carpet vs laminate

[Per Walthinsen]

We have carpeting for the following reasons: Warm to step on with bare feet. Cut and bound so that it can be yanked out or the floor underneath inspected in a matter of seconds. Can be used as a pattern and new carpet installed cheaply and easily (learned how to bind it).

Considered other flooring, but the following convinced me: we had a problem with water getting into the interior through refrigerator and heater vents. After exhaustive and difficult efforts at tracing the leaks down they were finally fixed, but when it was leaking it would come in underneath the carpeting and stay without us knowing about it. I reasoned that ANY flooring would have to be easily and quickly inspected so that no moisture could be trapped and lead to rot, mold, and mildew. By cutting the carpet at one strategic place (and underneath another section used as a throw rug to hide the seam) I can lift the thing for inspection in a second.

One extra piece is a large one on top inside the door, held in place with the threshhold. All we do is lift it up and shake it out the door while still attached, letting it fall back in place. We also have a 12v vacuum installed under the kitchen sink area. All we do is drag out a length of hose, stick it in the wall, turn the switch, and vacuum the carpeting.

[Suz]

The Fiber Stream has carpet on the floor... which was installed before the walls and cabinetry were put in. The manufacturer did not have to cut and fit it that way, but I'll have to remove most of the interior to get it out. Has anyone added insulation below the floor? I too would rather have a colorful vinyl that can be spilled upon.

Robert,

I used a utilitiy knife and cut my carpet off at the cabinets, then installed my vinyl floor. The carpet that wasn't exposed is actually in good condition and I really like having it in there. Unless you've had a leak and the carpet inside is rotten or smells, there's no reason not to leave it. I use throw rugs on top of the vinyl. Actually, I installed new carpet on the raised (non-walking areas) and vinyl on the traffic areas. I haven't regretted it one bit.

[Gary Lynch]

vinyl The best deal going.

[Kurt in BC]

good old peal and stick tiles with new aluminum molding to match. I get the most compliments on my floor out of the entire trailer.

[Chester Taje]

What i see here is that there are pros and cons to different types of flooring.I think the solution is to go with what you consider to be the BEST FOR YOU.Each of us all have differnt ideas and different needs to suit ourselfs.Good luck in your choice.

[Rob S.]

Since my Boler 1700 was a total gut and floor replacement I used the Rustoleum Tintable Epoxy Basement floor coating. Because I had significant water damage that had leaked under the vinyl flooring and rotted the floor, I wanted to make sure the plywood was sealed tight. After glassing the edges of the new Plywood to the shell I flared it out and skim coated the floor with leveling compound mixed specifically for application over wood. Then mixed up the 2-part water based epoxy and rolled on a really heavy coat with a 1" nap roller and sprinkked the the color chips. I used the whole bag of chips so the floor has almost a terrrazo effect. It came out better than I expected and the floor is pretty much bullet proof now. The dogs haven't made a dent in it. I was originally shooting for a waterproof coating that I would eventually put some other flooring over but I will probably keep it for a while now.

[Donna D.]

I used the Rustoleum Tintable Epoxy Basement floor coating.

Rob, That's EXACTLY what I want I so badly want some color in my trailer and I've seen websites that sell the chips in many, many different colors

What problems did you run into? Would you do it again? Is the floor now, hard to maintain?

oooooh, it's exciting to know someone has already done this

[Rob S.]

Rob, That's EXACTLY what I want I so badly want some color in my trailer and I've seen websites that sell the chips in many, many different colors

What problems did you run into? Would you do it again? Is the floor now, hard to maintain?

oooooh, it's exciting to know someone has already done this

Hey Donna,

There really were no big problems. As I mentioned previously, since the garage floor paints are specifically designed for concrete. Concrete in a trailer you say??? Well most floor leveling compounds are Portland cement based. I used the 10 lb. box of Henry 547 Universal Patch and Skimcoat. Instead of water use the 546 FeatherEdge Additive this makes the mix more flexible and provides better adhesion to flexible surfaces like wood, vinyl, etc. I then started in the back corner and laid down about a 1/8-1/4" layer with a finishing trowel. I let it dry for about a week and then went in with a disk sander to knock off any edges I missed when toweling. Vacuum clean and then mix up the Epoxy according to the instructions. You will only need to mix half of the batch so you might want to convince someone else to do their trailer as well and split the cost. Roll out about a 3' x 3' area and throw on the chips then move on. The key is to keep a wet edge and really lay on the epoxy thick. The vinyl chips sink into the surface of the epoxy but if you are too thin they won't bond well. Once the whole thing cured for a week I went over the whole floor with a 6" putty knife to knock off any edges and loose chips. I then put down three coats of semi-gloss water based polyurethane. This really sealed the chips in and gave the floor a soother feel under foot.

Would I do it again? Sure it worked out really well and I am now in the process of prepping my basement for the same treatment.

Maintenance is no different than a poly'ed wood floor. Damp mop and you're done.

