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

Clay_L
Explorer
Feb 28, 2014
We didn't. I cut the carpet as close to the slide as possible while still leaving just enough to staple it down securely. I used baseboard or quarter round attached to the slide to hide the remaining carpet and 1/4 inch gap required for expansion.

I allowed about 1/8 inch clearance between the trim and floor.

I stapled door sweep strips behind the trim to prevent stuff from getting under the slide. The cat likes to bat paper clips around and small pebbles sometimes get carried in on shoe soles.
oldbeek
Explorer
Mar 01, 2014
I snapped the laminated floor together and slid it as far as possible under the slide. On mine that was 6 inches. just ripped the carpet out from under and used a long screw driver to remove the staples. Lots of staples. On the open floor area, I ran over it with a sidewinder grinder to make sure I got all staples. Used floor fix to smooth any imperfections.
buc1980
Explorer
Mar 05, 2014
I install my laminate 2 years ago and I don't have any problem.I live 1/4 in of gap for expansion at the wall.The trim take care of the gap.I do not recommend Alure for the job.The laminate looks a lot better.For the roller of the slide I make a ramp at more than 45 degree so they can run easier when I pull the slide in.
Thunder_Mountai
Explorer II
Mar 05, 2014
This is to those of you who have already installed Allure Ultra. Did you float it or use adhesive? Friend of mine put Allure Ultra down in his whole 40' HR Endeavor a couple of years ago. He said he used silicon adhesive since it would give with temp changes. There are some places like in the stair well up front and engine cover in bedroom where you have no choice but use adhesive.

Yes, I read the instructions for Allure... no RVs, no vertical surfaces, no wide temp swings. But you folks are telling me that you have no issues. Mine MH will be subject to -20 to about 95. Tips appreciated from those who've been down this road.
Gearitis
Explorer
Mar 08, 2014
We installed the Traffic Master Allure Ultra. Did it our selves, not bad at all with a little patience, utility knife and a straight edge. NO GLUE, floats and endured the last summers Texas heat and this winters cold down to 12. We love it, easy to clean, water and moisture resistant. We have 2 slides, one super slide and I use some thin carpet strips and slide under the slide when I first start to bring them in and let the slides sit on the thin carpet strips in travel. It barely has enough clearance and the Allure is just about as thick as the old carpet. Talking about old carpet, we did not know how nasty carpet can get in an RV. From this point forward we will try and always use some type of hard floor. Wife uses area rugs to help with cold floor. Bottom line the DW is happy so I am happy!
rposgood
Explorer
Mar 08, 2014
Gearitis wrote:
We installed the Traffic Master Allure Ultra. Did it our selves, not bad at all with a little patience, utility knife and a straight edge. NO GLUE, floats and endured the last summers Texas heat and this winters cold down to 12. We love it, easy to clean, water and moisture resistant. We have 2 slides, one super slide and I use some thin carpet strips and slide under the slide when I first start to bring them in and let the slides sit on the thin carpet strips in travel. It barely has enough clearance and the Allure is just about as thick as the old carpet. Talking about old carpet, we did not know how nasty carpet can get in an RV. From this point forward we will try and always use some type of hard floor. Wife uses area rugs to help with cold floor. Bottom line the DW is happy so I am happy!

Did you have to put any vapor barrier or foam insulation under the floor? I want to do the same in my Itasca Suncruiser.

Thanks
AustinRvers
Explorer
Mar 10, 2014
Just purchased a 2000 Tiffen Allegro. It is in perfect condition despite its age but I hate carpet and want to remove. The vinyl tile in the kitchen and bath are like new and I'm thinking I will just leave that and replace the carpeted areas. I've read that Allure Trafficmaster is the best product to use but I have a WHOLE BUNCH of Pergo flooring left from a home install a few years go so I would like to use that flooring. We have installed Pergo in several houses over the years but I'm concerned about putting it under the slides. I'm not going to be really upset if it scratches a little. (This is FREE flooring) I'm more concerned about movement with the slide going in and out. Do you glue down the floor going under the slide? Any installation techniqs you would like to share are greatly appreciated. My husband and I are preparing the Motorhome for full-time living in our early retirement and we are very excited. Toni
Clay_L
Explorer
Mar 10, 2014
I installed the Armstrong equivalent of Pergo. I used the best quality vapor barrier/foam they had. Once the laminate is all in place it is much harder to move than you might think. The slide doesn't move it at all and it has to bump up over the trim piece - maybe 3/16 inch.

Per the instructions, around the sink,refrigerator, and step well I did use silicone caulk in the 1/4 gaps required for thermal expansion along with a special water proof glue in the snap together seams.

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