I am not sure that this is necessarily a question limited to "class c" RVs, but figured I would start here.
I have a 1995 Class C Gulfstream Yellowstone (29 feet, no slides). I needs new carpet badly. Am thinking either recarpet or laminate flooring (wife prefers the latter). Spoke with one or two dealerships, and their service departments are guestimating $2000. Seems steep, and am wondering I couldn't get it done cheaper by not going to a dealership.
I live in Orlando. Can anyone recommend someplace/someone I could hire to do this job - - - I am far from handy with tools and such :-) - - - or is my best best to go with a dealership?
Just say no to the dealership. They do not want to do the job, that is why it is so expensive. I am thinking of the same thing for my fifth. I will go to carpet stores and get their prices. I can tear out, just installing is tricky. many people on here have done it themselves though.
Go onto craigslist and find a flooring installer in your area. Installing in an RV isn't much different than in a house, and the quantity is so small that they may have remnant material to save you money if you aren't too particular about exactly what you have.
I replaced my carpet by myself, it just isn't that tricky. Took about half a day. Even if you chose not to do it yourself, if you at least understand how easy it is, that will make it easier for you to judge any time and cost estimates you get.
Tear out the old one, measure the longest and widest dimensions and if you're lucky you can get a remnant that will fit. Most RV carpeting is basically a long, irregular runner. Choose new carpeting that has a very flexible backing, since most edges will have to be folded under.
Turn the new carpet face-down on a clean driveway or deck. Then use the old carpet as a template, face-down too of course, and draw around it with a Sharpie. With a box cutter, cut just inside the marker line (if you cut along it, the new rug will be a little bit too big). Be accurate when cutting any notches or other details.
The rest is done with a staple gun and the longest staples it can handle. Part the carpet pile for each staple so they don't show.
Total cost for materials, including staples: Under $100.
I have seen RV installations of Pergo type laminate flooring and it just seemed to be a world full of quarter-rounds.
Carpet is easy, you can as has been suggested take rough measurements and go to a carpet store, they generally will all have left overs, or there are discount stores / carpet remnant stores.
Laminate floors are not glued in place, basically they float, because they will expand and contract with temperature. All laminate floors are installed with a 1/4" gap at all walls to allow room for expansion. The 1/4 round or baseboard is to cover the gap and give it a finished look. There can be a thin foam pad under the laminate which helps cushion the floor a bit as well as quiet it down. Do not cheap out on the foam as the cheap stuff will let you know every time you walk on it. It sounds like little bubblewrap breaking. A friend did their house and walking across the floor it sounds like crackling. I have used Oak door casing along walls and it looks good and a lot cheaper then baseboard.
I am in the process of removing all the carpet in our stick house and putting in laminate flooring. My wife is in a wheelchair and it is really hard to keep the carpet looking good where the wheels go all the time. Dirt and compressed foam underlay and carpet pile are difficult to clean. I took out the hall carpet a couple days ago and this morning took out the livingroom carpet. Laminate should be done in the next week or so. Then it is onto the bedrooms....
When I bought the laminate flooring I got enough to do the motorhome so that will get done sometime this summer.
Basically installation is fairly easy, even if you have not done it before, just take the time to measure and cut neatly.
Have you considered vinyl tile? We did bathrooms, kitchen and our bedroom with it. Very easy to install, looks good, almost indestructible. Very easy to put down, you can use a tile cutter to cut it or just use some tin snips to cut easy. Very large selection at Lowe's and Home Depot. Did I mention it is cheap and easy? Just did the kichen last month. Looks just like tile (even contoured) cost about $250 for the kitchen and nook, and took about 4-5 hours.
The rest of our house is laminate wood. Seems like an rv would be a laborious process with such little space, lots of cuts to make, etc. Does your rig have base boards? If not you'd need to find a way to close the gap b/n the end of the laminate and the side of the rig.
gatoruss wrote: I am not sure that this is necessarily a question limited to "class c" RVs, but figured I would start here.
I have a 1995 Class C Gulfstream Yellowstone (29 feet, no slides). I needs new carpet badly. Am thinking either recarpet or laminate flooring (wife prefers the latter). Spoke with one or two dealerships, and their service departments are guestimating $2000. Seems steep, and am wondering I couldn't get it done cheaper by not going to a dealership.
I live in Orlando. Can anyone recommend someplace/someone I could hire to do this job - - - I am far from handy with tools and such :-) - - - or is my best best to go with a dealership?
Thanks!
Two grand! Fly me to Orlando, I'll stay in your Gulfstream for 2 days. Day one, after I get to Orlando I'll tear out all the old flooring and prep the floor for new material. After a couple of hours on the beach and maybe a six pack of ice cold beers I'll be ready for a few Stone Crab claws and a good night sleep. Day two I'll install your new Laminate floor (you provide the materials) after that it will be another couple hours at the beach and a few more beers and maybe a dozen more Stone Crab claws. A good night sleep and I'll be back on a plane for New York on the morning of day 3, with a nice base tan and a fond memory of the food of my youth. You on the other hand will have a nice new floor....
We redid the floor in our Pace Arrow with laminate in the bath, parquet in the kitchen and had the fron carpeted. After the job it looked like a new MH. The only real difference between a house and RV is the fact that almost every piece has to be cut because of the smaller sizes.
I also had the same experiance with our dealer, but he wanted 2500.00 Called the guy who did my house and he installed a Pergo floor. He put a vapor barrier under the floor and trimmed the edges with quarter round. 400.00 for materials and 300.00 labor. Go to the Pergo website for selections. We did it in style that looks like a tile floor, very easy to keep clean.
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