Floor Covering Option Advice

[70winnie]

Sent: 4/19/2005

I installed new vinyl remnants, and am quite happy with it.

[smp5937]

Sent: 4/20/2005

It really sounds as if, at the bottom line, the question is not "What SHOULD I use" but instead, what does each one like...the whole thing here, aside from the moisture and dampness issue, is personal preference...and they are all reat ideas, which is what helps one to decide what to do!!! I don't even have my swetheart Chieftain home yet, but I have so many ideas running through my li'l punkin' head of what to do, it is nearly runnin me crazee!!!!

[labbie1]

We decided that carpeting just did not suit our pet / grandchildren / mud lifestyle and are in the process of putting the self stick tiles in the main area. We had a little accident getting the tiles in the bathroom and as a last ditch effort decided to go with the self stick vinyl floating floor that is like laminate in the bathroom. The original thought was the square with a little extra adhesive would be easy to install and would give me a scrubbable surface that would suit our lifestyle. We decided against laminate because of  the cabinets with low clearance that we have.
Had I known what the results would have been with the vinyl floating floor  I would have seriously made all of the flooring the same style. It's super, super easy to install. A very good choice for somebody installing a floor for the first time. No power tools required.
While my husband has experience laying floors I do not and this would be a project that I firmly believe I could tackle by myself. The floor looks great! Much better than I would have thought from vinyl and you can't tell the difference between that and a good quality laminate!
If we ever do it again that's the way we would go! Still using the self stick tiles because I have 5 cases of them but next time...

[JDxeper]

I did the self stick vinyl routine, but was not smart enough to use the extra sticky stuff(adhesive).   What sticky stuff did you use?  Mine went down easy even in the bath.  I used a key hole saw to get the old carpet from under the cabinets and the interior bath wall.  Had to shim under neath the interior wall and the cabinet.  Didn't want them to pull away from the ceiling.  I started the tile with a chalk line in the center of the hall and worked both ways.  like you said, easy to install.  now need to glue just a few tile that are semi loose after 18 months.

[labbie1]

3M makes a spray adhesive which Glenn's partner recommended to him. It's very directional which worked well because there was very little mess (overspray). It went where you wanted it to and not where you didn't. It dried very quickly which is a bonus when working in an rv because as soon as you have worked to one end on the floor with something that takes two hours to dry you realize you left your keys in the back and have to hop from object to object to get to them! 
However, when the can says work in a well ventilated area it means it. The fumes are rather strong at first. We opened all of the windows and turned on the ventilation fans and that did the trick. Within a few minutes of finishing they were all but gone.

[ibdilbert01]

On the main floor I went with rubber back carpet tiles.   No glue, no sticky back,  they just lay on the floor and they pretty much stay put. (Note: I think dad popped a few staples in some of them when I wasn't looking)

I bought mine from a surplus store and paid next to nothing for them.  In fact, they were so cheap I bought an extra bundle for future repairs.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

If you use the self stick tiles, make sure you butt them up to something solid, like the cabinets or walls or trim moulding or whatever.  We put in self sticks as a temporary measure until we are ready to put in the Pergo, and over the last couple of years they separated a little bit.  The adhesive actually allowed the tiles to slide a little until the rested against something that stopped them, so there are now 1-2mm gaps between many of the tiles, whereas they were tight and flush when we started.

Kev