We recently pulled the old carpet out of our motorhome (not a job for the faint hearted as all the furniture had to be removed!) and are planning to install laminate flooring. Motor Home magazine had an article by someone who did this very thing but we wondered if anyone else has done this. Some say it's great while others say that the movement of the RV could cause the laminate to "unlock" or that temperature differences could cause problems. We have 2 sliders but seem to have enough clearance so that the laminate would not rub against itself when the sliders are retracted. Thoughts??

It probably will not have enough room for laminate flooring. In stead you might look at Alure vinyl plank flooring. It is much thinner and a lot of people are very satisfied with the results. If you are reasonably handy and have a good sharp utility knife it is a pretty easy DIY project.

If you do a search on this or other RV forums, you'll find lots of info. I think there was a good thread here recently on it.Allure is a popular brand used but the manufacturer says it shouldn't be used in unheated spaces like an RV. The flooring will shrink and expand summer to winter and you need to take that into account and it should be floating. Depending on where you live, RVs can have extreme temp. swings summer to winter, unlike in a house where it's relatively stable. Glue-down types are not a good idea.Movement of your floor won't be the issue, it's expansion and contraction that you have to consider. It seems to me that floors in motorhomes are more stable anyway and in some of them, they even use ceramic tile. I would only use a 100% waterproof ABS or vinyl product.Some have had the self-stick type planks like Allure come apart. I would suggest interlocking type. It's important to have a correctly sized expansion joint all around. You don't want things secured to the floor that will prevent the laminate from moving, like say table pedestal legs screwed to the floor. We used 1/8" thick ABS type laminate in our first TT and it worked well. One joint came apart but only because the expansion joint was too small in one area (fixed and fine after that). I made up a 1" x 3/8" baseboard to go all around and painted it and used oak under cabinetry and stained it to match.

My laminate floating floor is still hanging in there. Temps go from 100f in the Summer to -25f in the Winter. Make sure you have a good locking system and the floor is free to float. Also, laminates don't get along good with water. If you're one of those folks that have to get a puddle on the floor every time you get out of the shower, there are other choices.

Check the temperature specs and the water resistance for the specific type of flooring you are considering like Dupont, Armstrong, etc. In general laminates stand up OK to water on their top side and not to great on their bottom side.Alure vinyl plank flooring is not a great choice because if the temp gets over 95 degrees (this is also in the Allure specs) the glue will release.

I laminated my 21' trailer last spring. I installed it as a free floating floor. I have had no issues with the flooring. I think it is a nice upgrade. I also put down a barrier under it to help keep out the cold coming through the floor. Everyone who has seen it says it made the inside of the trailer look like a newer trailer. Jim

Installing laminate flooring | Good Sam Community

donn0128
Explorer II
Feb 20, 2014
It probably will not have enough room for laminate flooring. In stead you might look at Alure vinyl plank flooring. It is much thinner and a lot of people are very satisfied with the results. If you are reasonably handy and have a good sharp utility knife it is a pretty easy DIY project.
myredracer
Explorer II
Feb 20, 2014
If you do a search on this or other RV forums, you'll find lots of info. I think there was a good thread here recently on it.

Allure is a popular brand used but the manufacturer says it shouldn't be used in unheated spaces like an RV. The flooring will shrink and expand summer to winter and you need to take that into account and it should be floating. Depending on where you live, RVs can have extreme temp. swings summer to winter, unlike in a house where it's relatively stable. Glue-down types are not a good idea.

Movement of your floor won't be the issue, it's expansion and contraction that you have to consider. It seems to me that floors in motorhomes are more stable anyway and in some of them, they even use ceramic tile. I would only use a 100% waterproof ABS or vinyl product.

Some have had the self-stick type planks like Allure come apart. I would suggest interlocking type. It's important to have a correctly sized expansion joint all around. You don't want things secured to the floor that will prevent the laminate from moving, like say table pedestal legs screwed to the floor. We used 1/8" thick ABS type laminate in our first TT and it worked well. One joint came apart but only because the expansion joint was too small in one area (fixed and fine after that). I made up a 1" x 3/8" baseboard to go all around and painted it and used oak under cabinetry and stained it to match.
westend
Explorer
Feb 20, 2014
My laminate floating floor is still hanging in there. Temps go from 100f in the Summer to -25f in the Winter. Make sure you have a good locking system and the floor is free to float. Also, laminates don't get along good with water. If you're one of those folks that have to get a puddle on the floor every time you get out of the shower, there are other choices.
broark01
Explorer
Feb 20, 2014
Check the temperature specs and the water resistance for the specific type of flooring you are considering like Dupont, Armstrong, etc. In general laminates stand up OK to water on their top side and not to great on their bottom side.

Alure vinyl plank flooring is not a great choice because if the temp gets over 95 degrees (this is also in the Allure specs) the glue will release.
jbrowning
Explorer
Feb 21, 2014
I laminated my 21' trailer last spring. I installed it as a free floating floor. I have had no issues with the flooring. I think it is a nice upgrade. I also put down a barrier under it to help keep out the cold coming through the floor. Everyone who has seen it says it made the inside of the trailer look like a newer trailer.

Jim
westend
Explorer
Feb 21, 2014
Lumber Liquidators cheap 8 mm laminate with attached back. I also put down a layer of underlayment for resistance to moisture and the small bit of insulation value.
computerbug
Explorer
Feb 21, 2014
We have a class c that we installed Allure 3yrs. ago. My husband cut and I installed. We use it for the beach and kayaking, sometimes putting the kayaks inside. No problems yet. We made sure the rv was level before installation. Good luck
cpaulsen
Explorer
Feb 21, 2014
Did my 5th wheel last year. Temps anywhere from 10 degrees to 100. No problems even with slides.
Oldme
Explorer
Feb 21, 2014
Ours is a 24' Class C.
I did the kitchen area with a Mohawk brand wood laminate
that was leftover from our previous home install.

We left the carpet in the rest as we like it bare feet.
That was 2 years ago. No problems. Even when not in use
I am in it almost everyday.
sanjoegold
Explorer
Feb 28, 2014
do you have to remove the slide to install laminate flooring under it?