Just finished installing the new floor in the Trillium 5500 (It really needs a name!). I used the Trafficmaster Allure flexible planks from Home Depot in the bamboo pattern -- got a real deal on them as they were blowing out some of the patterns for 1/2 price. I am really happy with it. It went in in about 3 hours all told, and that included cutting out all the fiddly edges. I ripped out the piece of carpet that was glued under the back dinette, but for everything else, went over the existing floor. Because the planks adhere to each other, it essentially forms one continuous piece that floats over the existing.

Will put on the moldings around the edges tomorrow!
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I want to put that in my trailer... its one of my goals for the summer although so far I've been too lazy.

I actually did the whole downstairs of my house in this stuff and it was easy, fast, and looks wonderful. I got it for about $35 a box. I am considering doing the Scamps too as it was almost a pleasure to work with and what an improvement!

I think I'm going to do the hallway in my house if I like it in the trailer but I can't figure out how to handle the coving in the kitchen with it. I suppose if I really like it I could take the coving out.

Bobbie

Looks really good! Is it recomeded to put in a flexible flooring? I was thinking of laying some pergo like wood laminiate in my scamp, but I am unsure how much the scamp flex's during transit, and not sure if the laminate can handle flex. My brother put some in his argosy airstream, but he does not tow it at all.

I also noticed the floor in my scamp is not perfectl level, kind of rises near the rear section by the closet.

I chose the flexible flooring because the floor is not level, and would have required a total redo of the subfloor to get it in shape for laminate. Think there are others who have used the laminate in both 13' and 17' trailers, and are happy with the result, but i was looking for something really easy to install. When i saw it up close in the store, I was also really impressed with the look -- a definite step above the old peel and stick tiles.

Great job on the flooring Janice - have been reading a few user reviews on this stuff in various forums on the web and almost all are very positive. I do have one concern, one that you fortunately don't have to worry too much about in Victoria, that is how well Allure may stand up to sub-zero temps - it is designed for interior use after all. I don't intend to be camping when there is snow on the ground, but I would hate to check the trailer after a cold winter and find the floor cracked into pieces when the temp got down to -25 or lower... Has anyone used this in their home in a place (porch, etc) that gets COLD??

I only question this as I had considered putting in vinyl tiling in our 1300 at one time until I found the peel & stick glue tends to stop working in cold temps - and the tiles may fracture!

I have used it in a cold space here in Winnipeg. because it floats, it works just fine. wonderful stuff to work with too. also used it in a bathroom... even safe in a wet environments. Home depot even gave me a small chunk of a couple different colors so I could get a better idea of what it would look like in my egg.

Thanks for the info Scott, I think it's fair to say Winnipeg gets as cold as here.. have to go to Home Depot this am for other supplies, I'm going to take a good look at this product. I have also been looking at Fiberfloor (similar to what Doug Roach used in his) but because it is a single(or at least 2 or 3) piece, it might be more difficult to work with (have to waste more also to cut around counters and other obstructions). The Allure would seem to be much more user-friendly (and less wasteful/costly) in the closer confines of an egg...

I bought 1 box of this stuff while I was in fargo last month. It was about $10 cheaper a box than here in Winnipeg. I will be installing it this weekend. I'm hoping that 1 box is all I need for a Surfside TM-14 with the side kitchen. It would suck to have to buy another box just for a few planks.

I will post pics when I'm done.

Cheers

one box worked on my TM-14 front kitchen. just remember to use the wax separator sheets as slip sheets when lining up the planks. once this stuff sticks together... it's REALLY stuck! also available in 12"x12" tiles if that's your preference. cuts easily with an utility knife .... just score and snap.

The ALLURE flooring is great! We did the Trillium last fall and it survived the trip out to Arizona and the cold(sometimes freezing) nights and hot days perfectly. Cleanup is a breeze- a swiffer wet wipe does the whole floor.
The HD guy suggested a perimeter of 3M patio double face tape and the rest laid in just fine. A seal of almond silicone finished off the job and a rubber stair tread glued in the step at the two levels on the Road Toad.
I'd echo previous comments...lay the planks with care as the glue tabs REALLY hold!
Took two boxes for the trailer with one plank left over.
It will be our next kitchen floor in the house!
Happy "planking"

I did my mom's house with the allure flooring and it was great! Had already done the boler with laminate (and love it also) but had I known about the allure a year ago...would have probably gone that route instead.

