Vinyl flooring cracked. How to fix?

Unfortunately your vinyl flooring is ruined and the only real fix is replacement, but there are cheaper alternatives;

You could use vinyl flooring adhesive under the edges to glue it down. If you can tolerate the cosmetic damage it is the simplest fix.

Another solution is to throw a rug over the damage, forget about it and go camping.

A property of vinyl flooring is that it shrinks and expands with temp. swings and cold winters often cause tears. Rectangular openings in a floor create a high stress point in the corners and are often where tears occur. You'd think RV manufacturers could do a better job. A round opening would be better.

You could try some vinyl flooring seam sealer but it will more than likely happen again over another cold winter. Depending on where the damage is and how much, sometimes you can cut a patch piece from under a dinette seat, under-bed storage, base cabinet, etc. and use the seam sealer. Do not glue the sheet vinyl to the subfloor.

Otherwise, it may be time for some nice laminate flooring as long as you follow the precautions for expansion/shrinkage. Or as beemerphile suggests, just toss a rug on the floor (cut opening for register).

Folks are right. Replacement with like kind is bound for failure. We secured the seam and replaced with glue down carpet squares. They are simple to cut and fit. They can easily be swept with a broom. Others use laminate. It does add weight tho.

I think the rug fix works for many, as this is a common issue, although later models seem to have addressed this with improved floor covering.

I have a neighbor who owns an RV business, and this sometimes happens with new models on the lot. The factory sends matching flooring (no charge), and his service people, cut out bad area, replace with new, but add quarter round, to give a finished look with no obvious seams.

You could do the same, using a vinyl flooring that somewhat matches the left over vinyl under cupboards, etc.

Jerry

cullivoe wrote:
Over a very cold winter, the vinyl flooring in my ‘07 Surveyor cracked almost all the way across right where my heat register is in the floor. Has this happened to anyone else? How did you fix it, and with that product?

During the winter, was this TT parked on 3 points (wheels and tongue jack ONLY) or was it also sitting on corner blocks?

My theory is that there will be no cold weather damage to the flooring if it is parked on 3 points over winter.

It was just sitting on wheels and tongue jack. No corner blocks

cullivoe wrote:
It was just sitting on wheels and tongue jack. No corner blocks

Good to know. My incorrect theory was based on our experience when we purchased an used 8 year old TT. The floors were not damaged at time of purchase. We used this unit as a cabin on an acreage and had it up on blocks. The flooring was completely destroyed after our first winter of ownership.

That just means it got colder that winter than it had been previously.

We live in MN, and I got down to -37 degrees this winter for 2 days.

See these posts every spring. Big temperature swings cause expansion/contraction of floor and floor coverings. Because they are different materials they move at different rates. Floor covering gets stretched, is brittle from the cold and cracks. They are not glued down. Glue won't hold with these big changes in temp. Easy solution. I've done several this way.

Cut around perimeter of old floor and lift it out to use as a pattern. I usually cut it across under the bathroom door and make a splice there covered with a strip. Lift the metal trim strip under the entry door and slip the new under it. Place the new sheet down after you have cut it to size using the sheet as a pattern. Hold it down around the edges with quarter round. Open beer.

B.O.