[VAL] Re: VAL Digest V1 #155 - Flooring

[waymark1@xxxxxxxx]

Why did you choose peel-and-sticks instead of sheet vinyl such as
Congoleum? It's available in wider than a RV floor (8'). It is also
available in a wide variety of thicknesses and patterns. Just curious.
I've installed roll vinyl in a number of kitchens and bathrooms. In small
complex rooms (floor cabinets, partitions) I measured, marked the pattern
in reverse on the bottom of the material, then cut the material about
1"-2" larger. When I laid it down the small excess flexes up the walls
and cabinets, which I then trimmed off. The extra allows for waviness and
slight out-of-squareness in the room.
One could make a pattern from a roll of 6' or 8' wide kraft paper, then
transfer the outline onto the vinyl. Once you have a floor covering that
is not under any cabinets all you have to do to replace it is to remove
it (use a glue that is not so strong that it tears the sheet apart) and
use the old sheet for the pattern for the new. I have found that a good
grade of vinyl (not the real thin cheap stuff) will lie down without glue
if it is secured around the edges with something like shoe molding.
(Maybe some would not want to use shoe molding in a trailer.) Or a little
glue around the edges will do. Reverse rolling the sheet and laying it in
the sun on a warm day helps get the curl out of it before laying it.

My trailer's body, frame and floor are in excellent condition so I won't
be doing a body-off restoration but if I ever do one I would consider
covering the entire floor with undebossed sheet vinyl except where the
body mates to the floor. Is this a good idea? Also using a water "proof"
floor would be a good idea, I think. My utility trailer has a floor and
sides made of a waferboard that is very dense (lots of resin I think) and
has not suffered much from being outdoors for over 10 years. I have never
painted or treated the material. It has even had water and rotting leaves
pooled in it for months at a time with no damage that I can tell. A
sealer like Thompson's Water-Seal should help preserve the floor also.
These aluminum houses sweat and drip water on the floor around the edges
even if there are no leaks whatsoever. Condensation water runs down the
windows in mine, even on the storm windows when they are in place.
Al