Flooring installation questions

Topic: Flooring installation questions (Read 3461 times) previous topic - next topic

Flooring installation questions

August 11, 2019, 10:36:47 am

Hannah and I are really wanting to pull up the carpet and replace it with something else. We're trying to decide between a quality vinyl plank or real wood. I've laid wood floors before and am familiar with it but I have no idea on laying lvt. I'm not sure what to do on vertical surfaces like around the driver's and passenger areas or on the entryway stairs. If we were to go with an lvt product how do you do that? And how do you butt the vertical and horizontal surfaces together without there being an unsightly gap? I'm also not sure on how to lay flooring (vinyl or wood) under the throttle/brake pedals and the toilet. If anyone has experience with laying floor in their coach or a similar situation we'd really appreciate some advice. It sounds dumb but those couple of uncertainties have kept me from tackling this project.

Thanks in advance.

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #1 – August 11, 2019, 11:04:24 am

When we wanted to replace the carpeting in our 2002 U320 we considered all options including us doing the install.

We decided on using a commercial Shaw Plank Vinyl in their Coconut color and had it installed in a Herringbone pattern - front to back.

We shared your concerns regarding the vertical surfaces and how to install to limit the joint exposure so the install would be in keeping with the workmanship of the rest of the coach.

I have installed a variety of flooring types in homes over the years and consider my self a good installer. I figured that I could do the job but did not look forward to spending days on my knees making all of the complicated cuts to provide the desired results.

We did contact a number of flooring companies asking for Install Quotes and asking How they would address the joints where the flooring surfaces would meet the vertical curved areas. None of the responses would have provided that Excellent product that we felt our coach deserved.

We opted for Flanigan's group at FOT. Rickey did an excellent job. It was more expensive but the finished product was excellent. I could not find one bad joint or mistake. We provided the flooring material and adhesive after Mr. Flanigan blessed it. As I recall the job was about 4.5 days from the time we dropped the coach off and picked it up when finished.

I believe Ernie, here on this Fofum, does an excellent job. We contacted him but his schedule was full when we were inspired to get this project done. I think Ernie has helped many here.

Others here have done good/great/excellent work on their own flooring projects.

I felt too old, bald and fat to spend 3/5 days on my knees making sure that all of the pieces were cut and placed correctly. Couch, seats and stuff were removed and were replaced after the floor was laid. Lots of staples and other stuff needed to be removed before the new floor could be installed.

We felt that this project was well worth the cost.

Good luck.

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #2 – August 11, 2019, 11:27:11 am

I just finished our flooring install and yes, it is doable, but you need patience! I had to deal with the slide, which is one problem you don't have! I went with a high grade vinyl flooring that locks together just like laminate. I did not do anything with the vertical surfaces as of yet, but a nice quarter round on floor to vertical wall would handle that job of hiding the small gap. I purchased my flooring at Lowe's and there are photos of the install under Renovations. Not sure how to show that link on here, but this job was just done in June and posted on here!
You can remove the foot throttle off the floor and lay your material and then screw it back down. On the brake pedal, you need to work around it and make intricate cuts to achieve your best results. I'm 74 and was down on my knee's and glad I did this myself. Just depends on how much you are willing to spend on a upgrade. I have less than $700 in the whole job. Wife is happy, that is what counts! I would not hesitate to do another job like this, just think things through before you begin. Hope this helps!

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #3 – August 11, 2019, 03:01:11 pm

Quote from: juicesqueezer – August 11, 2019, 11:27:11 am

You can remove the foot throttle off the floor and lay your material and then screw it back down.

On your '93 it should have a throttle air treadle valve and not a fly by wire system like is mentioned. It will be more like the brake pedal. There are several here that have had success in replacing carpet with something else and have been able to work around both pedals.

We went with bamboo front to back. Moving the furniture around was more of a headache than anything. No matter where you move it you will find it is still in the way.

If you pay attention to details you can make close cuts to be able to butt up the ends to the walls. You will need to invest in a Fein oscillating cutter (or a cheep knockoff) if you go with any engineered wood product for close cutting.

Mike

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #4 – August 11, 2019, 08:24:07 pm

I would keep carpet in the driver/passenger seat area. Easier to work with and install, good insulation for temperature and noise. Vinyl flooring would show wear rapidly in this area where you don't pull off shoes before jumping behind the wheel. Get a good quality commercial grade carpet. Vinyl plank in living area is great, but do not believe the snap lok holds itself in place touted by flooring stores. Every few strips you need a spot of adhesive to keep the whole floor from shifting, especially where the loose ends of planks abut walls, doors, plumbing fixtures. And keep carpet next to the bed, nothing worse than starting your day by jumping out of bed onto hard flooring.

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #5 – August 11, 2019, 09:35:04 pm

Thanks for the advice guys! I'm not 100% sure that it's vinyl flooring that we're set on, I'm just kind of using the term as a catch all for stuff that isn't wood. Our captain and co-captain chairs sit up about a foot or so from the rest of the floor as does the toilet and that vertical surface is what I'm not sure of. I guess the flooring would would have to be glued in those areas and a bull nose used at the top edge? We got to stop in and talk to the guys at Foretravel and see a coach floor in progress. Those guys do an excellent job but we can't swing the 6 grand they are getting so we will definitely be doing the job ourselves. I have also seen and heard about Ernie's work on here and the wanderlodge forum but we can't do that either. It would be awesome if we could but it's not feasible for us.

