Laminate flooring over existing carpet

[Ncwochers]

I have a 2015 casita spirit delux with factory carpet . I want to put a wood laminate floor in and my question is "do I need to remove the carpet first or can I install over the carpet" ? Any input wil help. Thanks. Frank.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Ncwochers

I have a 2015 casita spirit delux with factory carpet . I want to put a wood laminate floor in and my question is "do I need to remove the carpet first or can I install over the carpet" ? Any input wil help. Thanks. Frank.

Remove the carpet, you can cut it where needed, then use a scraper to remove the residue.
When finished, use RedMax or equivalent professional grade floor wax to seal the finished floor. It will come out nice and it is not too difficult.

[bsedwebt]

how about laying new vinyl sheet flooring over top of original vinyl sheet flooring without removing the old - will it it work without gluing it?

[Hazel in Sk]

I would be concerned that the various doors would be blocked by an extra layer of flooring.

[rbryan]

Originally Posted by Ncwochers

I have a 2015 casita spirit delux with factory carpet . I want to put a wood laminate floor in and my question is "do I need to remove the carpet first or can I install over the carpet" ? Any input wil help. Thanks. Frank.

I would recommend Allure vinyl plank flooring instead of laminate. It's thinner, so it won't create as many clearance issues at doors and with trim. It's also less susceptible to damage from moisture. Easier to install because it floats, with adjacent planks attaching to each other with a 'grip strip'. No glue needed. You can cut it easily by scoring it with a utility knife and just breaking along the line.

But, don't install it over the carpet. You need a hard flat surface.


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[floyd]

Originally Posted by bsedwebt

how about laying new vinyl sheet flooring over top of original vinyl sheet flooring without removing the old - will it it work without gluing it?

It often will work and take a set, however any texture of the original floor might imprint itself on the new flooring, and if your thought is to preserve the original floor for later use, be aware that the new vinyl could discolor or even adhere to the original anyway.

[SoloMatt]

I have read of people laying laminate directly over the factory carpet. I am interested in doing the same, eventually.... but cutting the carpet and removing it before laying the laminate or vinyl would give more peace of mind in terms of moisture collection, right?

[Glenn Baglo]

There is a fairy tale about the princess and the pea.
Any imperfection under vinyl will telegraph through to the surface. The vinyl will eventually crack. Placing it on top of carpet, which gives under pressure will cause cracks.

[Borrego Dave]

I installed carpet for a couple years after the service. I have to agree with Glenn and others to remove the carpet first. The laminates do float on a very thin film. Can't see it working out very well even as the Casita carpet is low profile with not much movement. Some have done it but it wouldn't be my choice for installation.

[Carl Pa]

Not that i would, but the Allure flooring will not telegraph. It is too thick. But regular vinyl will. Carl

[Dennis mn]

I installed floating cork laminate directly over the original carpet in my Scamp. The only door that was even close to an issue was the bifold screen door, and it glides easily above the cork. It has been only one year, but thus far I have had no issues. One reason I left the carpet was to provide an additional layer, hopefully to result in a warmer floor and that has been a benefit.

[Joe Romas]

Originally Posted by SoloMatt

I have read of people laying laminate directly over the factory carpet. I am interested in doing the same, eventually.... but cutting the carpet and removing it before laying the laminate or vinyl would give more peace of mind in terms of moisture collection, right?

Frank and Matt I've laid laminate over the carpet twice now in our 1999 17' SD. I didn't like the job of fitting around corners I did the first time, that was about 6 years ago. The second was 2 years ago.

IT'S MUCH EASIER TO CLEAN!!

It would be a major project to remove all the carpet and if you wanted to do it properly you would need to remove all the interior cabinetry.


There's no doors or opening to cause any problems. I did remove the slanted Casita wood covers over the pipes in the corners of the rear and side dinettes first along with the vinyl stick on trim around the edges. I didn't like that trim but have not found a better solution yet. The closest was using a light brown rubber base molding like in a kitchen and cutting the height in half. It would have been perfect but the the 3M spray adhesive I used did not stick to the fiberglass

Maybe I should try another adhesive.

