installing click vinyl flooring

[Lynn W in FL]

Recently some friends cautioned me about installing click together vinyl flooring in my 1975 Trillium. Friends of theirs had all their RV click flooring pop up while driving down the road. I had finally decided on a vinyl tile I like(even though I'll need to buy a 100 sq ft roll of underlayment when I only need 35 sq ft). Now I'm back to square one. Has anyone had any experience/difficulty with their click together vinyl tiles in their fiberglass camper?? I'm discovering that a reno is a bit like dominoes. Each project uncovers something else that needs attention

[AlexTN]

I dont have much experience with owning a trillium yet but I do have a lot of experience with flooring. I've worked in R&D, technical and development at one of the largest flooring companies for over 10 years now.

The first thing I'll say is that there are a lot of different kinds of vinyl flooring and a number of different locking systems, so its hard to know what issues your friends might have had.

Not all, but a lot of DIY homeowners do not install their click flooring correctly. Even very similar looking products can have different rules for installation. Installed properly, the floor should stay together unless you are trying to take it apart.

An extra precaution you could take is to glue the tongue and groove with the right kind of adhesive. They sell it in flooring stores specifically for vinyl flooring.

But again, take this with a grain of salt since I don't know what kinds of forces the trailer experiences rolling down the road.

[Darwin Maring]

I once installed some click flooring that was pre glued once it was together.
Me, I would just glue it down and forget about it.

[Lynn W in FL]

After all the elbow grease it took to remove the adhesive off the floor from the old tile, I'd rather NOT use ANY kind of glue.

[floyd]

I have click together vinyl flooring in my Scamp13.
Installed several years ago it has held up well, has not shown wear and has not shifted.
One secret that I think has been beneficial is a double application of industrial grade floor wax at the time of installation.
This will resist scuffing, prevent moisture penetration and can be renewed by simply mopping the clean floor with a cap full of wax in couple of quarts of warm water.


One warning!!
The use of a natural rubber backed throw rug can permanently discolor some vinyl flooring (including sheet vinyl)

[Lynn W in FL]

Thanks. That makes me feel more confident about proceeding with my original plan. First hand experience is best. Also thanks for the reminder about the discoloring. Unfortunately I do have first hand experience with that

[Nanph]

I was like you- I didn't want to apply any adhesive on my freshly scraped floors. We put down a click flooring and it looks great. We've only been on one trip (about 7 hours of driving) and it held up beautifully! I love having the option of popping it up in a few years if I want a change of flooring.

[gordon2]

IMHO I think if you provide for the expansion and contraction that one would expect, it should not be a problem. It seems that when flooring buckles it is because it does not have the space to expand in higher temps. Check the instructions, the flooring should have expansion space at the edges (covered with trim) and in a camper you might want to use a little more space than is normally called for in interior home applications.

[FRED SMAILES]

I recently installed some thin vinyl flooring in the house,, too heavy for my boler.

[Capn.Curt.Wiebe]

I picked up some remnants of self-ashesive tab type thin vinyl planking. Part of a box for $5 at a garage sale.

There was just enough to finish the lower (main) floor of our Trillium 4500. We did NOT glue it down to the floor - it is left floating, and could theoretically be removed quite easily, but have not done that yet

It has NOT moved around and has not fallen apart in the 4 or so years since I installed it.

I really like the fact that it is thin, like linoleum, and all vinyl, so it is pretty resistant to scratching and wear.

I know of others who have put laminate (engineered wood) flooring in their trailers. To me that sounds like a big potential for problems.

[PCO6]

Originally Posted by Capn.Curt.Wiebe

I picked up some remnants of self-ashesive tab type thin vinyl planking. ...

I plan to do my floor with this. I've used it at home in my laundry room and areas of my garage. It's tough stuff, easy to install and I like that that the tiles are stuck to each other and not the floor. One box will do more than I need to do.

[herons]

So for all of us who discolored their original vinyl floors with a rubber-backed throw rug, has anyone tried to repaint the vinyl? Is it even possible to paint vinyl flooring?

[GOB]

We put the click planks in our Scamp 19 a few years ago. No glue, no movement, great stuff.

[brucewarren]

Originally Posted by Lynn W in FL

Recently some friends cautioned me about installing click together vinyl flooring in my 1975 Trillium. Friends of theirs had all their RV click flooring pop up while driving down the road. I had finally decided on a vinyl tile I like(even though I'll need to buy a 100 sq ft roll of underlayment when I only need 35 sq ft). Now I'm back to square one. Has anyone had any experience/difficulty with their click together vinyl tiles in their fiberglass camper?? I'm discovering that a reno is a bit like dominoes. Each project uncovers something else that needs attention

I have installed about 2000 square feet of vinyl plank flooring in two houses. And experimented with the floor in my niece's Airstream. You have to glue the flooring down in an RV and in a house that has bumpy floors. Use Alex Plus white caulk. Dab a dot of caulk every inch along each long side about an inch from the edge. It is water soluable if you smear some. Takes about a day to cure good.