Did you guys have carpeted entry stairs as well? I like the idea of a click together plank but the stairs have me concerned. Our coach has vents in the entryway stairs for the AC to recirculate the air and I'm not sure if we would glue the planks there or what we would do. We really need to do some more research on certain products but I knew this would be a good place to start.

And we do have an air throttle so I am glad to hear we can go underneath and not around it.

Thanks again, guys!

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #6 – August 11, 2019, 09:49:25 pm

Quote from: flyingfin – August 11, 2019, 08:24:07 pm

I would keep carpet in the driver/passenger seat area. Easier to work with and install, good insulation for temperature and noise. Vinyl flooring would show wear rapidly in this area where you don't pull off shoes before jumping behind the wheel. Get a good quality commercial grade carpet. Vinyl plank in living area is great, but do not believe the snap lok holds itself in place touted by flooring stores. Every few strips you need a spot of adhesive to keep the whole floor from shifting, especially where the loose ends of planks abut walls, doors, plumbing fixtures. And keep carpet next to the bed, nothing worse than starting your day by jumping out of bed onto hard flooring.

We like having the carpet and ours is in good shape but we cook a lot and we have a 105lb bloodhound that is a messy, stinky boy. The carpet absorbs lots of sound which is great but it also absorbs lots of odors. We have carpet floor to ceiling and we feel like it smells even though we keep it clean. A hard surface floor is a better option for us than the carpet. If we didn't have the dog the carpet would stay. We may be good with keeping the carpet in the driver's area but the rest has to go.

We are worried about the scratching and separating of the vinyl flooring like you mentioned, that is another reason we've been hesitant to replace the flooring.

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #7 – August 11, 2019, 09:57:20 pm

We pulled the carpet out of the bathroom and put in a one piece solid sheet of vinyl /linoleum. Make sure you make a pattern of the floor and toilet area or save the carpet to use. Ours has crazy angles. We just cut pieces for the elevation sides. Silicone to seal edge by shower and metal step and flat trim finished the elevation and transition to hall carpet. So much nicer to clean.

Haven't decided on the rest yet.

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #8 – August 12, 2019, 06:42:20 am

If you use engineered wood, you can adhere it with urethane adhesive and its rock solid. Plus to make it look really professional, that material comes with the correct stair nose trim instead of cheap looking metal trim

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #9 – August 12, 2019, 09:23:54 am

Quote from: The Soft Boulders – August 11, 2019, 09:35:04 pm

And we do have an air throttle so I am glad to hear we can go underneath and not around it.

You misunderstood Pam & Mike's comment about your throttle. The air throttle has a large valve body that sticks through the floor. Exactly like the brake pedal. You cannot go underneath it with the flooring material...you must trim around both pedal assemblies.

For this reason, and for the sake of simplicity when working with the various odd area shapes and angles, I second flyingfin's recommendation to use carpet under and in front of the driver and passenger seats. You can use the hard surface stuff everywhere else if you want, although we also prefer carpet in the bedroom. So does our little dog, who only occasionally gets stinky. Link below to our floor re-do, using Armstrong vinyl tile laid with flexible grout. Has held up very well & requires very low upkeep.

What did you do to your coach today IV

As to the stairwell, you can use either the hard flooring material trimmed to fit and glued in place, or use carpet. Link below shows our stairwell, which we did in two steps due to logistics. We have been very happy with the Roppe rubber stair treads and bull nose trim.

What did you do to your coach today IV

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #10 – August 12, 2019, 11:05:49 am

Quote from: The Soft Boulders – August 11, 2019, 09:49:25 pm

We like having the carpet and ours is in good shape but we cook a lot and we have a 105lb bloodhound that is a messy, stinky boy. The carpet absorbs lots of sound which is great but it also absorbs lots of odors. We have carpet floor to ceiling and we feel like it smells even though we keep it clean. A hard surface floor is a better option for us than the carpet. If we didn't have the dog the carpet would stay. We may be good with keeping the carpet in the driver's area but the rest has to go.

We are worried about the scratching and separating of the vinyl flooring like you mentioned, that is another reason we've been hesitant to replace the flooring.

Your biggest concern would be if the dog scratches the flooring, so do your homework on that. All click lock flooring will work, but you need to check with manufacture on if it can be glued down. The vinyl plank we purchase was approved for that, but actually have never seen a problem with the floor moving with click lock and I have done well over fifty thousand square feet of the stuff in the remodels I have done. I looked at doing a porcelain tile in the entrance, but very hard to find bullnose for a finish. Metal will work, but wanted to keep it all tile, so opted with the rubber flooring at entrance as well. We do have a small throw rug to wipe our feet on as we come to the top of the steps. Just take your time and think your steps through. Every coach is a little different, so if you wish to see one in progress, it would need to be one just like yours.

