Torn Linoleum

Mmcgrath · 03-08-2014, 06:35 AM

Last week I decided to go check on the trailer since we had a break in the weather and had not been by since it was put away last fall. I was more than disappointed in finding torn linoleum.

I spoke with the local RV dealership and was told they had numerous new and used units on their lot with the same issue. Here in the midwest we have not seen cold like we have had this winter in twenty years. I contacted the insurance company and of course they denied the claim. I was told by our dealership that it would cost between 5-6 K to replace the linoleum and it would be better to trade it in for a new unit. I of course questioned the cost involved to replace linoleum that likely cost 0.95 ft2. I was told that to do it right all the cabinets and fixtures would have to be removed. We have a 2009 Laredo 31 BHS, I am not interested in having the dealership replace the flooring and have been unsuccessful in finding a flooring company to do the replacement. Any recommendations? I was thinking about replacing with Home Depot's Allure vinyl flooring but not sure how it will hold up in the fluctuations in temps we have here in the midwest.

bsmith0404 · 03-08-2014, 07:00 AM

Had the same problem with our Jayco last year. I went to Home Depot, picked up Traffic Master Allure vinyl flooring. There are numerous designs to choose from and it is easy to install. We went with the Ashlar Resilient and loved it. Had several comments on how nice our floor was.

As for installation, including ripping out the old, cleaning up and putting in the new, had about 6-7 hours total. Cost me about $300. If you have a straight edge (carpenters square, level), tape measure, and a utility knife, you have everything you need. I found a jigsaw works nice for cutting add corners. This is a free floating floor that just lays in place, but you can staple edges if you want.

Wing-in-it · 03-08-2014, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bsmith0404

Had the same problem with our Jayco last year. I went to Home Depot, picked up Traffic Master Allure vinyl flooring. There are numerous designs to choose from and it is easy to install. We went with the Sedona and loved it. Had several comments on how nice our floor was.

As for installation, including ripping out the old, cleaning up and putting in the new, had about 6-7 hours total. Cost me about $300. If you have a straight edge (carpenters square, level), tape measure, and a utility knife, you have everything you need. I found a jigsaw works nice for cutting add corners. This is a free floating floor that just lays in place, but you can staple edges if you want.

+1 on what Mr. Smith said, & I would go one step further and put finishing molding around the edges to finish it up. But that's just an option.

Mark

bsmith0404 · 03-08-2014, 07:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wing-in-it

+1 on what Mr. Smith said, & I would go one step further and put finishing molding around the edges to finish it up. But that's just an option.

Mark

That's exactly what I did, makes it much easier since you don't have to be perfect on your edge cuts. 1/4 round molding that matches your cabinets looks great. If I did this correctly, I attached two pics of the floor. If you look around the edges you will see the 1/4 round molding

**JRTJH** · 03-08-2014, 07:23 AM

A number of members have replaced their vinyl flooring with laminate or allure strips. There are several threads on the forum detailing these mods. Some have pictures of the before/after RV. It sounds like your dealer has a couple of extra RV techs that aren't scheduled with any jobs for the next week or so and he is trying to get the schedule full. Ideally, it "might" be "nice" to remove everything and lay new vinyl, but it certainly is NOT necessary. Anybody with average carpenter/handyman skills can easily use a utility knife, cut the existing vinyl around the edges, pull it out and lay new vinyl. There are installation kits available in any "big box" flooring department that can be used to "map out a diagram" for novices. About the only really "tedious" part of the job will be removing the toilet and flange to get the new vinyl under that area. Otherwise, it's just "take your time" and "think/measure twice, cut once."

bsmith: Great job!!! Your new floor looks very nice and certainly compliments your interior.

Wing-in-it · 03-08-2014, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bsmith0404

That's exactly what I did, makes it much easier since you don't have to be perfect on your edge cuts. 1/4 round molding that matches your cabinets looks great. If I did this correctly, I attached two pics of the floor. If you look around the edges you will see the 1/4 round molding

Beautiful work sir!

Mark

bsmith0404 · 03-08-2014, 07:32 AM

Thank you. I had practice, redid our kitchen in the house with the same flooring before doing the camper

Also, one benefit of this flooring is it is on a rubber backing and is water "resistant". According to the info, it can be used in bathrooms. A lot of laminates will swell when they get wet.

Mmcgrath · 03-08-2014, 02:54 PM

Thank you all for the great advice. I spent the morning removing the old linoleum, I was surprised how easily it came up. Last summer I had a "run in" with a commercial waste container that was sticking partially in the campground road. It was late at night and I did not see it, part of it went through the RV door. The door was replaced shortly afterward. When I tore up the linoleum today I found wet and moldy subfloor at the door. I immediately took the RV back to the dealership that conducted the repairs. The service department was closed today but spoke to the general manager. He took a look but was not convinced it was a leak associated with the door they replaced. I will see what happens next week. I guess it was a good thing the linoleum cracked or i would probably have not found the leak until it was too late.

bsmith0404 · 03-08-2014, 04:51 PM

Interesting, I would be interested to know his theory as to what caused water damage by the door if it's not a leaking door. Good luck with this one.

