Which RV Floor is better

[Gonzalo]

I am reading articles and look at old and new RV floors Our carpet on a 2005 Holiday rambler is showing some tear and wear we talk to Lowes, Home Depot,floor liquidation,and different floor distribution stores  they mayor concern is high and lows temperatures they recommended peal and stick floors and change the subfloor to a new play wood plus Luan on top to make sure is smooth,I like Vinyl Planks but they are floting interlock I appreciate all you guys this Monacors place is an encyclopedia of thousands of good people knowledge and experience I am glad for you articles and learning 

[nvrtoofast]

I have been studying this and using LVT in the RV typically requires gluing down the planks. You are correct that full floating is not a good approach in the RV. My personal preference is always tile but I have laid it personally for many years in homes.

Unfortunately for the RV it is the heaviest option and I'm unsure of the possibility of cracks in the grout. The new epoxy grouts are likely the right route but you have to know what you're doing as they are the hardest to deal with.

If you like LVT, that is likely the option for you. It just needs the extra step of glue to make it work in the RV.

[MyronTruex]

Bryan, I have ceramic tile in my 40 footer and have always been cursious at what it might weigh. From my one tile job in my home I know the stuff is heavy. I installed porcelain in the home so don't really know if there is a difference in weight. 

Just curious what your opinion is.

 

[nvrtoofast]

It all depends on the tile thickness. Ceramic is typically a bit lighter as it is less dense than porcelain. Porcelain is the strongest with its higher density. In 40 footer i would imagine it to be 600 to 900lbs. Really hard to say because of where it is cut and not (cabinets, bed, etc) taking that into account it is probably only 500 lbs. So not much more than a few more body builders riding with you.

Not enough that I would be concerned. Considering that my 40 footer GVW is around 38K lbs. Another 500 isn't a crazy amount. Interesting thought though.

[1nolaguy]

I am following this with particular interest as my wife just brought up the subject this morning. currently we have a mix of carpet, vinyl plank (glue down) and some porcelain, care of the previ0us owner. The glued down vinyl looks great all be it dark. The carpet (2005) needs replacing in the bedroom, main slide, rear bath and under the driver's seat. while the wife has suggested vinyl throughout, I do not relish pulling up the existing vinyl. As to the carpet, changing it to vinyl would likely not add weight. I am however concerned about the reduction in insulation and sound deadening in making such a change. your thoughts or experiences?

[Gonzalo]

The original carpeting in this rv where working fine and has a pad as insolación and road noice also helps the sides to coming inside out smooth so I am voting for a nice new carpet and insulation but my wife has a different opinion about carpet ease to install because removing the old carpet all a way around is a pain in the rear time consuming I get estimate doing my self new carpet less than a 1000  paying someone to do vinyl at least 3000 or more plus materials and I will not do tile at all 

[CLIFF918]

I just finished the floor in my 2002 Dynasty. I used Lifeproof brand vinyl planks from Home Depot.  Other than some fancy cuts it went down well and comes with the backer already attached. 

[1nolaguy]

Nice Job Cliff. Was this click or glue?

BTW - has anyone here had experience with cork flooring in an RV? Seams it would address the noise/insulation/weight issues.

[nvrtoofast]

Nice work.

[Mr Rogers]

This is a 2000 Monaco Diplomat 40 footer. Used Mohawk LVP,  from Costco, we laid it down without gluing last summer and it did well even in our cold winter.  We took out the tile and carpet and out planks from front all the way to the back.  Here are some pics of it as we installed it.

[nvrtoofast]

Nice did you install the shower?

 

[Mr Rogers]

We did a lot or rework, the shower was new and reworked the plumbing so it would sit on the floor.  Also had to do something a little different when doing the toilet area as well.  We added a Rinnai tankless water heater so we could take much longer showers.  We painted all the cabinets in the front section and reworked the sink and vanity as well. I have not gotten the TV up yet, I will be doing that soon before we take it out.  I will be mounting it in the middle and it will swing up and be against the ceiling when not in use.  I cut down the head knocker as well so I don't hit my head into it.   I can add more pics if you would like to see it.

[CLIFF918]

1 hour ago, Mr Rogers said:

This is a 2000 Monaco Diplomat 40 footer. Used Mohawk LVP,  from Costco, we laid it down without gluing last summer and it did well even in our cold winter.  We took out the tile and carpet and out planks from front all the way to the back.  Here are some pics of it as we installed it.

Very nice job I brought the tile all the way into the stair well, It is glued down here used E6000  to hold it down the rest is clicked together with part under slide glued as well. I left the carpet on the slide as you did.

[Mr Rogers]

That looks really good as well, I was worried it might make it to slippery.  I love that you have the lights there as well, are they just battery operated?

