waycoolgal
Kansas
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Joined: 05/04/2004
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We bought a used MH where the dealer replaces all carpet with laminate free floating floors in all their coaches. We love our purchase but there seems to be a problem or maybe there isn't. By the sink is a soft spot or at least an area that seems to give more than anywhere else on the floor. I am in hopes that it could be the laminate floor just bulging from being placed to tight. Wishful thinking probably. Could that be a possible reason. If it is a water damaged soft spot how can we know for sure, how important is it to get fixed right away and where would we take it to get fixed. What kind of business does that kind of work. Last but not least what would be a good estimate on repair cost and time taken to repair. Thanks for any help or shared knowledge on this subject. It is a 2001 coachmen Santera and seems to have been very well taken care of. One more thing if it is a soft spot does the new flooring protect it from getting worse by being a solid layer on top. It also is not in an area you have to stand or walk on much. I guess thats one reason why we didn't notice it.
Thank you for coming here to help all of us.
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ejforwood
Littleton (Denver) Colorado
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Joined: 04/26/2006
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Quote:We bought a used MH where the dealer replaces all carpet with laminate free floating floors in all their coaches.
WOW! I have never met a dealer that went to that kind of expense unless there was a problem that they were trying to cover up!
Quote:It also is not in an area you have to stand or walk on much. You never do the dishes, Right?
First I would make sure that the source of the water has been fixed.
Quote:If it is a water damaged soft spot how can we know for sure, how important is it to get fixed right away and where would we take it to get fixed. What kind of business does that kind of work.
You don't need to take it anywhere. Call any floor company/contractor.
Go to Home Depot and ask their flooring person to recommend a contractor.
Jerry, Dottie & Chan, "the little furry one"
98 Bounder 34V, 99 F-53 Ford V10 chassis
06 Saturn VUE 4I
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speers
White Plains, Maryland
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Joined: 07/15/2004
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I have been in a lot of coaches and owned a couple (replaced flooring in one), unless it is really high end, you have a thin subfloor ontop of a piece of sheet metal, so there is always some give sometimes more noticeable depending on where the girders are spaced. So, dont be too quick to panic. As long as the flooring doesnt come up dont sweat it!!
Sean & Tonya
1998 Fleetwood Discovery 36T
2006 Ford Fusion (toad)
White Plains Maryland
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CSpenceFLY
Macon,Ga
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Joined: 06/12/2006
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I don't know where high end starts but my '90 Pace Arrow has at least 3/4 in subflooring and I have never seen anything less then that.
To the OP, you should be about to look down the walkway of the coach and see if the floor is bubbled up and if that spot sinks below the rest of the floor when you step on it.
"You're lucky to be alive my friend."
Quote from the "Do it yourself police" and many others that have known me.
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speers
White Plains, Maryland
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Interesting, cause my 96 Brave only had 1/4 inch luan.....had to replace some due to water damage, and there was just sheetmetal under it. I put 3/4 plywood down and laid laminate on top of it and THEN I didnt have any give....Havnt done my 98 Fleetwood yet though, maybe different brands has something to do with it as well, it would be really cool if my Discovery had 3/4....
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FC
Kitchener,Ontario, Canada
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I would look inside the cabinets right in front of the area that seems soft to determine if the flooring there is soft and if there is any water present. With laminate flooring if they do not leave about 3/8 of an inch for expansion it is very possible for the floor to bubble up a little and then it would seem soft to you. Might be as simple as removing the baseboard or quarter round and trimming the floor.
With a no glue laminate flooring it might also be possible to remove a few boards to see the sub strate if it still causes you a problem.
We put laminate in our last motorhome and it was a great surface to live with.
JM2CW
2003 Georgetown 346DS Motorhome,
2007 Pontiac G6 Toad, Blue Ox Aventa LX
Family Campers & RVers
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mfox20
Fort Worth, TX
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Joined: 10/11/2004
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I just recently finished replacing carpet with laminate in a 1994 Class A I purchased last year. I had 3 low spots in the kitchen/hall area. After removing the carpet and finding no visible water damage, I used a 2 inch hole saw to drill into 2 of the low or soft spots to see if I could determine what might have caused them. All I could determine was the floor supports were too far apart to properly support the flakeboard subfloor after 13 years. I used pieces of laminate and roofing shingles to level the floor prior to installing the padding and new laminate.
It's possible you may not have any water damage. I would suggest looking inside of your cabinets under a couple of sections of remaining carpet to see if you can find any water stains before entertaining pulling up the laminate, then decide if you can live with the soft spots. Mine were too noticeable not to repair.
Michael
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Just Bob
Connecticut
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If you can locate a marine surveyor, he will have a meter that he will run back and forth across the area, and it will tell him the moisture content of that area. Very possibly a home inspector will have the same meter. If there is water damage, it will show up.
Sure, this is your first DWI spot check.
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JerryPeck
Ormond Beach, FL
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Just Bob wrote:If you can locate a marine surveyor, he will have a meter that he will run back and forth across the area, and it will tell him the moisture content of that area. Very possibly a home inspector will have the same meter. If there is water damage, it will show up.
Any home inspector worth their salt will have a moisture meter. Any Home Inspector worth more than that will have several types of moisture meters.
If you call a home inspector, tell them I said to call - I know a lot of them and they know me ... from some BB we post on. You might find one who knows me - that would be neat, say hi to them for me.
A retired Home Inspector / Private Building Inspector.
Now a Building Code Inspector (for another few years, then it is full retirement).
* This post was
edited 01/17/08 01:21pm by JerryPeck *
Jerry Peck
Ormond Beach, FL
2000 National Dolphin 5360
2002 Chevy Malibu - toad (4 down)
1983 Jaguar XJS - altenate toad (on car hauler)
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waycoolgal
Kansas
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Joined: 05/04/2004
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Thanks for all of your replies. We did a look under the cabinets and the cabinets themselves and there is no sign of a water issue anywhere. This coach is in pristine condition and I have a hard time thinking the last owners let water damage happen. It seems to me that under the counter would look water damaged if there had been such an issue to cause the soft spot. I feel better after your replies and won't let it ruin the joy of our new purchase. I now know who to call to repair it if down the line it gets worse thanks to the posters here. The reason why I don't have to stand on the spot if I don't want to is our sink setup is in a L shape. The stove at one end and the floor at the other, but I can and do do the dishes in the bend of the L I place the trash can at the other end of the L so I am not tempted to stand in that spot. Again thank you so very very much for taking the time to help and comfort me.
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