**JRTJH** · 03-08-2014, 05:59 PM

That definitely looks like water has run down the door along the mounting flange, into the trailer and soaked the floor. If you look carefully along the top front corner of the door, I'm guessing you'll find a small place where the butyl calking is either missing or the flange is bent and not sealing well. I'm surprised he had the courage to say, "it's not the door"... I have to ask... Is this the same dealership that said it will cost $5000 to install vinyl flooring? If it is, I'd think about looking for a second opinion on everything they do.....

Mmcgrath · 03-08-2014, 06:23 PM

John it is the same dealership. All the caulking appeared intact but I did notice the metal flange at the top of the door was bent. I will head up tomorrow and get a couple photos. Thanks for all your help.

Mark TC · 03-09-2014, 02:46 AM

Was this problem just from the extreme cold? I live in Ohio and have not seen this on my Outback. I just got it uncovered this weekend

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bsmith0404 · 03-09-2014, 03:12 AM

The Jayco I had split last year when I was in Wyoming. It didn't get nearly as cold as this year. I was told it is fairly common in RVs. When I pulled the old floor out it was brittle (70 degrees so it wasn't frozen). It may be an issue with cold and heat cycles breaking down the pliability.......

TAZ23 · 03-09-2014, 05:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark TC

Was this problem just from the extreme cold? I live in Ohio and have not seen this on my Outback. I just got it uncovered this weekend

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It seems that every year during the winter some trailers have the linoleum floors crack from the cold here in the northern states. We keep ours on a seasonal site and last year three of the trailers in our campground had cracked flooring in the spring. There is a Jayco dealer about twenty miles from here that also replaced several floors last spring. I have never heard of the flooring cracking during warm weather so I am guessing it is caused by the extreme cold temps. and the linoleum contracting.

cabinfever · 03-09-2014, 05:43 AM

There are many different materials at the floor level. When they freeze and thaw I would imagine they all do so at different "rates". The linoleum is the weakest link.

ksbowman · 03-09-2014, 06:52 AM

Our 2004 Sydney Outback 5th has never had any cold weather problems until this year. It got down to -13 just before we left for Texas. I walked in a couple of days later to load up and I was greeted by 3 separate crack all coming from the corners of floor heat registers. This spring I'll put in new flooring. I will round the corners of the flooring at the registers to help prevent this in the future though.

HappyCamperMN · 03-10-2014, 05:48 PM

Don't Keystone RVs have "split proof" linoleum? Or is that just a mythical creature like unicorns and leprechauns?

We had previously been looking at Forest River RVs, most of which advertise no cracking due to cold temps.

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Mmcgrath · 03-12-2014, 02:20 PM

I received a call from the dealership this morning updating me on my issue. I was told that the leak originated from the storage compartment at the front of the trailer. Of course I questioned his reasoning and he told me that the aluminum edging was slightly bent which resulting in water incursion. He noted that the edging is often bent with loading and unloading of the area. We had a tremendous amount of rainfall last night and he told me that the carpeting inside the passthrough storage on the door side was wet. I have never had any issue with leakage in the passthrough as far as I know. I was also told I was not properly maintaining my marker lamp lens

I was told by the service technician it was important to maintain a bead of silicon on the interior edge of the marker lamp lens in order to prevent water incursion in the lamp area. I am meticulous about maintenance of my RV and was unaware of proper caulking of the lens cover. I would think the lens covers by design would prevent water from entering the fixture but was told that several of mine were holding water. I plan on visiting the dealer this week, I am still not convinced the leakage is due to improper installation of my door and the flooring cracking was due to the fact that it was wet and froze.

byrdr1 · 03-13-2014, 05:00 AM

Mmcgrath,
I am by no means an expert on much of anything but I would call the dealership guy BS..
He's not looking out for you thats for sure.. He's after the money and he isnt going to bend on any of the things that matter to you.
YOu can tell by how quick he is blame everything on you.
Go pick up your camper up and work on it yourself. You seem to be handy with tools you can fix most all of these probelm yourself. He is just looking to get that $5000.00 he thinks you have to PO away..
NOW all this is JMHO!!!
randy

Mmcgrath · 03-13-2014, 05:38 PM

Thanks Randy I appreciate it. I am picking it up tomorrow afternoon. I plan on doing the work myself. I was told they were charging me two hours of shop labor for locating my leak.

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