Buy a premium quality laminate that will provide better moisture protection both from above and below. Run your planks side to side for a better appearance.

It has a nice finish and does not need any floor sealer.

On removing the first laminate there was NO sign of any problems from moisture and that includes around the refrigerator where the upper vent that is a known source of water leakage.

If your carpet gets wet, not just tracked in from your shoes, find and eliminate the leaks first. This should be done laminate or not.

I look at adding laminate as something I can easily replace in a day or less as it shows signs of ware. It's a small high traffic floor, easy to replace.

The standard oak color is a pretty close match to Casita wood. the second time I choose Chestnut that is a nice contrast.

I don't think place and click vinyl is thick enough to cover minor imperfections in the OSb flooring and or carpet.

The carpet gives laminate a soft feel like the under laments made for laminate too.

Joe

[Gilles]

Install Allure.
I had glued tiles that I removed with a air heating pistol.
The seller of laminate had me to put simply a little glue construction on the first installed laminate.
I decided not to clean the residues of glue of the vinyl tile removed, these residues of glue replaced the glue that the seller had suggested me installing.

Install in spring, 2014, stay firmly in place and cleans itself very well.

[WendyW]

I asked the Casita rep why the carpet was standard but the vinyl was an option ($$). He said there's a lot more prep work involved in smoothing out the under-flooring so that the vinyl wouldn't show bumps that the (rather nice, considering) carpet would hide.

[Donna D.]

This thread is kinda funny. Lots of folks say rip up the carpet here on FiberglassRV, but folks on the CasitaForum say lay laminate over the carpet. I guess the owner needs to decide what would work best for them!

BTW: Vinyl is standard on an Escape, they won't even install carpet unless the owner asks... then, it's an option! AND, the owner needs to buy the carpet and ship it to ETI.

[Joe Romas]

donna.

Saying "rip it up" is easy.
But actually removing all the flooring carpet is not easy.

Joe

[Bob Miller]

What does the laminate mfg say???? While there may be some, I don't know of any flooring material that suggests laying over carpet and all that I have worked with warn to NOT lay over carpet. Carpet removal is usually easy-peasy, just cut with a mat/carpet knife at the edges and pull it up.

[Joe Romas]

Bob

The carpet in a Casita is MUCH thinner and glued down then what's commonly installed in houses.

The laminate I've used recommended a underlayment that is about the same thickness of the carpet in my Casita.

I don't think the laminate manufacturers have travel trailers in mind at any rate.

[El Brazo Enophre]

Thanks for all the input.
The Allure looks terrific. I'm putting it in this weekend.
Carpet is so hard to keep clean.
I can't understand why any manufacturer would not install laminate flooring and LED lighting.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by El Brazo Enophre

Thanks for all the input.
The Allure looks terrific. I'm putting it in this weekend.
Carpet is so hard to keep clean.
I can't understand why any manufacturer would not install laminate flooring and LED lighting.

Unless I am mistaken, Allure is a vinyl product, not a laminate. Laminates do have some drawbacks in RVs. In some cases, water can seep into the seams and cause damage. It may be heavier, too.

As to why they don't all use a hard-surface flooring material and LED lights, the answer is cost (see post #14). Some people (like yourself) care, but apparently not enough do for an entry-level manufacturer like Scamp to make the switch. They seem to be able to sell as many trailers as they can make right now, so there isn't a huge incentive to change anything. Frankly, mine came with the standard carpet and incandescent lighting, and I haven't felt a great need to upgrade. A large throw rug covers most of the carpet, so clean-up is easy, and a small group 24 battery keeps our lights on for the shorter duration of our outings (3-5 days).

At least Scamp offers vinyl flooring as an option. It would be nice of they did the same for LED lighting.