Replacing carpet with vinyl

lmichael said in another topic:
<<Deena, it was fairly simple to rip up the carpet and install laminate flooring.  Not having to deal with carpeting is great, and the new flooring is very easy to maintain.  I've installed laminate flooring in houses, so that experience made installing it in our PC easier.  There is a vinyl product that looks like wood (marble, too) that is easier to install and sticks to the floor instead of floating, but there have been reports of a strong smell.  We're very happy with our laminate floor.>>

lmichael:
Does your rig have a slide?  I imagined that redoing the floor on a coach with a slide would be more challenging.  I thought Kermit told me if they did it for us (remove old carpet, put in new vinyl) it would be costly, so I assumed there's more to it than just pulling up one and putting down another!?
 
Deena

Yes, we have a slide.  Getting the carpet out required cutting it and removing it up to and around the rollers, placing a scrap piece of laminate in front of the rollers, closing the slide slightly to get the carpet from under the rollers, placing another scrap behind the rollers and fully opening the slide.  Getting all the staples out of the floor was the time consuming task.  I started the laminate installation at the door--working toward the slide.  When I got to the slide rollers, I put a scrap piece of laminate into the installed laminate to keep the rollers from damaging the edges--moved the slide onto the installed laminate and continued the laminate installation under the slide.  The work space was tight, but the laminate installation kit has a tool that pulls the side of the laminate into the groove.  They do a good job gluing the vinyl to the floor at the factory (and it is installed under the carpet, too), so you can install laminate over it.  The labor cost would be more if you have someone install it for you because it does require more time and effort with a slide.

<<They do a good job gluing the vinyl to the floor at the factory (and it is installed under the carpet, too), so you can install laminate over it.  The labor cost would be more if you have someone install it for you because it does require more time and effort with a slide.>>

Great description of carpet replacement. Thanks.

Are you saying if we removed the carpet, there would be vinyl under it?  Assume that would also apply to the floor between the twin beds on the 2551?

Deena

I had always understood the vinyl flooring covers the entire plywood floor to protect it from various types of water damage.  I would never remove any section of it for that very reason.  I would install any replacement flooring over it.  Just make sure there are no issues with slideouts and the change in the floor height.  If removing the carpet to expose and use the vinyl floor, you may need to use an adhesive remover.  There might also be staple holes as previously mentioned in the vinyl from when they mounted the carpet.  So you might be disappointed in it's condition.  It seems like you all know this already, but I am just making sure.

If our carpet ever needed replacing and/or our vinyl flooring started looking worn out many years from now, I would likely consider a laminate floor over the top of the vinyl.

They use a LOT of staples when they install the carpet, so there would be a lot of little holes in the vinyl.  It wouldn't be a good idea to remove the carpet just for the vinyl floor underneath.  Also, it wouldn't be easy removing the vinyl because it's glued down so well.  The laminate I installed is the same height as the carpet, so I didn't have to adjust the slide.  If you use a thinner laminate, you might have to adjust the slide--the people at PC would have to answer that situation.

Lots & lots of holes left from the staples....Got it lmichael.  Thanks!

AND it was reported to me by another owner that the bedroom area carpet in their 2010 2551 did NOT have vinyl under the carpet. This is probably not a job for us handy-impaired owners to tackle alone!

Deena