New floors for my motorhome, laminate wood or tile ?

We just did the laminate and let if float. We looked at tile, but the only flexible grout you had to mix yourself. If you have slides and do the laminate, be sure to bring the slide in slowly before you place your last strip. there are "L" shaped beams on each end of the slide that may hook the laminate when the slide is brought in. You have to make sure you give yourself clearance or you'll tear up the entire floor.

wolfe10 wrote:
And, we just re-did the whole floor in our coach with plank cork from U.S. Floor.

It is a floating floor, is formaldehyde-free and though, it was time consuming to do, it was not technically difficult.

Advantages: light weight, good thermal and acoustical insulation and cushy underfoot. Initially we were concerned about wear, but it was pointed out that many heavily trafficked libraries have cork flooring.

I installed cork in a condo I own on the Gulf. It is rental so lots of rough treatment on the beach with sand and water. It is fantastic. Doesn't traffic pattern, stain or dent. Drop a knife in it and pull out and it closes behind. Looks great and is quiet. Good R-value, acoustical low level and a reasonable easy install. I will be interested in your longer term experience as it seems to be the perfect fit for an RV.

timmac wrote:

havasu wrote:
Glued down engineered wood.

That's what the real experts use and recommend. It's dimensionally stable.

Of course it costs more which is why people use cheaper alternatives.

Tile is problematic unless you can find flexible grout and drive a bus conversion :)

I heard it was better to float the wood floors because of moisture that make the wood expand..

Engineered flooring has little if any expansion or contraction due to the way it is manufactured. The floor downstairs at my house is engineered wood, glued down, no issues with it. I had a room with laminate, replaced it last year with engineered. Looking back, I should have replaced it a long time ago. With engineered wood you can get the distressed and hand scraped, hides anything you may do to it later, or may happen to it.

You should also take a look at the "High-Def" vinyl flooring made byStainmaster. Make sure if you are looking at the stainmaster product that it is the HD product..

I am in the middle of installing flooring in our coach. I literally just came in for a glass of water. We decided on five-inch Pergo strip laminate, full floating. Looks like real wood from a foot away.

On our previous Foretravel coach (Hey Brett!!), I installed laminate that looked like tile and it came out amazing. I used a combination of methods for it - floating, glued, nailed - because the coach had a variety of hatches and an interior step, and some short pieces that needed to be stabilized.

I looked at the cork. I was able to scratch it with my thumbnail, so I decided it would not be compatible with our dogs. I was surprised, and I hope and think other styles of cork flooring are more scratch resistant. I like the idea of the cork - it is a nice earth tone, but won't clash with the wood shades of the cabinetry.

I would think a tile floor would add a good 1000 pounds to a coach. Our coach has a tiled section, but it is thinner than the usual residential stuff.

Monsoon season is here - back to the sauna...

Matt B

And, we just re-did the whole floor in our coach with plank cork from U.S. Floor.

It is a floating floor, is formaldehyde-free and though, it was time consuming to do, it was not technically difficult.

Advantages: light weight, good thermal and acoustical insulation and cushy underfoot. Initially we were concerned about wear, but it was pointed out that many heavily trafficked libraries have cork flooring.

I have had 4 coaches and on the first 2 I installed Allure (the one with the adhesive edges) - never again. It started to lift and peel because you can never full float an RV floor due to the weird L shapes, bolt down furniture etc.

Tile I have no direct experience of in a motorhome, but I have done a couple of mobile homes and have had grout issues with floor flex and a friend has a Monaco Dynasty with tile that is now starting to crack and move - plus the weight factor.

I have followed a guy called Eddie on IRV2 and seen some of his work (he remodels RVs as a living) and all I can say is WOW - he uses engineered wood and glues it down and the results are simply spectacular. I will be doing mine in an engineered bamboo this winter, using the same techniques he does.

But, it's more expensive in terms of materials and labor and so doesn't suit everyone.

I don't know what your rig is and what weight limitations you may have but ceramic tile as a rule is pretty heavy.

You can use regular laminate flooring in potentially wet areas if you use a special waterproof glue they sell for that purpose and put a bead of silicon around the edge.
That is what I did in the step well and in front of the sink and refrigerator. We installed it several years ago and we have had no problems with it.

I replaced our carpet with Luxury vinyl that has what looks like grout. Absolutely love it and would do it again.

havasu wrote:


Tile is problematic unless you can find flexible grout and drive a bus conversion :)

We have a Monaco Camelot not a bus conversion and have tile floors. Standard grout and all is OK.