[jacwjames]

I installed a laminate snap lock type flooring back in 2009.  I actually did use glue on the joints besides it being snap lock.  It actually held up really well but unfortunately I had soft floor in the front right behind the passenger seat.  Not sure really what caused it but this is where my wife had her dog crates and inevitably I think over time spilled water dishes was the cause (which she adamantly denies).   We hadn't used the coach much from ~2016-2020 for trips but I did live in it for +1 year while I was building our house.  In 2021 when I took a trip I felt a soft floor and decided to dig into it end of 2021. 

What a mess, there is a thread that I did on the flooring replacement, several others posted what they had done so lots of information. 

I decided to use a LVP from Lowes, I ended buying the best Pergo they carried.  It is a floating floor, snap lock.   We picked one that did not have any bevels at the joints, smooth surface hoping that it will cut down on dirt.  With as hard as it was to snap it together I'm hoping it doesn't start separating or coming apart.  They think a lot of the trim pieces, I spent a lot for the matching trim.  So far so good but time will tell.   An overall it turned out pretty good.  There more pictures in the link I provided.

I would have liked to done porcelain tile but the weight for me would have been an issue.  I don't have a tag and not a lot of CCC so have to watch total weight. 

I've done a lot of tile over the years, I would not use ceramic it is not durable and will crack/chip pretty easy.   I helped a buddy of mine install a bunch of ceramic tile and he was finding cracked tile in his kitchen, turns out his SIL, who is pretty heavy was standing on her tip toes to reach stuff breaking the tile.  It does not hold up well IMHO.

Porcelain just seems to hold up better.  If you are worried about flexing and if you have clearance you could put down a membrane first.  I actually installed porcelain tile on my deck, ~600 sq ft, I put down 3/4" treated plywood, then cement board, then a layer of Ditra, and then the tile using a recommended thinset for the membrane.  .  It's been down for 3 years in E TN hot summers and somewhat cold winters without a problem.   Note that Ditra no longer recommend this type of application (outside deck) but I don't have living space underneath but rather a concrete patio coming off the basement, so putting tile on the deck put the patio under cover.  No Leaks, No Problems, No Worries.

[Jdw12345]

I would almost think I’d want a heated floor if I had tile or some type of hard flooring, I like walking around in the middle of the night when I get up to use the head, if it’s cold out I don’t spend much time on the tile in the galley/hallway. 

[MPfeif]

I used Coretec LVP to replace all the carpet in my 04 Camelot (galley and bath were factory porcelain tile) and was very happy with it. The only place I glued it down was on the step cover. I did end up using the seam glue everywhere else, as it greatly eased the installation with the lubrication on the click surfaces, as well preventing any separation down the road. The install instructions only call for seam glue in limited spots. Coretec also provides various transition pieces, so even with the floating floor, there were no gaps.

One of the reasons I chose Coretec was the composite constuction, so there is no potential for water damage to the LVP, and the cork backing so I did not need any other layer between the OSB sub floor and the LVP. There were a few spots on the seams of the OSB sub floor that I used a belt sander to level across the seam. Also, in the cockpit area the tile had a radiused transition to the carpet. A diamond blade on my angle grinder straightened that up.

The LVP is noticeably "warmer" to walk on than the porcelain tile when it was cold.

[CLIFF918]

13 hours ago, Mr Rogers said:

That looks really good as well, I was worried it might make it to slippery.  I love that you have the lights there as well, are they just battery operated?

If you look at the stairs the green stripe is non skid tape and the green glows in the dark like your watch hands. The lights are powered from the original step light switch next to the salesman switch. Really lights up the stairs well at night. 

[diplomat don]

20 hours ago, 1nolaguy said:

Nice Job Cliff. Was this click or glue?

BTW - has anyone here had experience with cork flooring in an RV? Seams it would address the noise/insulation/weight issues.

I did cork in our 2001 Diplomat and we were extremely happy with it. I left the tile in the kitchen/bath and put cork in the living/bedroom. Carpet in the slide under the sofa and closet as no traffic and covered by the sofa. Cork was lock and click type 1'x3' planks. Not being a fan of moldings I ignored the claim of needing to leave up to 3/8" expansion space around the edge I fit to walls console etc. and just left to float but no movement area left. We loved it, quiet, warm, and easy to take care of. Just used aluminum trim pieces between tile and cork and same bullnose on stairs. rubber on treads and bradnailed cork on sides and risers. We live in the PNW and had no issues with expansion/contraction in the 7 years and 46000 miles we owned it. May do it again in our 2005 HR Imperial but don't know how it would play with a flush floor slide and potential marking from the slide coming in and out. They make cork now in basically and finish and color you want. Check out website for Icork. Good luck Don.