Flooring Replacement

[edstebbins]

I own a 1998 Monaco Dynasty and I want to remove the carpet and floor tile and install wood laminate flooring. Any suggestions or hints from your own experiences? Any particular brands that I should or shouldn't use? Any helpful hints would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Ed Stebbins

edstebbins@comcast.net

[jjgnn@yahoo.com]

If I was going to do that, I would I would consider putting in a floor heating system. I do not know if wood laminate would be compatible with a heating system, but I would consider it.

I love spending other people's money ;*)

Jack Nichols, 2003 Country Coach, no heated floors.

[pnixon235]

Just an observation: Of all the coaches I've seen that have non carpet, most have throw rugs all over. Floors cold and don't feel good on bare feet?

[ClayL]

We used Armstrong's best grade of laminate. We picked it based on some tests that Consumer Reports did that showed it had better wear and scratch resistance than Pergo. It's 3/8 inch thick.

We were surprised to find that a local CarpetTime store had much better prices on the best grade than than Home Depot or Lowes had on the middle grade which is all they carried. The best grades were special order.

We did the installation of our flooring ourselves. We couldn't find an installer willing to do the job.

It took us about ten days altogether (we only worked about 4 hours a day though). It wasn't terribly difficult but did require a lot of cutting and trimming because of all of the corners. There were also some challenges at the front of the slides, around the stairs, and underneath the dinette.

Before we did the installation we did a test by removing a square of carpet and making sure the slides would ride over a piece of T molding, laminate and underlayment.

Some people try to cut the carpet back under the slide, but we cut the carpet in front of the slides leaving enough carpet to be stapled down. I was afraid the slides would catch the carpet when the slide went back out. A Tee molding covers it so it doesn't show.

If you do the job yourself I would recommend a few things to have:

1) table saw, 2) chop saw, 3) good saber saw, 4) rotozip tool, 5) air brad nailer, 6) air stapler, 7) utility knife and sharp hook blades.

There were two grades of the foam underlayment available. We used the best grade - more expensive but thicker and provides a moisture barrier.

We also used a special waterproof joint glue in areas that are prone to getting wet - like in front of the sink, refrigerator, and around the stairwell . (This is used to glue the joints so spilled water can't get in the joints - not to glue the flooring to the subfloor).

We also used silicon caulk to fill the 1/4 gap at the edges in those areas.

The caulk and waterproof glue are both recommended in the instructions from Armstrong.

[pnixon235]

Sounds like you did it right. Hope it gives you years of use. Maybe you'll hire out if I decide to do mine.

[ClayL]

Sounds like you did it right. Hope it gives you years of use. Maybe you'll hire out if I decide to do mine.

You probably wouldn't want to pay as much as I would want for compensation!

[pianodan]

We replaced our flooring a couple of years ago. We have a "classic " coach, no slides. I happen to be good friends with a guy who owns a carpet store, and he helped me out immensely! We put hi-grade indoor/outdoor carpet in the living room area with good waterproof padding, and a sheet laminate (looks like real oak, $10/foot or something like that, not cheap), in the kitchen area. All of it cleans up easily, way better than the light colored sculptured pile carpeting that was in there before, and the laminate wears better and looks better than the cheap white kitchen laminate that was in it before.

[edstebbins]

We used Armstrong's best grade of laminate. We picked it based on some tests that Consumer Reports did that showed it had better wear and scratch resistance than Pergo. It's 3/8 inch thick.

We were surprised to find that a local CarpetTime store had much better prices on the best grade than than Home Depot or Lowes had on the middle grade which is all they carried. The best grades were special order.

We did the installation of our flooring ourselves. We couldn't find an installer willing to do the job.

It took us about ten days altogether (we only worked about 4 hours a day though). It wasn't terribly difficult but did require a lot of cutting and trimming because of all of the corners. There were also some challenges at the front of the slides, around the stairs, and underneath the dinette.

Before we did the installation we did a test by removing a square of carpet and making sure the slides would ride over a piece of T molding, laminate and underlayment.

Some people try to cut the carpet back under the slide, but we cut the carpet in front of the slides leaving enough carpet to be stapled down. I was afraid the slides would catch the carpet when the slide went back out. A Tee molding covers it so it doesn't show.

If you do the job yourself I would recommend a few things to have:

1) table saw, 2) chop saw, 3) good saber saw, 4) rotozip tool, 5) air brad nailer, 6) air stapler, 7) utility knife and sharp hook blades.

There were two grades of the foam underlayment available. We used the best grade - more expensive but thicker and provides a moisture barrier.

We also used a special waterproof joint glue in areas that are prone to getting wet - like in front of the sink, refrigerator, and around the stairwell . (This is used to glue the joints so spilled water can't get in the joints - not to glue the flooring to the subfloor).

We also used silicon caulk to fill the 1/4 gap at the edges in those areas.

The caulk and waterproof glue are both recommended in the instructions from Armstrong.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE. I APPRECIATE THE INFO. I'LL LET YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!!!!