Flooring installation questions

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

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #25 – August 15, 2019, 02:53:46 pm

Thank you John, your work and photos inspire me. We have chosen the following click togeather which sells from $4 to 4.50 sq ft. We like the contrast to our walnut interior. Should be done by October, and I will post some pics. I hope mine has the quality look of yours.

What did you do up front with the rubber under the carpet that came from the FT factory originally? Do you think it will compress or do I have to remove? With the cork backing to the COREtec Plus 7" I believe I have found what will work for us. I have not chosen a company to buy it from yet. Two local stores carry the product. I ordered a sample from US Floors.

COREtec Plus 7" Plank Ivory Coast Oak 50LVP705 WPC Vinyl Flooring

Ivory Coast Oak | USFloors

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #26 – August 15, 2019, 07:43:17 pm

Quote from: Jack Lewis – August 15, 2019, 02:53:46 pm

What did you do up front with the rubber under the carpet that came from the FT factory originally? Do you think it will compress or do I have to remove? With the cork backing to the COREtec Plus 7" I believe I have found what will work for us. I have not chosen a company to buy it from yet. Two local stores carry the product.

I removed the rubber sound proof mat and laid the flooring along with a sound deading mat throughout the coach. You have the same rubber material under the bedroom carpet. We bought some carpet from our local carpet store that matched the decor and had them cut and bind the edges so we can have carpet runners on the side of the bed and they also made us a carpet mat for the shower and sink area in the bathroom. We just made some templates of what we wanted and they made them. We also removed the flooring that was in front of the kitchen area. Attached is the flooring we used. Yours should come out great also. Just take your time. Measure twice and cut once.

John M

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #27 – August 16, 2019, 06:01:44 pm

For the people who have done the driver's area, what did you do around the steering column?

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #28 – August 16, 2019, 06:10:30 pm

Quote from: The Soft Boulders – August 16, 2019, 06:01:44 pm

what did you do around the steering column?

We unscrewed the screws that are through the flange that holds the rubber boot secure to the floor. With this pulled up all you have to do is work around the steering shaft hole that is presently there hid under the boot.

Mike

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #29 – August 16, 2019, 06:22:29 pm

Quote from: Pamela & Mike – August 16, 2019, 06:10:30 pm

We unscrewed the screws that are through the flange that holds the rubber boot secure to the floor. With this pulled up all you have to do is work around the steering shaft hole that is presently there hid under the boot.

Mike

Awesome, thank you. I'm thinking about just doing it all while we're at. Just trying to get a plan of attack before we get started.

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #30 – August 16, 2019, 07:08:02 pm

Quote from: The Soft Boulders – August 16, 2019, 06:22:29 pm

Awesome, thank you. I'm thinking about just doing it all while we're at. Just trying to get a plan of attack before we get started.

There are several of us who have posted photos of the work we did. Just do a search! Many different floor products and ways to do it.

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #31 – August 18, 2019, 11:09:34 am

Here's a photo around the steering column. We have almost finished our project. We used luxury vinyl tile and glued it down. It's a lot of work, but we're really happy with the end result.

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #32 – August 18, 2019, 11:29:49 am

Nice job ED!!! Only it looks as if you have to stand to drive! OK, OK bad joke.

We need to do that in the galley area where the parquet is a little tired and collects dirt. Have to have carpet otherwise with the dogs as they would slip and dig their claws in. Brand name for yours?

Pierce

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #33 – August 18, 2019, 12:24:47 pm

Quote from: Ed W – August 18, 2019, 11:09:34 am

Here's a photo around the steering column. We have almost finished our project. We used luxury vinyl tile and glued it down. It's a lot of work, but we're really happy with the end result.

Why does luxury vinyl tile look like wood?

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #34 – August 19, 2019, 01:43:33 pm

Pierce, it's Mannington Adura. Foretravel recommended this product. Ours has a little bit of texture to it, but we're anxious to see how slippery it is when our feet are wet. There was so much more room when the seats were out. We were trying to figure out how to drive without them!

Craneman, we were looking for something that didn't look like wood, but just couldn't find one we really liked. This one lightened up the space but still had a little beige tone to coordinate with the countertops, dash and chairs.

Deb

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #35 – August 19, 2019, 04:20:23 pm

Evan,

Hopefully, you can get a better look coming into coach. I will post more later.

