New floor

[Parker Buckley]

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

[Booker B.]

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.

What type of leveling jacks are best when camping and what type of jack is used when storing camper for the winter-the kind that raise the camper tires off the pavement. Hubby is working overtime so I am trying to help by finding these items-thanks.

[paulw]

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.

[Darren H]

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.

[Booker B.]

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.

[Pat C]

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.

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.

[Bobbie Mayer]

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?

[Booker B.]

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

[Darren H]

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?

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.

[Janice M]

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.

[David and Nancy]

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.

[Scott S.]

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.

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?

[Chris Z]

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.

[Dawn S]

I am wondering if I am going to install the Traffic Master: should I just draw a template of my floor to be covered, and do it on the kitchen floor where I have tons of room to move, and then just lay it like a single piece of carpet in the trailer? Then I can go in after with my molding?

[Bill MacDermod]

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.

You are right with the direction, but it really is not important either way in the campers, more of a personal choice as the areas are so small.

The topic of installing over the original carpet comes up often on the casita sites every now and then. I have laid quite a bit of this stuff and recommend that the carpet be ripped out and the moisture barrier that they sell in the same flooring section be put down first. The carpet if it does become wet will mildew then stink up the place and you will have to tear it all out. I have never used the glue in the trailer installs just in case you have to pull it out for some reason. I do use it in kitchens and baths in homes but, in other rooms ? no.

[Eddie Longest]

Dawn
Allure is very heavy I don't recommend trying to install it as one piece. One trick I found is to place the thin packing paper between the contact surfaces until the new panel is in place then slide out the paper. This helps in fine positioning of the panels.

All
I installed Allure several months ago in my trailer because the carpet had odors and affected my wifes allergies. On the first camping trip after installation my wifes allergies really acted up. After a lot of detective work we discovered she was alergic to the new Allure flooring. Allure seems to have a problem with off gassing when new.
If you have any type of allergy I suggest you place a piece of allure in a plastic trash bag by itself and place it in the sun and take a smell before installing.
I really like Allure but I may have to remove it and go back to another product. We have let the trailer air out for about a month and we plan to make one more trip before making a decision on removing the Allure.
Eddie

[Booker B.]

Here's my own follow up after a year with Allure - It scratches pretty easy. Sliding the cooler in and out with a bit of grit on the bottom has left a number of thin marks on the floor. I think it would be worse with true laminate and it's still much easier to keep clean then carpet. Does tend to be cold in the mornings =)

[Scott S.]

easier to do right in the trailer Dawn. planks are 6" wide so you just have to figure out want direction they should run for the least amount of waste and the best look. you don't want to end up with an inch left to do at the end. it's easier to cut single planks too when you get to the last one. the planks in the box are separated by wax sheets... use them to keep the adhesive parts from touching while you trim and fit the planks. then pull it away bit by bit as you fit them together. I hope that makes sense.

[Dawn S]

Dawn
Allure is very heavy I don't recommend trying to install it as one piece. One trick I found is to place the thin packing paper between the contact surfaces until the new panel is in place then slide out the paper. This helps in fine positioning of the panels.

All
I installed Allure several months ago in my trailer because the carpet had odors and affected my wifes allergies. On the first camping trip after installation my wifes allergies really acted up. After a lot of detective work we discovered she was alergic to the new Allure flooring. Allure seems to have a problem with off gassing when new.
If you have any type of allergy I suggest you place a piece of allure in a plastic trash bag by itself and place it in the sun and take a smell before installing.
I really like Allure but I may have to remove it and go back to another product. We have let the trailer air out for about a month and we plan to make one more trip before making a decision on removing the Allure.
Eddie

Hi Eddie,

I did install the allure. It looks AMAZING!! But yes, the off gassing is quite strong. I am not allergic but my boys are, so I hope we will be alright. I have it airing out now. I figure that by next summer it will be fine. As bad as it sounds, I have eperienced off gassing lasting for a year on some products, where others will only be a week or two. I am hoping this is the later.

Thanks for the warning. I hope you don't have to remove your floor!

Dawn

[Eddie Longest]

Hi Eddie,

I did install the allure. It looks AMAZING!! But yes, the off gassing is quite strong. I am not allergic but my boys are, so I hope we will be alright. I have it airing out now. I figure that by next summer it will be fine. As bad as it sounds, I have eperienced off gassing lasting for a year on some products, where others will only be a week or two. I am hoping this is the later.

Thanks for the warning. I hope you don't have to remove your floor!

Dawn

Latest up date on Allure.
My plans for this weekend was to go camping in the WV mountains. My wife and I had planned to leave Friday morning. So Wed. and Thurs. I started preparing for the trip, cleaning up and checking things out on the trailer and truck. I was realy proud of how everything cleaned up. Thursday night after dinner my wife made her way out to inspect the trailer. She had barely entered the trailer and she started sneezing. She made two more trips to the trailer with the same results. We finished loading up the trailer later that night and went to bed.
I could barely sleep Thursday night, trying to decide what to do. My choices were to cancel the trip or take out the Allure. When I woke up at 6 A.M I decided my wife and I were going to the WV mountains but not the Allure. I backed the trailer in the garage and in less than two minutes the Allure was out of the trailer and on the garage floor in one large and one small piece. I had planned to just use a runner on the bare floor but things went so well with the removal I decided why not go all the way and do it right. I had two boxes of laminate flooring that I had bought for another trailer I was working on and it almost perfectly matched the Allure. With a square, jigsaw and pencil the two boxes of laminate were installed on the main floor in just slightly over an hour.
By 7:45 A.M I moved the trailer to where it was the night before. I went into the house and got my wife to go check out the trailer. She went into the trailer and with out a sniffle she asked how did I get rid of the odor from the floor. I then told her what I had done and within an hour we were on the road and spent three great days camping in WV with out a sneeze or sniffle.
Eddie