Things to remember:

Before skimcoating make sure the floor is free of loose material, soaps, waxes, etc.

When skimcoating, make small batches. You start with pudding and lay it down but your real smoothing comes when it starts setting up and if it’s setting on the floor, its setting in your bucket. Also if you get too far ahead of yourself then you have to get into the wet material to smooth the back.

Take your time when smoothing and blending edges. You can sand it smooth but it is a lot of work and it’s much easier to smooth it when it’s wet.

When you do the epoxy, make sure the trailer floor is level. I put a four foot level on the floor inside. This will ensure that the epoxy doesn't run.

When putting the chips down its kind of a sidearm broadcast throw I concentrated on the major traffic areas and put less down in areas that would be hidden by cabinets.

Regrets, My only regret is that they didn't have the tintable base epoxy kit when I did mine. Because all of the cabinets are wood toned I put the grey down which came with blue and white chips. It looks nice but in an ideal world it would have been nice to have some choices. If you go to the Rustoleum website you can see the 20 different tints.

That's about it. This is not the cheapest solution out there but it was what I wanted for my trailer. And for those of you concerned with weight, the leveling compound and epoxy combined is about half of what the same square footage in vinyl flooring weighs.

Good luck.

Rob

[Donna D.]

Thanks for the info Rob. I don't want to trash someone else's topic, so I'm sending you a PM.

[Cheryl Libby]

We are going to put laminate flooring in our trailer after putting insulation down before we lay the laminate. I always keep an eye out at our local Restore from Habitat For Humanity. I purchased the flooring for $20 and it will do the floor and the area under out table in our 13' Boler. Not a big selection in color though lol but we ended up with the light unstained maple flooring.

[Mike Watters]

We have vinyl flooring in ours (did the same in the Boler and PlayPac). Too many places we go to have lots of sand. We're sweeping the floors out once a day as it is. With carpet it'd be a bigger hassle.

I DID however add a carpet runner that goes down the aisle. Nice on your bare toes in the morning AND you can pull it out of the trailer to shake off crud easily.

Mike

[Neil W']

We are currently negotiating the purchase of Boler but do have a 34' Motorhome with Laminate flooring. We love it and in 6 years have had no moisture problems even in BC winters.We do put a container of dryer in it in the winter (I believe it's silica ). We use a couple of small area rugs but even small stones in the tread of your running shoe don't mark it. We do wear slippers most of the time. It is sooo easy to clean.
Would definately do it again.

[michael harrison]

A few months ago I put a bamboo rug OVER the carpeting in my Scamp 16. The carpet was essentially new and I figured I could always go back if I did not like it. I found the 5x8 rug at the Sam's Club for approximately $30; only took about an hour to install. Doesn't alter the headroom much as it's only about 1/8th of an inch thick and it is only weighs 6-8 pounds. Cuts easily to fit with tin snips; so cleanly that you do not need to add trim. Sweeps/wipes and can be removed easily. We love it! So much, in fact, that I bought another for my Casita16 that I intend to rebuild at some point. Michael

[Vivian]

Michael,

The bamboo rug is very attractive. How are the strips fastened together?

Vivian

[michael harrison]

Michael,

The bamboo rug is very attractive. How are the strips fastened together?

Vivian

Hello Vivian,

The strips are glued to a heavy backing material and the edges are bound with nylon tape. Cut carefully the rug can be installed as one piece as shown. Once installed it can be easily removed by rolling it from the door end.

Michael

[Tamid]

After reading this post I am concluding that most people do not know how to lay laminate properly. I have had it in my 17 Boler for 4 years in Calgary with winter temps down to -30C on occasion with no problem. No swelling, buckling etc.

The secret is quite simple. Lay it like you were doing on a concrete basement floor in your house. First lay a vapor barrier. I use two layers of 15 lb. roofing(tarred) felt overlapped by 50% between layers. Then lay the laminate. I would suggest that if you are searching for the cheapest laminate then that is what you will get! It is made of cheap materials, with a cheap top laminate, with inferior locking structure, etc. Leave 1/4 inch at edges for movement and expansion. I also prefer the glue together laminates because the glue provides a water tight seal between the grooves. I suggest that if you get the click, lock together you also glue the seams as well. Water on the floor is only a problem when it seeps down into the seam and gets under the top coat of laminate. I have had spills, dog mishaps, etc. I try to wipe it up immediately but that has not always happened. I still do not have any swelling.

I have abreviated how to install so if any one wants a more in depth description let me know.

[cyndi H]

I havent heard anyone mention this yet so maybe it's not a good idea, but i plan on installing cork floor tiles. The theory is that it will be light, smooth, and insulating. If anyone has tried this and had trouble please let me know before it's too late.

[Gina D.]

I did THIS to mine last week.

I am liking it REAL well so far!

In my 13 I did the vinyl "plank" flooring mentioned earlier in this thread. It worked well too, but was cold.

This new stuff I got is warm to step on in the morning.