A Flooring Question

[Bonnie]

Hello, everyone.

I'm getting set to redo the floor in the Play-Pac and have a quick, I hope, question.

Should I put the floor in before building the framing for the bed and such, or should I frame first and piece the flooring around the resulting wood working?

Thanks,

[Gerry]

Hello, everyone.

I'm getting set to redo the floor in the Play-Pac and have a quick, I hope, question.

Should I put the floor in before building the framing for the bed and such, or should I frame first and piece the flooring around the resulting wood working?

Thanks,

Bonnie, depends on the type of floor your installing.
If it is the laminate floor everyone seems to put in (not me for the fact of it IS going to swell when damp and delaminate ) you will want to put it in after the framing because this type of floor needs to move.
You must leave 1/4 of expansion room around this type of floor.
If lanolium or stick down tiles then do what ever is easier and that answer will probably be put it in before the framing.
Gerry the canoebuilder

[Donna D.]

Yep, depends on flooring. If linoleum or carpet, I'd put it in after. My reasoning is, someday you may wish to change it out, would be easier to remove and replace if you don't have to cut around the cabinets. Now you're thinking... I'd just lay the new on top. What happens if the surface gets badly damaged and wouldn't make a good "underlayment"?

Joy A put lino in her Scamp and she just lets it "float." Says she doesn't have a problem with movement either. Although if you thought you would have problems with it moving around, anchor the lino at the door and maybe a couple of piece of 1/4 round (one on each side)

[Bonnie]

Thanks for the thoughts. I've picked a very nice peel-n-stick and will think on this a bit longer.

[Donna D.]

If you're using Peel n Stick, really think about it. If moisture causes the tiles to lift, and the tiles are under the cabinets.... what additional problems is that going to cause, if any Would you be able to reglue them? Since I don't know what kind of cabinetry you're building...

[Steve Hilby]

If you're using Peel n Stick, really think about it. If moisture causes the tiles to lift, and the tiles are under the cabinets.... what additional problems is that going to cause, if any Would you be able to reglue them? Since I don't know what kind of cabinetry you're building...

In my sister's Compact Jr., the cabinets are on top of the linoleum. If I were rebuilding a trailer, I sure wouldn't do it that way.

[Steve Hilby]

(Oh, cool; my new avatar showed up! I thought the change process hadn't worked.)

[Lainey]

I always like it when flooring goes down first and extends under all components - makes future renos easier without a floor to patch, BUT that would only be for sheet goods. With any type of modular flooring then the movement and potential for small areas delaminating should be considered. My rule of thumb is:
Sheet flooring = under installed items
Modular flooring = around installed items

[Frederick L. Simson]

In my sister's Compact Jr., the cabinets are on top of the linoleum. If I were rebuilding a trailer, I sure wouldn't do it that way.

Most trailer (and Mobile home) manufacturers will lay the floor surface down 1st, before the installed cabinetry and built-in furniture are put in simply because that is the easiest and cheapest way to do it in assembly line fashion. In my Fiber Stream, the indoor/outdoor carpet is underneath everything including the bunks, the kitchen, and the bathroom shower pan.

[Brian B-P]

Personally, I would go for a modification of Lainey's approach:

• sheet goods, but only those which form a good base for cabinets, goes down before the cabinets;
• all other materials fit around the cabinets.

I'm not concerned about changes later - if the old stuff should come out, cutting around the cabinets for removal is still a lot less hassle than fitting around them at installation time.

My Boler has the original sheet vinyl flooring everywhere. I like having it, and not bare plywood, inside all of the cabinets. I wouldn't want carpet there, but carpet doesn't qualify (in my mind) as a good base for the built-ins.

I have used stick-on tiles at home a few times, and while they work okay in some cases, I certainly wouldn't put them on before built-in cabinets... and I probably wouldn't use them at all, preferring sheet vinyl instead.

[Bonnie]

There are problems with having a Lowes so close to my house. I saw a returned special order vinyl that is very pretty and would be about the cost of the stick on tiles. Dang. More decisions.

[Lainey]

Oh!! Go for the vinyl!!

For the same price, for me anyway, I would take the one piece route! Think of all those little seams between the peel & stick that are going to attract dust, dirt, sand, dog hair, etc. over time. The monolithic approach will be much easier to keep clean.

[Darwin Maring]

I would put in the absolute best grade of 1 piece linoleum that I could find.
I would even go over my budget if I had to in order to go with the best.
The longest lasting, most durable, easy to clean, longest guarantee.

I would glue it down and if it ever had to be replaced, then I would use the peal and stick over it.

I wish our scamp had great linoleum instead of the cheep carpet just because of the ease of cleaning. If you don't like the feel on your feet, you can put a rug on top and you still have the ease of cleaning.