Vinyl flooring cracked. How to fix?

[cullivoe]

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?

[Cummins12V98]

Rip that junk up and prep your floor to be smooth. I highly recommend using LVT quality glued down tiles. One gets damaged ya peel it up and replace. I built many Dental clinics and this type of product was used in many of them.

[rhagfo]

B.O. Plenty wrote:
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.

Great plan, although sometimes hard to get out in one piece around slides.
Currently replacing carpet and vinyl on main level of our 5er with interlocking vinyl planks. It works great and easy to work with.

[valhalla360]

Harvard wrote:

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 has nothing to do with how the trailer is supported. If your frame bends enough to damage the flooring, you have a whole lot of other damage going on and the flooring is the least of your concerns.

Basically plastics become brittle with age. Components of plastic evaporate over time (new car smell...that's plastics off gassing). At some point, the combination of the flooring shrinking due to cold and increased brittleness reach a point where it can't stretch enough and the flooring splits at a stress point...typically a corner cut such as around a vent.

Not much you can do now except replace with new or live with it.

[FLY_4_FUN]

Yep a pretty common occurrence on rigs of that era. The flooring is perimeter glued and with swings in day/night temps the "vinyl" just splits from stem to stern. Only thing I can suggest is complete replacement and glue all of it down. There are also plank vinyl products that are quite nice. You did nothing wrong, this stuff was meant for homes that don't see the extremes of rv's. I think products the last few years is better and fully glued down because the warranty claims were getting out of hand.

[B_O__Plenty]

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.

[cullivoe]

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

[Darryl_Rita]

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

[Harvard]

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.

[cullivoe]

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

[Harvard]

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.

[MFL]

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

[pbitschura]

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.

[myredracer]

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).

[beemerphile1]

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.