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #11 – August 12, 2019, 07:25:57 pm

Thanks for all of the excellent information! Hannah and I have been talking and have decided to leave the driver and passenger areas carpeted for the time being. The dog doesn't get on it and I drive in socks so it's comfy as well. We both really like a product called Cali bamboo fossilized in the natural color and may go with it. We will probably do a glue/nail down installation if we go with that. I think it would be cool to do tile I the bathroom but we'll see on that. We've also found a couple people selling their extra flooring on CL for a decent price and that might be an option.

Having carpet in the bedroom would be nice but that's too complicated for us. Haha. I think we can do a good job on the install but it needs to be as straightforward as possible.

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #12 – August 12, 2019, 10:29:35 pm

Research on cork flooring, especially the glue down solid cork tiles. It is self-healing and may work out better for your dog than a different surface that would show the scratches. Unless your dog is a digger....

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #13 – August 12, 2019, 11:24:34 pm

If you have any interest in traveling to Mexico, there is a guy in Puerto Penasco, MX that works very cheaply.

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #14 – August 13, 2019, 05:57:30 pm

I am working on upgrading flooring/dash/door

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #15 – August 13, 2019, 08:30:36 pm

You guys do some good work or have some good work done, I've seen nothing but excellent looking floors. Hopefully ours will turn out equally as nice. Apparently Lowe's will no longer be carrying Cali Bamboo products, but we did fine a LVT product there that we both really like and might go with. It is a click together type of flooring but it seemed to be pretty high quality.

We went to several different places today and didn't see any cork flooring but would be interested in checking it out if we could see it in person.

I don't think we'll be in Mexico any time soon but that was a good suggestion. Honestly though it's a bit disappointing that I would have to drive to another country to find quality work done at a reasonable price. Hahaha.

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #16 – August 13, 2019, 09:26:11 pm

What would be a reasonable price to spend 3 to 5 days on your knees producing a good/better/best product?

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #17 – August 13, 2019, 10:14:01 pm

Quote from: Carol & Scott – August 13, 2019, 09:26:11 pm

What would be a reasonable price to spend 3 to 5 days on your knees producing a good/better/best product?

Good/better/best are all relative standards based on personal opinion. And It's all a matter of opinion. I don't mind paying an honest wage for quality work but what I consider an "honest wage" might be different than what someone else might consider it to be. If you're a contractor or paying one to do a job and both parties are happy at the end it doesn't really matter what it cost I guess.

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #18 – August 14, 2019, 06:35:40 am

Quote from: The Soft Boulders – August 13, 2019, 10:14:01 pm

Good/better/best are all relative standards based on personal opinion. And It's all a matter of opinion. I don't mind paying an honest wage for quality work but what I consider an "honest wage" might be different than what someone else might consider it to be. If you're a contractor or paying one to do a job and both parties are happy at the end it doesn't really matter what it cost I guess.

That's why I'm booked till mid 2020

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #19 – August 14, 2019, 06:45:09 am

Quote from: erniee – August 14, 2019, 06:35:40 am

That's why I'm booked till mid 2020

That's awesome, Erniee. I've seen pictures of your work and heard a lot of good things about it.

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #20 – August 14, 2019, 11:21:49 pm

If removing carpet and going to a wood or some sort of synthetic flooring what does that do to the noise level when traveling? $:-\$

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #21 – August 14, 2019, 11:28:39 pm

We went from OEM carpet to vinyl tile. Can't say I noticed any difference in road noise...but my hearing ain't what it used to be.

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #22 – August 15, 2019, 06:43:11 am

Quote from: Super8mm – August 14, 2019, 11:21:49 pm

If removing carpet and going to a wood or some sort of synthetic flooring what does that do to the noise level when traveling? $:-\$

usually folks add some runners
we have those in our coach so the girls have traction
or crank up the volume~

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #23 – August 15, 2019, 07:05:39 am

Quote from: Super8mm – August 14, 2019, 11:21:49 pm

If removing carpet and going to a wood or some sort of synthetic flooring what does that do to the noise level when traveling? $:-\$

Steve,

When we went with bamboo flooring there is a slight increase in road noise. We didn't do a before and after db test to verify exact numbers. When we run the generator there seems to be no difference. This could be attributed to the new generator sound insulation. The biggest noise increase that was noted is the ride height valve exhausting as it makes adjustments while moving. We installed an in house built exhaust muffler that quieted down this noise so it isn't noticeable now.

Mike

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #24 – August 15, 2019, 01:05:14 pm

We replaced our flooring and installed a floating floor. By choosing this method I had to leave a 1/4 gap around the perimeter and install a base trim. I was able to carry the floor from front to back and in the toilet area. I also carried the floor around the pedals in the drivers area and trimmed it out with a trim plate painted black. The steps were trimmed out in a rubber base molding and contact adhesive. Going on three years now and the floor is holding up well. If you choose an engineered wood floor like Ernie suggest you can run the floor right up to the edge of the wall. In my installation if someone wanted to remove and change the floor it can easily be removed.
John M.

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