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #36 – August 20, 2019, 04:55:43 pm

Quote from: Ed W – August 19, 2019, 01:43:33 pm

....There was so much more room when the seats were out. We were trying to figure out how to drive without them!

Deb

Ain't that the truth! They don't seem that large, but when they're out, its amazing the space they free up. Floor looks great, thanks for sharing!

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #37 – August 20, 2019, 06:26:43 pm

Quote from: Ed W – August 19, 2019, 01:43:33 pm

Pierce, it's Mannington Adura. Foretravel recommended this product. Ours has a little bit of texture to it, but we're anxious to see how slippery it is when our feet are wet. There was so much more room when the seats were out. We were trying to figure out how to drive without them!

Deb

Did you guys do the glue down type? The stuff we're looking at is the floating type and it calls for quarter round along the perimeter. I don't really like the idea of the quarter round around everything. There's some places that the quarter round might not really fit and might not really look right. I asked the lady at home depot if we could do a color matched silicone around the edge which I think would look better in our case, but she said that it probably wouldn't work.

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #38 – August 20, 2019, 06:43:39 pm

I did color matched silicone when I did the cork flooring in my Newell and it looked and worked great. I used blue tape to mask the flooring and wall.
Vinyl cove molding is another option, which I did use at the shower. Just glue it to the wall leaving it touching the flooring. It comes in different heights and many colors.
Wall Base Molding | Rubber Baseboard Trim | Vinyl Cove Moulding

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #39 – August 20, 2019, 07:24:08 pm

I like to drive without shoes. so I put a soft mat in screwed to the floor. All the pieces by the pedals can be removed for easy access.

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #40 – August 20, 2019, 07:28:41 pm

This picture did not go through on last post. The lighted grab handle has been upgraded too! See other picture above.

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #41 – August 21, 2019, 12:53:31 am

Hannah and Tyler, we did use the glue down flooring. We used silicone along the shower. Will probably add some quarter round in spots but haven't done that yet

Deb

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #42 – August 21, 2019, 03:37:56 am

I used the old black metal trim piece that was around the steering column as template to get the general size and shape of the hole for the rubber boot surround and made a new trim piece out of ¼" Starboard. Starboard is a plastic polyethylene material used on boats and comes in various thicknesses. Since I used a floating floor, I made the trim piece large enough to overlap the opening in the vinyl tile that surrounds the steering column. The screws around the perimeter of the trim piece I made go into the subfloor. I made some shims to keep the the trim piece from clamping down on the flooring so that the vinyl tile is still floating. In other words, the screws hold down the trim do not go through the flooring. The Starboard trim piece is cut at the front with a razor sheer so that there is no gap. The Starboard material is flexible enough so that I just flexed it by hand to place it around the steering column. I made a little stainless trim piece that the screw goes through so that the screw the slit doesn't tend to spread the Starboard. Hard to explain with words, but a pictures may help. Bottom line is that there are no one size fits all solutions when doing these sorts of projects on a coach. There are always going to be opportunities for creative problem solving. I also replaced the carpeting that was around the foot foot well with the same ¼" thick Starboard...
Don

Quote from: The Soft Boulders – August 16, 2019, 06:01:44 pm

For the people who have done the driver's area, what did you do around the steering column?

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #43 – August 21, 2019, 01:38:03 pm

Wow.... Don, very impressive driver console area. Not exactly as I would want but VERY close.
Particularly the wood work between switches and what looks like a vertical wire chase to the overhead area. Who built that, if you... even more impressed. Very nice. I want one now and it's even the right color. Heck I could even use yours. Oak right??

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #44 – August 21, 2019, 01:55:23 pm

Dang, you guys do good work! I keep staring at our driver and passenger area and am just not feeling confident in my abilities to make it look good. If we were doing wood floors and we still had our home with all of the tools I used to have maybe I'd be more confident, but being at a campground, living in the coach fulltime, and not having access to the tools we might just ditch the idea of doing that area. If the areas were at the same level as the rest of the floor I'd also be more willing to give it a go but being elevated and having drawers, it poses too many unknowns for my liking. Thanks for sharing all the photos, we really enjoy seeing the work that you guys do and it has helped immensely. I'll post a picture of what we're looking with lines representing a few of the areas of concern haha.

