Several years ago we removed all carpet and replaced it with laminate flooring. We used Armstrong's best grade of laminate. We picked it based on some tests that Consumer Reports did that showed it had better wear and scratch resistance than Pergo. Its 3/8 inch thick.
We were surprised to find that a Carpet Time store had much better prices on the best grade than Home Depot or Lowes had on the middle grade which is all they carried. The best grades were special order.
We did the installation of our flooring ourselves. We couldn't find an installer willing to do the job.
It took us about ten dayโs altogether (we only worked about 4 hours a day though). It wasn't terribly difficult but did require a lot of cutting and trimming because of all of the corners. There were also some challenges at the front of the slides, around the stairs, and underneath the dinette.
Before we did the installation we did a test by removing a square of carpet and making sure the slides would ride over a piece of T molding, laminate and underlayment.
Some people try to cut the carpet back under the slide, but we cut the carpet in front of the slides leaving enough carpet to be stapled down. I was afraid the slides would catch the carpet when the slide went back out. A Tee molding or baseboard covers it so it doesn't show.
If you do the job yourself I would recommend a few things to have:
1) table saw, 2) chop saw, 3) good saber saw, 4) Rotozip tool, 5) air slight head brad nailer, 6) air stapler, 7) utility knife and sharp hook blades. 5) A staple puller - looks like a flat blade screwdriver with a V cut into the bent end of the blade. 6) heat gun for a few places where the carpet was glued down (stairwell for example)
There were two grades of the foam underlayment available. We used the best grade - more expensive but thicker and provides a moisture barrier.
We also used a special waterproof joint glue in areas that are prone to getting wet - like in front of the sink, refrigerator, and around the stairwell. (This is used to glue the joints so spilled water can't get in the joints - not to glue the flooring to the subfloor).
We also used silicon caulk to fill the 1/4 gap at the edges in those areas.
The caulk and waterproof glue are both recommended in the instructions from Armstrong.
We vacuum and mop carefully before we bring the slides in to avoid leaving anything on the floor that might scratch it. In spite of that over the years we have had some minor scratching in three or four places. One fairly deep place at the very beginning was due to our cat batting a couple of paper clips under the slide while we were working on the project.
I stapled door sweep strips behind the base boards in front of the slides because of that.
Even with the scratches it looks much better that the carpet did after only three or four years. In addition it is so much easier to keep clean.
Clay (WA5NMR), Lee (Wife), Katie & Kelli (cats) Salli (dog).
Fixed domicile after 1 year of snowbirding and eleven years Full Timing in a 2004 Winnebago Sightseer 35N, Workhorse chassis, Honda Accord toad
