Question on Allure Flooring

[4x4ff]

I am going to take out a section of carpeting at the entry way to my 5er. I will try to explain what I am doing. As you walk in my 5er there is the kitchen counter that is perpendicular to the entry way. There is carpeting on one side of the counter (dining area) and vinyl flooring on the other side of the counter (kitchen area). I am going to remove the carpet on the one side and cover the entire area with new allure flooring including covering the existing vinyl floor. Basically the allure flooring will make a horseshoe shape around the counter. I really have no desire to try to get the vinyl up because I think it will be almost impossible. My question is when I pull up the carpeting there will be bare floor until I get to where the vinyl is. I am worried about what the allure will do when I lay it over where the vinyl starts. Will the allure cover the seam well enough or will there be a 'line' visible through the allure??

 

Thanks,

Steve

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Yes, the seam will show. You might be able to use a floor leveler like POR-ROK to get the two side flush but I'm not sure how something like POR-ROK or a similar product will work in a RV as it flexes going down the road. Your best best, however distasteful, would be to pull the other vinyl up before putting your new flooring down. There might be a flexible floor leveling product that is being produced since I got out of the game but i'm not aware of one designed for our type of use. Most houses don't move and shake a lot (unless you live in California).

 

Try watching this video to see how it is installed. One big warning in the video is to make sure you are in a temperature controlled environment. If you are not full timing and your coach has large temperature swings in a storage lot, this will be a problem. They also mention that a grout line in an existing tile floor over 1/4" wide will show. They also suggest a floor leveler compound to get the floor as flat as possible.

 

http://www.mydiygenius.com/flooring/62-allure-tile-and-plank.html

[gjhunter01]

We used a laminate wood flooring in our fifth wheel. We removed the carpet but left the vinyl down in the kitchen part of the floor and was also concerned about a seam showing through. The wood flooring was thick enough that the seam doesn't show, even after 3 years.

I have attached a picture of the vinyl seam that can't be seen under the wood flooring which runs across from the corner to the slideout. With the vinyl flooring left intact, the wood flooring could be removed and the vinyl re-exposed if someone desired to go back to the original flooring again. I did use a thin foam padding under the floating wood flooring. It's not worth the effort to remove the old vinyl flooring.

Greg

[Ed ke6bnl]

I installed it in my trailer and my wife loves it. BUT I did remove a small patch of vinyl that was in front of the sink. to be honest that was the most difficult part of the job, it was a mess the plywood came up in places and I used compound to level it.

[budeneighe]

I had a similar arrangement but no island in the kitchen. The carpet just transitioned to the vinyl with a carpet trim strip. The Allure flooring in this shot is just laid out on top of the vinyl and carpet to see how it will look.

 

I put down allure ultra (locks together instead of just sticky strips.)

Getting my vinyl up was not hard at all. I just had to work it up as pretty much one piece like peeling up scotch tape. Don't try to get it up in small pieces because you lose your leverage on it. Just give the glue time to give. When necessary, I helped it come loose while holding UP tension at an angle and worked along the sticky with a Husky scraper. Just push it in under the edge of the vinyl and work a line back and forth as you lift on the vinyl. you will find this tool very helpful when installing the Allure planks, too.

 

I will say that if someone else other than the manufacturer put the vinyl down, the glue may be different and might not let go so easily. I will say that I was surprised at how far back under the carpet the vinyl went.

 

A bigger problem may be staples. The best tool I found for grabbing and pulling them out is a Vise-Grip locking Wrench. I have 2 sizes and they work much better than the end cutters that Pippin demonstrated because these wrenches don't have a chamfered edge so they get much closer to the surface. Also, don't expect brands other than Vise-Grip to work as well. Their tolerances are not nearly as good and when you are trying pull very thin staples you really need fine control of clamping force so you don't just cut the staple off. A thin flat screwdriver or usually better, the pointy end of the Husky scraper will lift staples enough to grab them solidly with the Vise-Grips and then just "rock" them out over the rounded head. Also, don't just drive them down, they will eventually work up and push up into the vinyl from underneath.

 

A word about the Allure Ultra (if you are using that version) : Be sure that the grooves along ALL of the edges of each plank are completely clean and smooth. Some occasional shards and bits of vinyl from manufacturing find their way into the grooves and prevent them from locking together properly. Also, look for occasional irregularities at the corners, particularly inside the grooves where they meet.

 

Plan to change blades often on your utility knife when cutting the flooring. It all goes much better if you have a smaller retractable snap blade knife handy for doing fine trimming. The smaller size will usually be better for this and the flooring edges will cut like cold butter with it.

We are very pleased with the result:

 

 

 

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

You can sometimes use a heat gun to loosen the adhesive and then slide a scraper under the vinyl to get it off. Very often, you can get the old flooring up in one piece and VERY quickly using that method. Be aware though that most RV's put vinyl down before the cabinets are installed. You might need to cut the old vinyl around the base of every cabinet to get a clean look on the new install.

[4x4ff]

Thanks for the info guys!!!!! Obviously once I start taking the carpet up I will be able to tell more as to exactly where they vinyl ends. My vinyl definately goes under the cabinets. I have 2 Islands with carpet on one side and vinyl on the other. It kind of looks like this | __ The gap in between the 2 is where I am worried. As the gap between them is only about 4' I might just use a transition strip in that spot to cover the 'seam'. I'll see when I start removing how easy the vinyl will come up. My 5er is an '07 and it is still the factory vinyl so it will either be pretty easy to pull up or it will be stuck super tight.

[WeBeFulltimers]

Don't be surprised if you find that the vinyl is under ALL the flooring in your unit to include the carpet/cabinets, etc. Many manufacturers find this method less labor and time consuming. Expect to find and have to remove at least KAZILLION staples from the old carpet areas.

[Newt]

Common RV building practice to build the frame, put the floor on and then everything else on top of the floor.

 

Newt

[4x4ff]

Just an update for you all. Just as Webefulltimers suggested earlier, I cut and pulled the carpet up in the area we want to make tile and it is completely covered with vinyl flooring and obviously in really good shape. What really surprised me is the staples weren't near as bad as I thought. Don't misunderstand me, there were a lot but really only around the edges. The whole project including removing staples took about an hour. In fact now that the carpet is up in that area all I am going to have to do is put in a transition strip between the carpet I am keeping and the vinyl that is already there. I should note that we both really like the existing vinyl print and were going to get the allure in a similar pattern. Now I don't have to.

 

Steve

[4x4ff]

Here is a picture. This area was completely carpeted except a 2' X 2' area in front of the door.

 

[budeneighe]

Congratulations! I really like that vinyl pattern. Lucky you.

[chirakawa]

The staple holes aren't visible in the vinyl?

[4x4ff]

Not at all. Well, I guess I should say if I get down close with a flashlight I can see some of them but NOTHING is visible unless you get down on the floor.....I mean bend over with your head close to the floor. It was stapled just around the edges and they used real thin staples. There weren't any staples anywhere except the edges either. The 'foam' pad just pulled right up. If you look at the picture, just to the right of the floor register is where the carpet edge was. It followed the cabinet line down. Can't even tell it was there.

 

Steve

[chirakawa]

Thanks.