Vegas Teacher

That is some great carpentry I am impressed!

Can't wait to see the finished product!

Being new to the road and driving the Volvo I have no illusions of where I sit on the ability range - somewhere near the bottom I am sure. I am learning ever so slowly and bugging the living @#$% out of Vegas Flyer. Anyway pictures and events like what happened in what was posted just remind me to not get into a hurry, leave a lot of room for mistakes and to watch everybody and everything going on around you. I know each time I get back behind the wheel of my truck I have to take a deep breath and remind myself:

1. This is not your Toyota Tundra.

2. You don't have an (oops!) accident, you kill somebody.

3. You don't want to go to jail for being stupid, and looking at your cell phone, radio, pond on the side of the road or the lady in the convertible next to you doing what???????? Yep my wife would not like that anyway LOL! I know it is serious but you get what I mean.

Later,

Vegas Teacher - Cory Ossana

P.S. Any snowbirds on their way out through Vegas yet?

13 hours ago, Brad & Jacolyn said:

3 1/2 days on my knees and they were barking. On the edges of the slides where it met the carpeting I left a strip of carpeting the width of my level. Then I removed the padding under the strip and folded the carpet back under itself so the slide carpet edge covered it and stapled the carpet back down.

I also put some staples into the edge of the planks where they bumped against the carpet edge that I just described.

Other than that the floor is all floating. No glue.

Before I started I read everything I could find about installing these floors and I found something about this particular flooring and it said not to put it under cabinets. So I was going to just float it up to the edge and then cover with 1/4 round (just for the record the trim is not in place yet but I have it and when I get someplace where I can rent a chop saw AND my knees quit barking I'll install it). However, when I removed the original kitchen flooring it ran under the cabinets and then cleats were added inside the cabinet frame. When I pulled out the original flooring the cabinets stayed up on the cleats so I just slid the new floor into the space left by the old floor. I will put trim around that also.

One big trick that I learned. If at all possible lay the flooring in the direction they recommend (groove to the wall and then left to right). My problem was the flooring ran under the kitchen slide so I had to start there instead of in the back corner on the same side of the rig. My big fear was that I would not be able to slide the material under the kitchen slide (I was right. It was a real bitch as it was). Then I had to lay the kitchen floor out to the edge of the cabinets and then extend the floor back until I cleared the cabinets so I could measure to the wall and try to extend a line all the way to the back of the rig. So I had to work some pieces backwards. The locks work about twice as hard coming in backwards.

Once I got the alignment correct (there was a lot more worrying than there should have been) all the way from the back to front the rest popped in quick because I was working the locks in the proper direction.

What did I learn?

1) Depending on the brand the WEAR LAYER is different. I used 8mm planks with attached cork padding. The wear layer is 20mil. Thickest I found.

2) DON'T go cheap. I ended up paying $4.49 per sq. ft.

3) DON'T rush. You will get aggravated at some point. Walk away and take a break. Otherwise you will get frustrated and make mistakes.

4) This one is JMO. When you buy the install tools (you will need spacers, and tapping block and a pull bar) don't buy the kit. The pull bar in my kit was thin and soft. The bar bent easy and will fight the entire job. Spend a little more and buy individual tools. You will probably be happier in the end and have less buggered fingers.

5) Measure carefully. I figured on having a 1/2 box left. Turns out my waste fell good enough that I had a full unsealed box left. Now they are telling me it was special order and won't take it back.

If you have any questions I'll try to answer them and no I won't install yours.

Brad

P.S. My knees have recovered.

Well it looks incredible. I like what you said about not getting in a hurry. I have started many projects at my house thinking, "Well this should only take a couple of hours" three days later and still not finished with the wife on my back side I sometimes have to rethink my decision, but I am always happy after I am done and I can say," I did that myself! " 

You did a great job, and when I do mine I know I can post questions on the forum and you can answer them for me!

Later, 

Vegas Teacher - 2 weeks and counting to the first day of meetings

That looks really great! Must have taken a lot of time

Got to El paso last night just woke up getting ready to head out in a short while. We will be back in vegas today.

In houston getting ready to meet big 5er

Vegas reached is now in houston I got to drive today for the first time I drove in rain city traffic and in the country vegas flyer told me to be ware of something called a lot lizzard whatever that is. Something tells me he is having fun at my expense.

More updates tomorrow.

Later. Vegas teacher

Also bought my first tank of diesel and took my first shower in a truck stop.

Vegas teacher and vegas flyer on the road headed west current location is 20 miles south east of Tallahassee Florida on Highway 10 headed for Houston tomorrow. 

Later,

Cory O