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #45 – August 21, 2019, 02:05:19 pm

The cable chase is Foretravel OEM, oak in our case, but Walnut or whatever the wood in the rest of the coach is. These cable chases are in all of the Unicoaches that I have seen. The console below the cable chase was just a carpet covered box. I turned into a little storage compartment because it was mostly empty space with wires running through the bottom of it. One of those "while I was at it" deals that make me so slow at finishing a project.
Don

Quote from: Bob & Sue – August 21, 2019, 01:38:03 pm

Wow.... Don, very impressive driver console area. Not exactly as I would want but VERY close.
Particularly the wood work between switches and what looks like a vertical wire chase to the overhead area. Who built that, if you... even more impressed. Very nice. I want one now and it's even the right color. Heck I could even use yours. Oak right??

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #46 – August 21, 2019, 02:19:15 pm

Quote from: The Soft Boulders – August 21, 2019, 01:55:23 pm

Dang, you guys do good work! I keep staring at our driver and passenger area and am just not feeling confident in my abilities to make it look good. If we were doing wood floors and we still had our home with all of the tools I used to have maybe I'd be more confident, but being at a campground, living in the coach fulltime, and not having access to the tools we might just ditch the idea of doing that area. If the areas were at the same level as the rest of the floor I'd also be more willing to give it a go but being elevated and having drawers, it poses too many unknowns for my liking. Thanks for sharing all the photos, we really enjoy seeing the work that you guys do and it has helped immensely. I'll post a picture of what we're looking with lines representing a few of the areas of concern haha.

Understand your concerns when looking at that photo. Lot's of angles, etc. Carpet hides a lot of sins, but upgrading to the vinyl flooring is doable. I would not worry about quarter round, etc. Lay the flooring tight and if need be, there is color caulk that will match up great. You could do a floating or a glue down, but on those sides, I would do the glue. When I installed our new flooring, I used an undercut saw, chop saw, tape, hammer, flat bar and knee pads! Not really an issue and you don't have a slide to deal with. Personally, I would glue it all down, but that is up to you.

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #47 – August 21, 2019, 02:19:54 pm

Don. On one hand I say you should be a consultant for the Foretravel design department. But, on the other hand that would probably ad several k to a coach I already can't afford.

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #48 – August 22, 2019, 11:53:00 am

Quote from: Ed W – August 18, 2019, 11:09:34 am

Here's a photo around the steering column. We have almost finished our project. We used luxury vinyl tile and glued it down. It's a lot of work, but we're really happy with the end result.

Did you guys do a 1/4" plywood underlayment before installing the Adura? We've found a place here that has it in stock and I really like the idea of the glue down vs. the floating. I thought this whole time that we had to use some kind of leveling compound and then sand it smooth before we could do a glue down type flooring. The ladies at the flooring place corrected me and explained to us that a 1/4" plywood underlayment was the way to do it. Knowing that completely changes everything for me, I can easily cut plywood to fit and staple it down. I didn't want any part of putty and sanding though hahaha! It definitely helps to ask the right questions.

Re: Flooring installation questions

Reply #49 – August 22, 2019, 01:26:00 pm

I used the Adura lux vinyl tile. It's 4 mil thick so buy lots of razor blades. Most cuts were with metal 24 inch square, a few jig saw cuts. I went a slightly different route than most. Removed all carpet except bedroom and around pedals and tiled up to the pedal area. All glue down with manufacture recommended adhesive. Glued just fine to sides of toilet stand. Wow, that was a nasty mess that is good to get rid of. As to the wire chase on the curb side, I trimmed it in oak and laid tile on horizontal surface. I did not remove wood flooring in kitchen, refinished it and squared the corner. Only filled a few bolt holes and tiled around the captain chairs after trimming carpet away to the base. Only I know the chairs weren't removed. Saved some heavy lifting. Removed couch and had it recovered by local upholstery shop while doing floor. I bought a pair of articulating knee pads off Amazon. Best decision ever as they don't creep around as you get up and down. Left carpet on sides of stairs, but redid step cover with oak trim around the steps. Went to Lowes and found some 1x1 corner molding that I used around step. We used a marble/tile look and we love it. Been camping in National Forest with daily rain. Doesn't show dirt, sweeps up quickly. Don't over apply glue or it will seep up between tiles. You can see my post with photos from this spring. One of the best changes we have made for our messy, off grid, National Forest type camping. Did not need 1/4 inch underlay because left kitchen floor in place. Used Flexitions transition that is a vinyl that takes stain if done according to directions.

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