Floor replacement tricks

[Dr4Film]

Jim, are you referring to the engine hatch in the closet or the transmission hatch in front of the closet?

Photo is what I had done to the engine hatch in the closet.

Since I chose to have carpet remain in the bedroom the installer basically glued the carpet in those areas with a Hot Glue Gun and some special glue sticks.

[jacwjames]

Talking about the transmission access hatch or step up for the closet.  For now I'm going to leave the closet alone, may do it later if I feel up to it. 

I was thinking about using adhesive to attach the vinyl planks to the hatch, it seemed to work good on the steps but didn't need it in that many places. 

There is carpeting comes up on over the ledge in front of the closet.  I saved the 4 walnut panels from the Norcold and I think I can use these to make a trim piece on the ledge portion that would cover the top of the flooring and tie everything together.  The Walnut is the same shade as the rest of the woodwork so when done it should look like it was there the whole time. 

The bedroom will be about as big (or bigger) job then the front. 

[jacwjames]

Slowly but surely I've been making progress on the flooring.  FWIW the bedroom is much more work, lots of bits and pieces especially since I decide to do the engine compartment in front of the closet.   Took several hours to rip, cut, pull, cuss getting the carpet off the engine compartment.   Some pulled off pretty easy, other portions not so much. 

I also removed the carpeting from the bed box, I'm guessing they must have paid by the staple because there were overly zealous in the number they used.  Yesterday I cut to size and glued vinyl plank on one side of the bed box, used a large scrap piece of plywood and Kreg clamps to apply even pressure after using adhesive and placing the planks. 

Yesterday I also glued a couple pieces of the vinyl plank onto the engine hatch cover, using clamps and a piece of wood to evenly apply pressure.   This AM I drill a hole through where the latches were located and used a router and trim bit to cut the vinyl the same shape as the hole, this worked really good. 

The rest of the day cut and glued vinyl plank to the engine box and other side of the bed box. 

Slow going but making prgress. 

[jacwjames]

Got the engine hatch pretty much done.  The front of the closet edge was not straight, had to do multiple test fits and scribe and cut until I was satisfied.  The drivers side corner dips about 3/4".  My hope was to get a tight enough fit so I didn't have to use 1/4 round in the corner and I think I did that.   I have to had some more gasket material to align the top of the hatch and the flooring but overall it turned out pretty good.  Only issue I had was when I was using the trim router to cut out the hatch there were a couple places where the two pieces of fiberglass mated that left some indents.  I cut out a ~20" piece and redid it, can't even tell there was a problem. 

I decided to order the corner edge molding and see how it looks, pretty pricey at ~$36 for ~7 ft piece but worth the price if it looks good. 

I installed metal plates on the bottom of the bed where the rollers had chewed into the wood.  I then dropped the bed box into place so I could mark the roller locations.  Tried to run the slide in and out but without the full weight of the bed the top wanted to stay tipped out, I used a small hydraulic jack and 2X4 to lift it up and was able to move it in and out ~1 ft, didn't want to chance it beyond that. 

[jacwjames]

Made some more progress in the bedroom.

Finished laying the flooring, more cutting and fitting in a small area which took time. I allowed for the 1/4" expansion under the bed, I used a piece of 3/8" OSB where it would be hidden by the bed box, saved me ~$70 in flooring.

Finished the closet transition pieces.
Finished installing the vinyl plank on the bed box.

I still don't have the step corner transition pieces yet which I need for the bedroom engine compartment and also the entry steps, hopefully be here next week.

[jacwjames]

I finally got the four pieces of stair edging and spent this morning fitting the pieces. Good news is that it looks really good, matches the flooring and everything fit together pretty good. Bad news is that I needed one more piece to finish all the small sections on the slide floor, bed box, and engine hatch.

Cutting the corners to get a good fit took time. I measured 3 times, cut once and fine tuned each piece. Here's pictures of the stair well. I also did the engine hatch but I've got all the pieces glued down and wedged into position and need a couple small pieces to finish it.

Overall I'm pleased with the way everything turned out. I've spent ~$1500 in material. I could have saved by using a cheaper laminate and different trim pieces but the extra cost made the job turn out pretty darn good.

