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Old 08-15-2018, 06:34 PM   #1
Msmith2054
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How to replace soft floor

Ok, time to get dirty. The floor in the middle of my Laredo 291tg has been soft for a while, but now is sagging pretty far when stepped on and I can hear wood snapping. I believe the vinyl floor is one piece. Like I said, the soft areas are in the middle of the kitchen/dining/living areas, not on the slide. Mainly near the heater floor vent. Previous owner said there was a leak from the bathroom, was repaired, but she believed it still leaked. I found the toilet flush valve cracked and replaced it, then did a 20lb air test on the whole system without finding anything else, so I believe the system is tight.
Now, how best do I tackle replacing the floor? Can I just replace the walking area? Can I salvage the old flooring to put back in after the repair? Not a rookie doing residential and commercial building repairs, so I feel I can do this myself, just wanted to reach out for hints and tips before I start.
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Old 08-16-2018, 03:12 AM   #2
chuckster57
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The lino is one piece laid down and stapled at the edges before anything is built. Can you salvage it? Our experiences have been that a large “patch” usually separates with time. YMMV

I would look for the seams in the sub flooring so you have something solid to attach the new sub flooring.
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Old 08-18-2018, 06:53 AM   #3
Msmith2054
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Chuck, I believe I can peel back the Lino in one piece unless it was laid down before cabinets and walls were installed. If that is the case, I can cut along the edges of the cabinets and walls using clear RTV to seal the edges when going back in after the repairs, even use RTV to seal any tears I create when taking it up.
My biggest question s what am I going to find under the Lino and best way to permanent repair the sagging floor. It seems worst at the mid floor heat register. I am expecting wetted particle board and will need to remove all wetted and broken wood. I plan on replacing with PT plywood and fiberglass insulation. Is there anything I should plan on doing while all apart? Extra joists? How best to install them to the existing framing?
I’m quite handy with tools and construction, just old and fat.

Thank all forum members for any and all suggestions, recommendations, and/or criticism.
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Old 08-18-2018, 07:04 AM   #4
chuckster57
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How to replace soft floor

Don’t use RTV to put the link back together. Get seam adhesive. Every RV I’ve worked on/looked at/ owned has had the lino installed BEFORE walls, cabinets are installed. You can use latex adhesive to glue down the Lino and then use this.
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Old 08-19-2018, 05:19 AM   #5
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Ok, new plan. Remove the existing linoleum in one piece by cutting along the walls and cabinets. Remove the subfloor at the seams (where possible) up to the edge of the walls and cabinets. Add additional subfloor joists as needed, replace foam floor insulation with faced fiberglass insulation. Install new PT plywood subfloor countersinking screw heads below surface. Fill gaps in seams and screw head depressions. Reinstall linoleum with latex adhesive, sealing edges and seams with seam sealer.
Got it? Any other tips/tricks? May default to peel and stick linoleumto lighten up interior. Existing is very dark brown.
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Old 08-19-2018, 05:33 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Msmith2054 View Post
Ok, new plan. Remove the existing linoleum in one piece by cutting along the walls and cabinets. Remove the subfloor at the seams (where possible) up to the edge of the walls and cabinets. Add additional subfloor joists as needed, replace foam floor insulation with faced fiberglass insulation. Install new PT plywood subfloor countersinking screw heads below surface. Fill gaps in seams and screw head depressions. Reinstall linoleum with latex adhesive, sealing edges and seams with seam sealer.
Got it? Any other tips/tricks? May default to peel and stick linoleumto lighten up interior. Existing is very dark brown.
I would not use fiberglass!! Buy a sheet of foam from HD or Lowes, as FG will hold water foam will not. Also many times the foam is used as part of the structure.
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Old 08-19-2018, 05:50 AM   #7
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^^^ Agreed !!! Fiberglass insulation, will hold water and support mold growth when wet (if there is any organic material like paper facing that's also wet). If wet, it's difficult to dry and if in contact with OSB or plywood, will keep that surface wet, leading to water damage. It also loses its insulating ability when wet, making it a "dead weight with no benefit" Anything under the floor of a travel trailer is subject to getting wet while towing. I'd use rigid foam sheeting and face the bottom of that with reflective bubble wrap. Both are waterproof and won't support mold while retaining insulating properties when wet. Additionally, rigid foam add structural rigidity to the floor while fiberglass doesn't.

