Interior flooring ideas?

[bigcatwally]

Greetings! I'm still talking about redoing the floor in our Newell. Barb's on me about it and I hate to admit it but she's right. I need to quit talking and start doing, I'm hesitant to rip out the old flooring because then once started, means I'll have to finish the project. The old classic needs some work and I don't have a problem doing it myself to save some money. Once I start I'll be whistling while I work. :D Those who have redone their flooring, do you have any suggestions on floor material worth installing? Or any advice on what to stay away from?

[MrE]

Wally, we had a '73 that had pergo flooring and it worked quite nice. In our '86, we're thinking about going with a marine indoor/outdoor carpeting. We have a couple of dogs and don't always park in the tidiest of locations, so ease of cleanup is important for us.

[bigcatwally]

So you can use that floating engineered flooring? I figured you could but wasn't sure if you should let it float or does it need to be glued down? We have hardwood in our house and it's glued down on concrete slab.

[lbrachfe]

Look for the posts on flooring and you will find Ernie who is the Newell flooring guru and his contact info is there too

[Ground Control]

We seen a Newell yesterday with what looked like Pergo and to us it just looked cheap. My sister had it in her home with two little dogs having accidents now and then wthin three years it was ruined. We said NEXT!

[fulltiming]

We installed a pergo-type floor throughout our Newell over 5 years ago. It has gone through several years of Irish Wolfhounds. The only issue I have had is two sections I had to replace after a leak from the shower in the bathroom and one from the ice maker in the kitchen. I have a sample of a product that is similar to pergo but made of a more flexible vinyl material that looks like it would hold up much better to moisture. I got the sample from Neal. He put it in his '05 in the area where he had removed the couch and installed 2 recliners. Looks great.

[GRIFFIN JR.]

I kind of have to agree with Bernie & Darcy on this one. Coming from a building contractor background for what it’s worth in this great economy I have seen many products from real solid wood to great engineered products. There is a lot of hype with the engineered stuff and has been since the beginning. There have been so many lawsuits and failures with the engineered products like Pergo and the list goes on, I wouldn’t touch most of it with a 10ft pole. Some of my flooring guys made big commissions off all the stuff that goes with the flooring from the cleaners, glue, pads, and trim pieces.

Wood is by far the superior choice. How many 100 plus year old homes have you seen with it still going strong? And a lot of it even gets reclaimed for another 100. You take this engineered stuff that is made out of a like particle substance with tons of glue with many being formaldehyde based that scratches much more than the salesman will ever tell you. I know about piss from untrained dogs, puppies or older dogs with bladder problems. I too installed some of this stuff for a customer with pets doing just as I described causing permanent swelling and damage in the joints. Don’t get me wrong, my family has been raising show dogs for years and we love them. Wood is just better and if you don't mind sweeping and keeping a little wax on it, you’ll get an even better product or even use clear Varathane or polyurethane for additional wear protection..

If you have Laminate around doorways it has a tendency to get scratched up pretty well depending on traffic and what gets dragged across it. If you ever need to replace a piece then it is a real pain in the ass. While on the other hand with Wood you can sand a scratch, re-stain and spray some lacquer over the repair and you’re finished.

[fulltiming]

Newell predominately uses carpet and or granite. They have used other materials where the customer requested it, wood, laminate, and tile. Carpet is not a great choice with pets and inclement weather. Wood is a good product. Cork flooring is touted as a good choice with dogs but I haven't tried it.

[NEWELLWIZARD]

Granite if you can afford it go for it! Hardwood is the real deal and you can't go wrong with it. I hear ya on wanting to do the work yourself. You can save money and know the job get's done right. That's my take, I like DIY projects!

[tuga]

I recovered my bedroom floor with Centiva vinyl/wood flooring. It is expensive, but we really like it. Be sure to request Centiva (there's nothing like it).

We have BLACK carpet in the front of the coach: it is wonderful. Doesn't show any stains or wear. It is made by Fabrica and is also very expensive. It came in the Newell when it was built in 1998 (it's durable!). If you want something that will last and not show any wear - use these products.
:thumbsup:
:thumbsup:

[Neweller]

Wally, there are some different advantages to both types of wood flooring. Some laminate’s can be found with a particle board backing, I'd avoid this type if I could. I

would try to go with laminate that has a ply backing due to it being pretty moisture resistant. The wear layer can be kind of thin on some, mainly the particleboard

backed type, unless its a commercial grade. Generally speaking when they use the term engineered wood it refers to a wood ply substrata under a veneered top

surface, these tend to be pricier but hold up fairly well. The best choice for quality is solid wood. Wide boards can be more prone to warping and cupping but if you flip

the board and see reliefs milled into the back it helps to stabilize the wood. I prefer a narrow hardwood over the wider board for motorcoach floors, but the installation

is more time consuming.. Ship-lap is a joint where if the wood does cup can tend to lift a board and it can be a problem, tongue and groove is more stable and any

cupping or movement is forced over a wider area of flooring and tends to lift and then set back down flat. It’s really kind of a personal preference but I would try to

avoid the particle backed laminate if at all possible. Even though manufacturers claim their products are moisture resistant, my experience is that they are not. Some

people claim to have great success with them, but in high humidity areas, my experience is they are really not intended for RV applications. Just try to go with top

notch products in your Newell and really do your homework. I know most of us really try too.



