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rstoro's avatar
rstoro
Explorer
Jun 29, 2015

do slide outs damage the vinyl?

We are planning on replacing our carpet in our motorhome with the Allure vinyl planks. I was told by some that the slide out wheels will damage the vinyl?? We can leave carpet on that area if we need to and just replace half the carpet. Was wondering if anyone has had a problem with this?
Thanks
R & S

4 Replies

  • Yes slides will mar and/ or scratch Allure flooring. In regard to temp sensitivity it is very sensitive and will shrink in cold... it also becomes brittle and can be cracked. Had it in our last rig for five years and wouldn't use it in the future.

    There are now nice looking full sheet vinyl options.

    The advantage of Allure is that in the future you can replace individual scratched, broken, or marred tiles individually without too mucy hassle. We did this before selling the other rig.
  • I worried about this myself when I installed the Allure flooring, so I bought a pair of these Slide Slickers. They are designed for use over carpet, but with a little modification I was able to make them work on the vinyl. Been using them for about 5 years now with nary a scratch on the floor.
  • DO NOT GO FOR THE ALLURE!

    I put the allure in our class c about 2 years before we sold it. I went that route because of the sales pitch...."impervious to moisture, great for bathrooms, blah blah."
    While that is true, it is super sensitive to temperature variations especially on its long axis. This left the MH with several 1/4" gaps in the floor in winter and a bow near the bed in summer. I installed exactly according to instructions. When I contacted the company about the gaps they emailed me super labor intensive instructions on cutting out old flooring and replacing with bigger tiles to fix the gap but did not address expansion.
    The other negative was the sound. I did not do any underlayment and that made the coach much louder to walk through.

    If I were to do it over I would either do a:
    --single piece of vynil (no water issues).
    --engineered hardwood. lighter weight, wears awesome, limited expansion and retains flex.

    I don't think you would have trouble with the slides if you replaced the carpet under them. If the slide drags it will tear anything that is under it.

    In the end its up to you and what you want to accomplish. For us it was getting rid of gross carpet and ease of cleaning.

    If I were to do it again (I most likely will in our TT. I would shop around for a good deal on a 3/8 toungue and groove solid bamboo flooring. I would do a glue down installation and staple the groove as in a tradional residential installation.

    Either route you go have fun with your project.
  • I doubt it but have someone watch as the slide comes in. If it drags hard against the carpet then it may hit the vinyl as well.
    Does the slide leave a mark where it comes in now? If not then your probably fine.

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