There's a reason why new trailers, more and more, are avoiding fiberglass insulation in the basement area and many have eliminated it in sidewall construction as well. About the only location fiberglass is still used is the ceiling. Even there, many manufacturers have moved away from using it in the roof and are moving to rigid foam insulation structures for the ceiling/roof as well.
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Old 08-19-2018, 06:39 AM   #8
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I would also rethink about using PT wood, most is not recommended for living spaces, and glues may not work well with them.
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Old 08-26-2018, 04:57 PM   #9
Msmith2054
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Chuck, this is the description of that product you recommended.

Description
Capitol 017/AC17 is a latex-based, carpet seam sealer is specially formulated to prevent edge raveling and seal seams of most residential carpet. For for use on carpet seams, carpet edging, upholstery - drapery and fabric laminating.

So, you use this on linoleum also?
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Old 09-12-2019, 05:03 AM   #10
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Upon further inspection ..........

I pulled the heat register, duct box and duct to do a more detailed inspection before ripping the floor up. At the cutout for the heat register (middle of the floor) and the holes cut for the heater duct (dryer hose under the refrigerator), I cannot see any evidence of water intrusion or staining. The black fabric like waterproof underlining is intact and attached to the bottom of the floor in the large majority of the floor. The only place it seems to have detached from the floor is the area of concern, where stepping on the floor causes a deflection of at least 1/2”. By touch, this area feels solid and sound from underneath, except for the lining detached from the Luan. The vinyl floor covering in this area also is no longer in contact with the floor and kind of reminds me of a trampoline (10” diameter area).
A visual inspection of the under floor from the heat register opening reveals nothing obvious, but do not see any structural support between the I-Beams. I assume the aluminum tube cross supports are imbedded in the floor, which is notched or cut to fit over them?
Any suggestions on how best to proceed? The flooring feels sound with very little flex everywhere else, including 360 degrees around this area and around the opening for the heat register.
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Old 09-18-2019, 11:05 PM   #11
Allen Arin
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Msmith2054 View Post
Ok, time to get dirty. The floor in the middle of my Laredo 291tg has been soft for a while, but now is sagging pretty far when stepped on and I can hear wood snapping. I believe the vinyl floor is one piece. Like I said, the soft areas are in the middle of the kitchen/dining/living areas, not on the slide. Mainly near the heater floor vent. Previous owner said there was a leak from the bathroom, was repaired, but she believed it still leaked. I found the toilet flush valve cracked and replaced it, then did a 20lb air test on the whole system without finding anything else, so I believe the system is tight.
Now, how best do I tackle replacing the floor? Can I just replace the walking area? Can I salvage the old flooring to put back in after the repair? Not a rookie doing residential and commercial building repairs, so I feel I can do this myself, just wanted to reach out for hints and tips before I start.
Before the floor could be removed, the table and booth had to be dismantled and stored elsewhere. The position of each bench was carefully marked and measured to ensure proper position when replaced.

The bench with the back to the bar top contained electrical wires for the running light wires which were cut and would be spliced after the repair job was completed. The tiles pulled up easily, as the glue had deteriorated on the damp particleboard. After removing a section of particleboard with the reciprocating saw, it was easy to see what had occurred.

The only support in the floor consisted of a few 1 ½ inch square wood beams with Styrofoam in between them. Beneath this was only thin metal over a few sparsely-spaced steel support bracing. There was a steel beam under the booth/table area which had not been used for a wood beam floor joist. Very poor management of floor support in this design.

A reciprocating saw was used to cut the particleboard away from the walls and cabinets. Care is needed to keep from cutting through the outer sheet metal on the bottom. A floor heating ventran the length of the unit and was flattened by the weight of those walking on the soft floor. It was almost impossible to keep from cutting this aluminum vent during the floor removal but this is easy to repair.

Tip: Cutting a straight line into the area separating the sound wood from the bad will make matching the new wood edge easier.

The removal of the Styrofoam was the worst part of the job as it was glued to the metal covering and to the particleboard. A small scraper was used to remove the remnants and the whole area was vacuumed clean.

The stick-on tile had sealed the moisture into the floor and had slowly deteriorated the particleboard. There was no place for the moisture to go. This moisture had been trapped inside for years and finally the damage became noticeable.
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