[jacwjames]

16 hours ago, Ernie Ekberg said:

Excellent choice in stair nose material. Looks far superior than any tacky metal.

Ernie Ekberg

Thanks Ernie, coming from you means something.

I agree that it looks good but had to pay dearly for it ($35 for a 7' piece).  Luckily I had very little waste and didn't make any mistakes cutting the mitered joints.  On the transitions from vinyl to ceramic I actually cut some scrap pieces and checked the miters before cutting the new stuff.  I usually cut long and trim each piece and hone in the fit.  All turned out pretty good, at least for me.

I will say that the professionals earn their money when doing a floor like this and if people aren't capable/able to it themselves they should expect to pay.   I wasn't in a hurry but at the same time I don't dilly dally and work pretty efficiently but it still took me quite a while.  One more day should finish the job but have to wait on the last piece of trim. 

[jacwjames]

Here are a couple pictures of the bedroom and engine hatch cover.  Only need a couple of small pieces installed, got everything back in place, just have to clean up a little in the front end. 

Other then that I'm going to put this project in the "complete" file.  Overall turned out pretty good.  Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. 

[jacwjames]

I finally got the last pieces of trim I needed to finish the job.  Had to wait 2 weeks for the last 2 pieces. 

I ended up using

• 3 pieces of the floor transition,
• 4 pieces of the step trim,
• and one piece of 1/4 round (I did use some of corner round I had made that matched my base cabinets). 
• 14 boxes (17.4 sq ft per box) of flooring, have most of 1 box left. 
• 1 sheet 3/4" treated plywood, used most of it.  Also used some other material from my shop.

I ended up spending ~$300 on the trim pieces but I will say it does look good.  The color of the trim/flooring was of a shade I would have had a hard time copying so buying the ready made stuff was worth it.  I spent ~$1600 to do the project.  

Here's a picture of the front.  The lighter contrast from the cabinets I think brightens the interior up. 

[Dr4Film]

Awesome job, Jim!

I also love the contrasting color as you stated.

What's you next project? LOL

[Ivan K]

Great looking job, Jim. 

What is the transition from tiles to planks made of? Stained wood or something more resistant to wear? I really hate transitions that stand up higher but may have no choice if the wife finally makes me to remove the carpet one of those days. And I refuse to take the tiles out along with it. I have done all our house a couple of years ago and said it was the last time, oh well...

[jacwjames]

36 minutes ago, Ivan K said:

Great looking job, Jim. 

What is the transition from tiles to planks made of? Stained wood or something more resistant to wear? I really hate transitions that stand up higher but may have no choice if the wife finally makes me to remove the carpet one of those days. And I refuse to take the tiles out along with it. I have done all our house a couple of years ago and said it was the last time, oh well...

The transition is made of some sort of durable plastic with a covering on it. 

https://www.lowes.com/pd/SimpleSolutions-4-in-1-Vinyl-Champagne-Oak/5001956565

Time will tell how durable it is but my first impression is pretty optimistic.  I tried to do fitting using a utility knife and couldn't hardly cut it.  Same with the flooring, whatever they use as the finished surface if very resistant to scratching.  

My only complaint with the transition is how they designed it to be secured to the floor, they rely on a piece of plastic with a rounded portion that the top piece is suppose to clip onto, seemed pretty cheesy, see picture.  On the angled joints I actually used an adhesive to better secure it, once I did that it was pretty tight.   If I have to I can do the same thing on other areas.  

 

On the stair transition pieces I used adhesive, which worked well and I doubt it will ever come up. 

Edited January 30, 2022 by jacwjames

[Ivan K]

7 minutes ago, jacwjames said:

The transition is made of some sort of durable plastic with a covering on it. 

https://www.lowes.com/pd/SimpleSolutions-4-in-1-Vinyl-Champagne-Oak/5001956565

Time will tell how durable it is but my first impression is pretty optimistic.  I tried to do fitting using a utility knife and couldn't hardly cut it.  Same with the flooring, whatever they use as the finished surface if very resistant to scratching.  

My only complaint with the transition is how they designed it to be secured to the floor, they rely on a piece of plastic with a rounded portion that the top piece is suppose to clip onto, seemed pretty cheesy, see picture.  On the angled joints I actually used an adhesive to better secure it, once I did that it was pretty tight.   If I have to I can do the same thing on other areas.  

