Log In | Register
Skip to main content
Topic: LAZY carpet replacement Recs (Read 372 times) previous topic - next topic
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
LAZY carpet replacement Recs
It's more than time folks! Our 93 needs new flooring. After replacing most everything else and 6 summers of (mostly) joy, we are hoping to carry on for another decade with her till retirement, when we will either get something much newer, move on to other adventures, or both...

 Anyway, I have read most of the old posts on this topic, including on the companion, and just have a few questions before embarking on this fall project:

1. The dinette and other furniture is installed on top of the carpet - so well installed that it seems you would have to destroy it to put new flooring underneath. So we just plan on cutting out carpet outside the furniture and replacing. FEEDBACK PLEASE!

2. Kitchen area has "wooden tiles"  Leave or tear out?

3. We plan on leaving all cab shag in place, cause we are a bit LAZY and it isnt really worn.
 Comments?

4. Thinking of replacing carpet with office carpet tiles for durability and ease of cleaning and installation. Thoughts?

5. Our Rear Bathroom is carpet. Easy to make that area vinyl? Suggestions?

Thans and happy trails!

Pete
Pete
1994 RB
Re: LAZY carpet replacement Recs
Reply #1 –
Peter, I saw this and meant to comment but got distracted with our own RV issues. 

1. The dinette and other furniture is installed on top of the carpet - so well installed that it seems you would have to destroy it to put new flooring underneath. So we just plan on cutting out carpet outside the furniture and replacing. FEEDBACK PLEASE!
-- When we tore things apart to redo the flooring, I was a little surprised to see that there were places where things went all the way solidly down to the floor that would not be that way in a sticks and bricks house.  You will have the accurate answer when  you rip up the old carpeting.  Our old carpet (89 TK) was installed very tight against the cabinets, door jambs, etc.  with no trim pieces. So you can install the new carpet that way. Or you can add a trim piece - either wood (from your local home improvement store) or a vinyl one that most RVs use these days.   amazon - some trim  amazon - more trim Amazon - instatrim 
Just get the trim (or carpet if you are not using trim) as tight as you can so that things won't fall into cracks and make a mess.

2. Kitchen area has "wooden tiles"  Leave or tear out?
This is your personal preference.  If needed, you can use transition strips to move from one type of flooring to another.  These can be metal or wood, are typically made for specific flooring transitions (carpet to vinyl, floating floor to different floating floor, etc.).  Just make sure you pick a style that you won't trip over (or women won't catch their low shoe heels on).  home depot - transition pieces

3. We plan on leaving all cab shag in place, cause we are a bit LAZY and it isn't really worn.
 Comments?
Again, up to you, you can replace the coach first then see if the condition of the cab is bugging you enough to want to change that also.  Use a transition strip between the two areas.

4. Thinking of replacing carpet with office carpet tiles for durability and ease of cleaning and installation. Thoughts?
One thing to be aware of, if you are using tiles they can separate over time.  I have seen "do it yourself" installs that a couple years later had up to 1/16" of an inch between the tiles.  So if you install them, you need to almost mush them into place squishing the tile a little, so that over time as it shrinks/grows a little it won't shrink so small it starts showing cracks between the tiles.  Remember you are in an RV that has a floor that wiggles more and with a smaller area everything is high traffic area, so there will be more pressures on the tiles than in a regular sticks and bricks home.

5. Our Rear Bathroom is carpet. Easy to make that area vinyl? Suggestions?
You can change any area to any flooring you want.  Check the forums (do a search), some people put sheet vinyl everywhere, some people did floating floor, some put in carpet in some areas.
The one gotcha is that there are bolts in the flooring that are covered by carpet padding, so you need to compensate for those somehow.  Again, a search will show different ways people have handled that.

The hardest part of changing the flooring is all the corners and shape changes.  A big square/rectangular room is easy to put new flooring in.  Going into bathrooms, around cabinets, following the ins and outs of the LD floor shape means more cuts and doing more planning to create a good install.

Jane
Jane & Scott
Currently have a 1989 TK  LD we did a lot of upgrades on.
Bigfoot 25RQ Twin on order with early summer 2024 ETA

Our smartphone autocorrects into very poor English.
 We disclaim the illusion of ignorance this creates as we have enough ignorance we rightly claim.
Re: LAZY carpet replacement Recs
Reply #2 –
You should absolutely tear out every square inch of carpet in your RV.  Even if you replace it with carpet, you will get rid of a lot of dirt debris and smell.  I took out all of the carpet and lino in my 30ft rig, so it should be a piece of cake in your short RV.  8)
After you take everything out you can see what hidden fun things there are to repair and/or figure out.  Personally I put in a solid piece of lino from front to rear.  In the cab I pulled out all of the carpet and replaced it with "marine" grade of carpet.  It is far superior to standard auto carpet that was installed originally.  Very thick and totally waterproof. 
 
Re: LAZY carpet replacement Recs
Reply #3 –
Thanks everyone for your feedback! It'll be a few months before we start this project. Will report on it later.

Pete
Pete
1994 RB