Robin

Very nice!

Hi Janice,
I used the Honey Oak pattern in the same stuff in my Dolphin. As soon as I finish the cabinets, I will post some pics. Sure is easy to work with isn't it?

Hi Janice,
I used the Honey Oak pattern in the same stuff in my Dolphin. As soon as I finish the cabinets, I will post some pics. Sure is easy to work with isn't it?

I was impressed enough that i'm going to now be putting in in the main bathroom, not just our downstairs bath/laundry! Am intersted in some pics of your floor, as the honey oak was one of the colours im considering for the main bath.

Hi,

I am picking some Allure to do my Trillium floor. I notice most people run the laminate from side to side rather than from front to back. Any particular reason you have done this? Generally the rule is to either a.) Run it parallel with the longest part of the room or b.) Run it in the direction of the light flooding the room.

Hi Booker...I paneled our 13' Trill with the strips going lengthwise. The cut off end of the second strip,first row starts off the next row and the staggered effect adds the illusion of length in the short space.
Have fun!
Alistair

Thanks Alistar,

I ended up running it side to side. No particular reason, just had to start somewhere. Allure is FAR easier to install then regular laminate - I just did a 700sq ft space this week with regular laminate so I would know =). I have spent less then 2 hours on it and I have only 1 angled corner where the step occurs and a few thin bits to do. I am a bit concerned about the weight - its probably 2x or 3x the weight of the carpet I am replacing.

Looks like 1 box will do it. On install make sure you have a sharp utility knife. I used a framing square as a straight edge so I could run the length of the piece for square. I bought some double side carpet tape but haven't used it as the fit is pretty tight on the lower floor. I will be using it on the upper floor.

The only tricky part has been the round out on the cabinet between fridge and furnace and the angles for the seats - it is not a 45% angle. Once again I recommend the old trick of making the piece out of card first then tracing it onto the final piece.

I will post some pics when done.

Never realized how hard it is to take good pictures of a trailer floor. Don't mind the dirty floor, friend is staying in it at the moment =). I am using Almond caulking at the edges to transition with the round corners of the Trillium. At the back of the big floor picture you can see the new 3 stage WFCO 8725 Convertor I had installed this week - w00t!


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I think we're going to install a similar floor in our 13' Scamp. I've been assuming that I'd strip the original carpet and then prep the floor for the new flooring as if I were doing this in a house. However, would it be reasonable to just lay this new flooring material over the carpet as a floating floor? In that case, I would only do the main floor, not the bed/dinette area. We'd get some benefit from the carpet as insulation. My gut feel is that it would be better to do a more permanent installation, caulked, etc, but thought I'd ask about this first.

Thanks,
Parker

I pulled the carpet in ours and there was some glue left on the floor from a previous lino job. With laminate as long as the floor is relatively level you can put it just over top the glue - if there are high spots then you can belt sand then down.

You could also just put it over your carpet as you mention - I know we will miss the warm feeling of the carpet. However, we have 2 boys and the carpet that was in the trailer was pretty much destroyed after 1 big trip from various foot prints and other boy mess =)

EDIT: About the caulking. One issue I ran into with this floor is the 'grain' in it. Generally I run some electrical tape along a floor edge, caulk the seam, run a wet finger down the seam to set it nicely then remove the tape to leave a clean edge. Due to the deep grain I had some issues with the caulking seeping into the grain - makes it a bit nit picky to clean up.

I installed a floating cork floor over the carpet in our Scamp Saturday.

We didn't want to take up the original carpet because it was in such good shape. The original owners had alway kept it completely covered with a peice of sacrificial carpet, but I hated the way that was alway moving and bunching up.

