Forum Discussion

aarond76's avatar
aarond76
Explorer
Mar 20, 2014

Replacement Flooring Options

We are updating the interior of our travel trailer. This does not seem like a popular option vs trading up, however taking into account the bath we would take on what we have and the high cost of what we would want to replace it with, Updating the interior finishes is the direction we have decided to go.

I am looking at (3) options for new flooring:

1) Interlocking Vinyl Plank - Pro's are water resistant. Cons are heavy, more expensive, don't know how well the joints lock together.

2) Traditional Laminate Plank - Pro's are I have a fair amount of experience installing this at home. It is cheap. Cons are not water resistant, Fearful that one random joint somewhere in the middle of the floor decides to seperate at some point due to the extreme temperature variations in a TT.

3) Loose Lay Sheet Vinyl - I like this for durability and lack of seams. I am concerned that in the extreme heat of summer it will expand to the point that it will not want to lay flat on the floor. Worried about it shrinking to the point of ripping in the extreme winter cold (I have read alot of stories of people opening there rv's after this extreme winter to find the sheet vinyl split down the middle)

What are other's experience with this? I will not be using the Allure flooring that has the glue strips on the edges.
  • dadmomh's avatar
    dadmomh
    Explorer
    Mar 22, 2014
    My only concern with the laminate would be a water resistance. We installed an Armstrong product...granted several years ago and there have supposedly been improvements...but we had a real mess and after lots of work and lots of $$$$, we pulled it all up. It was also supposed to be absolutely indestructible with doggie toenails and scratches.....not so much. Our neighbors put in the interlocking vinyl and it's holding up very well, even with large dogs and several g-kids. Think that would be a good choice.
  • NYCgrrl's avatar
    NYCgrrl
    Explorer
    Mar 21, 2014
    Choice#1-interlocking vinyl- gets my vote. Easy to replace if one panel/tile tears, gets a hole, whatever. I've used it in rental properties with great success and lots of durability(12 yrs+ and counting). My personal fav manufacturer is Amtico, who invented or at least first marketed the product in the USA, about 30 yrs ago. Amtico was recently sold to Mannington so if you opt to use it check those specs well. You can buy it online but not at any of the big box stores. It's not inexpensive but you'll never redo the RV's floors again.
  • Ron3rd's avatar
    Ron3rd
    Explorer III
    Mar 21, 2014
    Allure is available with snap & lock eliminating the glue edge and is popular on this forum. Our new Forest River trailer came with a product called BeauFlor which at first I thought was plank flooring but discovered it was actually sheet flooring. Looks very nice, is vinyl and can get wet.
  • penguin747's avatar
    penguin747
    Explorer
    Mar 21, 2014
    Just updated mine with locking laminate from sams club. My pics are probably a few pages back by now on 95 Dutchmen floor rebuild. Carpet out and we love it
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    Mar 21, 2014
    The vinyl flooring issues are mainly due to the way our trailers are built. The full width of sheet vinyl is attached at the perimeter before the inside fixtures and any partition walls are installed. When the partitions and cabinets are installed, this shrinks the amount of area to often a few feet so that when cold weather comes, the vinyl sheet that is between these small spaces can't withstand the contraction and they split.

    I did mine with 8mm laminate plank, probably the cheapest Lumber Liquidators sells. Even though it has an attached back, I installed a rubber subfloor underlayment. I've had it in the trailer for two winters in MN and no problems to date.

  • Dennis_Smith's avatar
    Dennis_Smith
    Explorer
    Mar 21, 2014
    We went with #2, its is very water proof. After we put in the floor I took a 6 inch section and put in our dish washer. After 10 washings it started coming a part on the edges. All in all it held up very very well. We are going on our 3rd year with it and love it. Installed it our self, you will need a miter saw and a table saw, but we love the way it looks. We bought the wood at lumber liquidators.
  • DanLE46's avatar
    DanLE46
    Explorer
    Mar 21, 2014
    We had the misfortune of experiencing severe shrinkage of the vinyl flooring in our TT upon return to our home base in Northern IL in late Jan '14 due to illness and passing of a parent. We went from AZ temps to several consecutive days of sub zero temps here in Rockford, IL. Just the other day I discovered a 12" long split in the vinyl flooring from a floor register to a dinette base cabinet. So we are also seeking advice and input as to the most practical replacement flooring for our TT which will be exposed to extreme temp variations as long as we are based in Northern IL. I have a son who works in in the flooring department of Home Depot and he encouraged me to avoid most every vinyl product other than possibly 12" self stick tiles due to their simple replacement should future expansion and contraction present further problems. A hardboard laminated flooring was also suggested as long as adequate edge space was allowed for expansion and covered by a base shoe of some type. Any other solutions out there that others have found to be successful in remedying this contraction condition?

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