 

On the stair transition pieces I used adhesive, which worked well and I doubt it will ever come up. 

Thank you Jim, appreciate your detailed response. 

[jacwjames]

So after finishing the LVP install I had to fix a couple loose broken tile in the bedroom.  While doing this I realized just how dirty all the grout was.  Did some searches and one recommendation was to make a slurry out of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda and use a brush to clean the tile.  I tested this on a small area. 

Over the course of about 4 days I cleaned all the tile grout using the solution and a toothbrush.  It worked great, not as clean as new grout but pretty clean.  I figured it took me ~10-11 hours total.  I had some similar color grout to redo the tile that I fixed and after I was done I had a hard time telling where the old and new blended. 

I did take the time to apply some grout sealer. 

So if you have nothing better to do and want your grout clean you now know. 

[bpperk]

Hi Folks, First I must say I sold my 2004 Signature partly due to the flooring project that I did not want to do. Much of what is posted in this thread looks great to me. Good Job fellas. Mine would have needed a lot of subfloor fixed and the roof was sagging and the basement floors were rusted badly. So someone else will have a beautiful coach when they complete the work shown and demonstrated in this thread. One comment that I would add is that the subfloor product should be AdvanTech. We recently completed a stick frame house and our architect specified AdvanTech subflooring and I am very pleased with the result. It stands up to water far better than plywood or USB type products. To prove this to myself I have left a piece of it outside in the weather for 2 1/2 years. No change in it. It does what it is advertised to do. I believe this would be my choice if I were replacing an RV floor. Happy trails. Now in a 2015 Foretravel iH45.

[jacwjames]

7 minutes ago, bpperk said:

Hi Folks, First I must say I sold my 2004 Signature partly due to the flooring project that I did not want to do. Much of what is posted in this thread looks great to me. Good Job fellas. Mine would have needed a lot of subfloor fixed and the roof was sagging and the basement floors were rusted badly. So someone else will have a beautiful coach when they complete the work shown and demonstrated in this thread. One comment that I would add is that the subfloor product should be AdvanTech. We recently completed a stick frame house and our architect specified AdvanTech subflooring and I am very pleased with the result. It stands up to water far better than plywood or USB type products. To prove this to myself I have left a piece of it outside in the weather for 2 1/2 years. No change in it. It does what it is advertised to do. I believe this would be my choice if I were replacing an RV floor. Happy trails. Now in a 2015 Foretravel iH45.

Thanks for the comments.  I know AdvanTech product, I used in the new house I built.  It is guaranteed for 6 months of exposure to weather and we gave it a good test as we had rain the whole time until we got the house under roof.  Never had a problem with it.

But I also know that a good quality treated ply wood will hold up.  I put PT plywood down my deck to use a  working platform under construction and then ultimately used it to put porcelain tile on the deck by first putting down the cement board and then Ditra water proofing membrane.  Turned out good and provide cover over the patio below.

One problem I see with the construction of my coach was that the OSB subfloor relied on the vapor barrier from exposure to road wash.  Considering how much water/pressure is generated while driving through standing water I don't see how it holds up. 

I'd suggest that people inspect the underside of the coach especially in the front where it would be more exposed to the road wash.  If you reach and feel that the vapor barrier has separated from the subfloor you have the potential for a BIG problem. 

[Schreyert]

JD,

I have been looking at the same RecPro trifold sofa. Can you expand on your install?

 

• The seat back looks continuous, were you able to come up with a solution to install the belts?
• My 2001 Diplomat, like yours, has the raised slide floor. How did you accommodate the front legs that overhang the onto the main floor? How did you come up with a solution for the fold out portion of the bed? In short, how did you accommodate all the varying heights?
• You screwed into to the plywood making a "baseplate" Do you feel this is as secure as the old couch? My current couch has the steel frame with some 1/4" self tappers into the slide floor. "Secure" is a relative term, but it is at least not just sitting there. 
• How is the material holding up? Especially with dogs - same problem!

Pictures would be great?

Edited May 16, 2023 by Schreyert