he said that one of the reasons was the toilet was too low. It seemed to me that replacing the toilet would be easier and cheaper than replacing the entire coach.