Flooring Question - Fiberglass RV
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 02-25-2020, 12:51 AM   #1
Member
 
Warren Wilson's Avatar
 
Name: Warren
Trailer: 1979 17' Boler
British Columbia
Posts: 33
Flooring Question

I bought a Boler two years ago from an unscrupulous fellow in Chetwynd BC. I failed to notice his fresh vinyl floor had been installed right over the rug.

This spring I thought to replace the flooring and found the wet rug sandwiched between a fibreglass “underlay” and the vinyl flooring. It certainly explained the elusive musty odour. It was consonant with his general maintenance ethic, however.

I have had to rip out the rug and the thin fibreglass “underlay” mat, leaving me with a plywood subfloor that has been coated with fibreglass resin. That surface is dotted with the resin and is uneven. When I have installed wood floors in houses, we have always ensured a very flat surface (after removing squeaks!) using a cementatious compound that could be leveled nicely, but it has no flex.

I am pondering doing a similar thing to prepare the subfloor surface for a fresh vinyl floor. I believe I would benefit from using a resin as it seems to retain some flexibility, necessary, certainly, on the roads where we take this Boler.

I am concerned about getting a nice finish and would appreciate any thoughts or experiences anyone could share: brands, open times, effect of heat, recommended tools or trowels, all insights are welcome!
Warren Wilson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-25-2020, 01:34 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
Glenn Baglo's Avatar
 
Trailer: Escape 17 ft
Posts: 8,317
Quote:
Originally Posted by Warren Wilson View Post
I bought a Boler two years ago from an unscrupulous fellow

You expect perfection in a 41 year old trailer?
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
Glenn Baglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-25-2020, 09:06 AM   #3
Senior Member
 
Name: bill
Trailer: 2013 Escape 19
The Mountains of North Carolina
Posts: 4,137
Registry
Whatever you do, removing, replacing, and repairing any and all rotten wood in the flooring is a must.

One reason you will see carpet in some brands of trailers is that the floor surface does not have to be as smooth. New plank vinyl flooring can handle imperfections in the floor as well (but not rot).

I used the Shaw branded product because Lowes carried it. A lot of people use Allure, which is another brand.
thrifty bill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-25-2020, 10:40 AM   #4
Member
 
Warren Wilson's Avatar
 
Name: Warren
Trailer: 1979 17' Boler
British Columbia
Posts: 33
Thanks for the comments, guys — after 10 years of owning Bolers, I know not to expect perfection and to anticipate regular maintenance. In fact, it is the relative simplicity of the design and systems that makes them easy to maintain.

I have installed a fair bit of solid hardwood flooring and a few rooms of vinyl. Perhaps I just have to investigate the tolerance of the vinyl flooring product to irregularities in the subfloor.

But I would still appreciate any insights anyone can offer into using fibreglass resin as a levelling agent. Other than tiny projects, my experience has only been with the West System, an epoxy. I believe, however, that I can use either that or a polyester over the existing — as long as I can remove the amine blush.
Warren Wilson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-25-2020, 11:11 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
Name: Justus
Trailer: Currently Shopping
California
Posts: 291
I'm with Bill. Vinyl planks don't need a perfectly level subfloor. Even the click lock laminate I installed in our house had a tolerance of something like an inch over six feet, which I took full advantage of to save time and labor.

I was able to tackle some of the more severe warped spots (again in my house) with a combo of sanding high spots and filling low spots with a few layers or roofing felt tacked into the subfloor, which I'll say up front would not be my first choice next time but it worked. The tar smell dissipated eventually.

A fellow Hymer owner tore out his water-damaged subfloor and installed vinyl plank directly on the fiberglass and from photos (and his reports) it looked great. This replaced the old floor, which was thin plywood (not positive but I think it's less than 1/2") with a peel-and-stick-type veneer pasted over it. Very tacky for an otherwise nice looking trailer, but not the only place Hymer saved a buck. I plan to do the vinyl flooring upgrade myself at some point. My point being the vinyl lays fine on the mostly flat fiberglass shell, so it should be fine on a mostly flat subfloor.
Justus C is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Flooring question Farren and Heather Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 14 02-16-2012 12:13 AM
Flooring question James Bar. Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 5 07-14-2010 09:27 PM
Another Flooring question Bonnie Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 0 03-03-2008 06:22 PM
A flooring question Bonnie Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 6 02-10-2008 11:21 PM
A Flooring Question Bonnie Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 12 10-14-2007 05:49 PM

» Upcoming Events
No events scheduled in
the next 465 days.
» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:00 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.