Michael, it sounds like you went with a better product for your application. I have heard yours looks really good. I too would really consider cork flooring, it is very

durable, great against noise, wears well and extremely lightweight which is always a plus.




Ken

[Chester B. Stone, Jr.]

Several years ago, I replaced the carpet in my motorhome with solid prefinished oak flooring. As best I recall, it was produced by Mannington, bullnose was available for the steps, and it was tongue and grove, about 3/8" thick. I glued it in and used an air finishing nail gun into the grove. If the time comes to replace the carpet in my 2001, I will seriously consider prefinished wood.

[Ron Skeen]

I installed hard rock maple 3/8 thick laminated on plywood and was t&g. I install this using a glue down process. This was done in my 89 and am planning on doing the same in the B/R of my 96. The rest of the floor are granite. This was done about 9 years ago.

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[Ron Skeen]

some more pictures.

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[The Newell]

Nice Pics Ron, Have you done the same in your 1996 Newell ?

[Randy J]

Wally it looks like you got some. Good ideas given here.

I heard of the cork stuff. Haven't seen it installed though.

Ron what you did there in your 89 looks real sweet! Leeann wants hardwood now.

[Ron Skeen]

I have change a lot and still working.

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[Neweller]

Ron, you had it going on in both your coaches. :thumbsup: Your current coach kind of reminds me of staying at a place called the Royal Sogo Palace. Cool Cool Cool dude, Thanks for the pics.

Wally, that beautiful maple might be right up your alley, as it will lighten things up and wear like a son-of-gun.


Ken

[Gone Busing]

My wife and I agree the maple is gorgeous in the coach. Looks like the exterior was a pretty blue metallic. Our Eagle conversion has solid cherry throughout and we love the way its held out for all these years. I would say go wood Wally as any stone I'm aware of is much to heavy for your chassis.

[Ground Control]

Ron, your coaches remind us of a couple of the Newell's we had owned. Some similar tastes. :thumbup:We inherited a coach from Darcy's father and it had beautiful maple and walnut two-toned hardwood. I believe the pics are on our computer down in Belize. When we return I'll try and remember to upload them here to the Newell Forum.

Very nice of you to share by the way. Believe it or not it confirms some ideas for us while in our hunt for another Newell. A very tedious adventure.

[NeverEnding]

I recovered my bedroom floor with Centiva vinyl/wood flooring. It is expensive, but we really like it. Be sure to request Centiva (there's nothing like it).

We have BLACK carpet in the front of the coach: it is wonderful. Doesn't show any stains or wear. It is made by Fabrica and is also very expensive. It came in the Newell when it was built in 1998 (it's durable!). If you want something that will last and not show any wear - use these products.
:thumbsup:
:thumbsup:


Tuga, have you had any problems with lint showing up on your black carpet? I'm sure it's great for stains and wear. Curious as to how much it shows because with a dark background I could imagine it might show lint, hair and so on more easily?

[bigcatwally]

Wow! Ya'll are great! Thank you for the overwhelming response.

Larry - Thanks but no thanks. I'd prefer to do this job myself.

To everyone with suggestions of the prego or like flooring. I will continue to read the pros and cons of the stuff before making an yay or nay decision. The idea of it getting scratched up easily is not a good selling point.

Michael - If the Newell coach factory primarily uses carpet or granite. What do you think is the reason behind that? Carpet because it's plush for the feet?

Mike - Yes, I want to do the job myself. Save some cash, learn something and I'll have the satisfaction of knowing I have some sweat equity!

Tuga - This Centiva product what kind of warranty does it have? If I was interested could I buy the materials and install myself? And when you say expensive what are we talking? What would you say are the benefits instead of using real wood?

Ken - Thanks for the information on what to stay away from. I don't want any future problems if at all possible. Don't need any moisture problems that's for darn sure!

Chester - I like the tongue and groove stuff. I think the pre finished wood is one of the top ideas on my list.

Ron - That rock hard maple looks beautiful! It makes the coach look specious and clean. Thanks for sharing the pictures. It helps me really get an idea of what I could do with my 79. Your 96 newell is looking tits with that dark granite!

Jay - I love the look of the stone. But perhaps you're right it probably is to heavy for my chassis?

Randy - You and me both, I'd like to see the cork flooring installed in a coach.

[Neweller]

Wally, thanks for all the great thoughts from the different ideas of members. Wow! That might be a record for members addressed in one post.:cool: You have a lot of

ammo here and you may end up with more before its over.


I wanted to let you know if you are interested or anyone else if your not, wants a commercial brand of laminate flooring, I have about 100 sqft which I figured would

do a coach about your size. Especially if your leaving the area around your bed and maybe the drivers area carpeted. The brand is called: Quick Step Elegance. It is

usually only installed by professional flooring companies and not available at home stores. I know a guy in your area that is the dealer for this brand and would sell you

any extra for cost. If you decided you wanted this product you can have it free of charge. I can ship it to you or if you can wait a 6-8 weeks, I'll be close to your

area working on some rental property and can meet up with you.


The pictures here are of the flooring with and without a flash. The brighter pics are closer to what it looks like.


Like I said, if Wally doesn't want it, and anyone else is interested, just let me know and we can work out the details.


Ken