[Mike_L]

I've seen laminate flooring used in trailers extensively and it usually works well if properly installed.
Here are some things I've observed.
This product is very durable, The surface is aluminum oxide, the same material found on the discs used on angle grinders so it wears well.
These products are water resistant but not the kind of waterproof you would want for a trailer, especially if you boondock. Wet mopping etc is fine but standing water won't work. Even the seams with polymer strips incorporated will leak water. Once the seams leak, water will penetrate the sides of the laminate and cause it to swell. Then it's finished.
Leave an 1/8 inch around the perimeter to allow for expansion. Temperature changes may cause expansion/contraction but the major cause is humidity.
Don't glue individual pieces together or to the floor. Temperature and humidity differences between individual pieces are best accommodated if pieces can move individually.
Some types of laminate flooring are heavy. Any laminate will add weight to your unit.
Always use the sponge underlay to cushion the new floor and compensate for minor differences in floor height.

Personally, I use linoleum. It has no seams to leak, cleans easily and is very durable. I use corrugated cardboard to template the floor and install the lino in a single piece.

[AlexTN]

In terms of weight, you really can't beat linoleum. My rough estimates put it around 0.5lb per sqft. A 2mm flexible vinyl is going to average 1.5lb per sqft. Rigid core "click" vinyl will vary based on construction an range from 1.5lb-2.5lb/sqft. An 8mm laminate will be ~1.5lb and a 12mm will be 2lb/sqft. For engineered wood, it will depend on a lot of things but it would average between 1.5lb to 2-3lb/ sqft or more depending on construction.

The main concerns I would have installing laminate or engineered hardwood in the trailer would be the humidity and temperature swings. For the size of an average 13-15' trailer I don't think you'll have many issues with expansion and contraction but I would be concerned about cupping and bowing. For vinyl, the temperature swings can make it shrink quite a bit in the winter and expand in the summer.

With all that said, I'll probably be installing engineered wood in my trailer, T&G floating with glued tongue and grooves. I prefer the look and in the end you're only out maybe 1-2 boxes of flooring.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by Lynn W in FL

Recently some friends cautioned me about installing click together vinyl flooring in my 1975 Trillium. Friends of theirs had all their RV click flooring pop up while driving down the road. I had finally decided on a vinyl tile I like(even though I'll need to buy a 100 sq ft roll of underlayment when I only need 35 sq ft). Now I'm back to square one. Has anyone had any experience/difficulty with their click together vinyl tiles in their fiberglass camper?? I'm discovering that a reno is a bit like dominoes. Each project uncovers something else that needs attention

The man that has done all of our vinyl floors said the click kind is not good unless your floor is very solid and has no flaws at all. The movement of the trailer can make it unclick. He installed some vinyl that looks like wood flooring and has self-gluing edges on it. Once it is down it is permanent unless you tear it up. It is a floating floor so it doesn't glue to the wood just to each other so it is easy to take up if you damage it or want to change it later on.

[jeffminnesota]

Our 13' Scamp has carpet, I think I will replace it this summer, thinking (as Mike L) that weight, ease of install, cost all point toward sheet vinyl. I know the simulated wood flooring is very nice looking, durable, all that, but too much cost, trouble to install, and weight, I would think.
The sheet vinyl i installed in my kitchen is easy, cheap, comfortable to walk on, looks great 2 years later. To each his own...

[Darwin Maring]

Originally Posted by jeffminnesota

Our 13' Scamp has carpet, I think I will replace it this summer, thinking (as Mike L) that weight, ease of install, cost all point toward sheet vinyl. I know the simulated wood flooring is very nice looking, durable, all that, but too much cost, trouble to install, and weight, I would think.
The sheet vinyl i installed in my kitchen is easy, cheap, comfortable to walk on, looks great 2 years later. To each his own...

You are absolutely correct. Great flooring, easy to install, easy to clean and it will not add height to your already vertical limited area.

[Darwin Maring]

Originally Posted by Lynn W in FL

After all the elbow grease it took to remove the adhesive off the floor from the old tile, I'd rather NOT use ANY kind of glue.

How often would you replace the flooring? I would assume the durability of that flooring will last as long as you use the camper.