I had a box and a half of cork click & lock planks left over from our kitchen remodel so I covered the main floor with it.
I like the way it looks and feels - plus the cork is easy to keep clean in the kitchen...we'll see how it works out in the Scamp.

So I put in the Traffic Master Allure floor in the Surfside this weekend. Much better than the ugly 70's dirty Shag carpet that was in there. One box wasn't enough. I likely needed 4 or 5 more planks. It's too bad they only sell them by the box. I will have to buy another box and finish it next time I go back to the inlaws. In the pics you will see that I didn't quite have enough to finish under the table. For the time being I just put a mat over the unfished portion (See pic). I'm happy with the way the floor turned out but we already got a few scratches in it.

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Yes, this floor is not as durable as mdf laminate. Laminate has an aluminum oxide coating. However, moisture wise I think Allure wins hands down.

I installed the cork flooring in our Boler.I agree it is so comfortable to walk on and cleans up very nicely.I had a little problem knowing how to do the step to the table area.I was able to find peel and stick tile that matched the cork exactly.I cut them to fit and added a little no nails to ensure a good bond.I was very pleased with the finished product.The cork was not cheap but hopfully it will last and it certainly made the trailer look good....Pat.

I have a question on the installation/waterproofness.. I understand the pieces glue together side to side, but what happens at the end of the four foot length? What keeps water from seeping through where the lengths butt up? Is there overlapping glue there, too, and if so, what happens when you shorten a piece?

Yes, at the edges of the Allure there will be a space that you need to fill for complete water resistance. I used straight caulking on mine because I could not find any flexible trim I liked at home depot - it's mostly industrial style large trim. You would still need to caulk the bottom of the trim in any event.

EDIT: Sorry, at the end of the 4' pieces there is also a tab. Here is picture showing it:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ol-images/...asterupdate.jpg

Yeah there is an overlap on the end pieces. When you shorten a piece you have to make sure the cut end is at a wall. You don't want to butt up two ends that were cut. It takes alot of forethought to lay this down correctly. If done properly it should be water tight.

If installed correctly, you should have glued joints on all four sides of each "plank", except for the edges right at the perimeter. It takes a bit of thought when you are cutting the pieces for the edges, but just remember that factory edges always connect with a factory edge, and you should be fine.

This thread got me thinking about sprucing up the floor in the old Bigfoot. Nancy and I went shopping. In spite of all the cheaper priced laminates available, Nancy only liked the natural oak pattern of genuine, original pricy Pergo. Getting that stuff to "snap" proved challenging in some of the tight spots, but it got done. I put the new floor right over the existing vinyl floor. The 21' Bigfoot required three boxes of Pergo and I used every board. I notice there are differing opinions of how this product will perform in a trailer, but at least it looks good right now. The old vinyl floor is still usable if needed again, just not as pretty. I have an old friend who lives near a remote bush village in Alaska. He put a Pergo floor in his cabin 7-8 years ago. This guy is a big game guide and trapper who tracks in a lot of snow, mud, blood and other detritus. On those rare occasions when he mops that floor, it still looks like new. He often leaves the place unattended for weeks at a time in a climate that frequently gets 40 below zero. The Pergo has survived that, too. I'll let you know if it survives bouncing around the highway in a travel trailer. Thank-you for the others on this thread who inspired this project.

it's pretty tough stuff Bobbie,
it's kind of a thick lino product and I can tell you for sure that once it's stuck... it's good and stuck and doesn't soak up moisture. I did a bathroom a year ago and there's been no change. looks like it did when I finished it and I have teens in my house so I can tell you it has been tested. I guess you could run a bead of caulking around the edges but I think it's better if it floats and is allowed to move with changes in temps. the glue tabs are on an end and a side so it can't seep at the ends either.

Thought it was interesting that I was looking at the Trafficmaster Allure stuff this past weekend and now I see it here. Thought I'd pass the comment that the sales person mentioned. Lay it down across the joist rather than with them IF your floor may give any at all. Cracks open up over time. Can't imagine this being a problem inside a camper but maybe some houses.