Started the flooring installation in the RV this afternoon. The flooring is Allure TrafficMaster Vinyl Plank Flooring with GripStrip. Fairly straightforward to install but the built-in kitchen cabinets added some challenges. The kitchen cabinets were not installed straight and there are some angles. The biggest challenge so far was that I needed to start in two locations, by the refrigerator, and by the door, and they needed to meet in the middle. After a lot of measuring, they actually did meet and align.
Only two more runs are needed with the last run fitting under the slide. The original flooring was installed before the slide so it’s a little awkward reaching that section. Plus there is still some carpeting that must be glued to the bottom of the slide. I think it’s looking pretty good so far. I still need to pick up some quarter round molding to cover the edges of the floor where it meets the wall and cabinets.
Updated Monday Evening - This is the last piece of flooring. Since I worked from the kitchen (passenger side) of the RV, the last piece is next to the slide. It was a real pain to get the last row installed as it had to slide under a metal molding which prevents the floor material from catching on the slide as it goes in and out. The flooring thickness was just about the same as the opening and if there were remnants of carpet staples on the floor, it made for a very tight fit.
All that is left is to pick up some molding to conceal the small gap between the new flooring and the walls and cabinets. The instructions said to leave a ⅛" to ¼" gap to allow for expansion. The tool is a hand roller used to press down the seams. I need to go over the whole floor again to make sure that I didn't miss any. The instructions say to go over the whole floor with a 70# floor roller but I think that may be a recommendation for a residence where you may not want to use the small, hand roller.
Good job with the measuring and cutting! I doubt my own efforts would have come out so neatly.
ReplyDeleteThe small area of an RV floor makes for a lot of cuts and measuring. The open field (about 80%) only took about 1% of the time.
DeleteI love plank flooring for RVs. Looks nice and so much easier to clean. I'd like to have it in our vanagon (if we decide to restore it), or our future RV. Ron's had plenty of practice in the house.
ReplyDeleteI've always liked the look though I was originally thinking of using wood flooring. That is until I figured out how much it weighs. This is heavier than linoleum or carpet but not by that much. And we don't carry that much weight in the RV.
DeleteGood thing to keep weight in mind for RVs. Interesting that this flooring is not much heavier than linoleum. I had carpet in the MH and thought it was very unpractical. The toyhauler has some type of linoleum and I have a removable rug where the sleds park. Much easier to clean. Good work there Richard.
ReplyDeleteThe flooring is heavier but when you look at the difference, it’s about 3% of our available cargo capacity with a full water tank. And when I weighed the trailer, we were at 60% so I’m not too concerned about the additional weight.
DeleteThis looks great, Richard. One issue I found with the VW T6 camper van was the ugly grey rubber floor.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I hope it lasts a while...
DeleteThe new floor looks fabulous Richard! It will be so much easier to care for than carpet as well!
ReplyDeleteThank you! The old carpet and linoleum weren’t that bad but I like this much better.
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