How to Draw New Floor Plans for Rv
Owning an "older" RV can exist a wonderful thing – you'll save serious dough when you purchase it, take the flexibility to renovate information technology, and (if you do your homework) your older RV volition have tougher foundations than virtually new ones.
I know this because I've done it. My wife and I live full-time in an '88 Airstream that cost us a fraction of what a new RV would accept. Information technology also hasn't given us a lick of problem in 3+ years and we've been able to DIY the inside to our liking – all on a upkeep.
So, if you follow my lead and catch an "older" RV, you lot'll surely run into some of these same advantages. Notwithstanding, if you purchase annihilation pre-2000, you'll most certainly want to change the flooring out. The 70s, 80s, and 90s were marked past many great things, but RV floor was not ane of them…
From shag carpeting to awful vinyl to God-awful linoleum – the 70s-90s were a cacophony of bad decisions in RV flooring.
Shag blue carpeting and gaudy upholstery were the authentication of 80s blueprint, as seen here in the interior of our 1987 Airstream 345. We saved a ton of cash ownership this used RV. We put some of that savings dorsum into remaking the floor yous see.
When you save money buying used, you tin can spend a chunk of that savings to DIY a new floor in your RV. And you lot won't take to break the bank either. I've DIY'd two new floors in my RVs – both for nether $700 all in.
Here are the steps to DIY a new floor in your RV:
Tear up the sometime floor
This isn't nearly as daunting as it may seem. I've torn up 2 floors, one was shag carpeting and the other was a "click and lock" laminate. Both were relatively like shooting fish in a barrel to pull upward:
Come across that old dark-brown floor? That'southward the offset RV flooring I ever pulled up. Similar most RV'southward, it was a "floating floor" meaning that the pieces simply locked into each other and were not fastened at the edges. So, all I needed to do was start pulling it up from one end of the RV and information technology all came apart relatively easily.
That said, there are some areas where you may have to interruption or cut the flooring to get it to carve up. As you can come across here, I'm battling the flooring around our toilet. Thankfully, I didn't have to pull the toilet up, but you may have to. If you wind upwardly needing to pull your toilet, be certain to cheque out this video to walk you through that process:
Carpet is fifty-fifty easier to pull up. This is our 1987 AIrstream 345 later on we'd removed the carpet. To do this, I but got at the edges and pulled it upwardly with a crowbar. The carpet will be attached to woods strips with "tacks" sticking upwards from them, so you just accept to separate the carpeting from the tacks and pull information technology up. In one case washed, y'all can pry those wood strips up with a hammer.
Keep your underlayment if you can
Underlayment is the foam padding that goes underneath not-rug flooring. If yours is in skillful shape, be certain to keep it for your new flooring install. This will salve you greenbacks and y'all won't have to cut new foam to fit.
My wife and I reused the onetime underlayment (the white office you run across) when nosotros put in our new flooring. As long as yours is in good shape, y'all should exercise the same because it's already cut and set for the new floor.
Check your subfloor for impairment
Your subfloor is the plywood underneath your floor and underlayment. One time you have all your flooring pulled, you should heavily inspect your subfloor for any damage. Be sure to repair or supercede whatever damaged parts before laying down new floor. Check out this article on sub-floor repair for assistance.
Pick your flooring type
While in that location are some exotic RV floor options out in that location, I'd steer articulate of anything simply laminate or vinyl flooring considering they are made to handle the abuse of the road. "Normal" forest or tile flooring is simply non designed to take the abiding movement of your RV.
Whether you choose laminate or vinyl floor, you'll exist able to pick it upwards at whatever flooring or home improvement store. The best flooring store I've found is Flooring and Decor because floors are all they practise and they offer free DIY flooring classes. They volition also help you lot figure out the exact amount of new floor you'll need.
Ultimately, your decision betwixt vinyl or laminate floor will depend on which mode you like better as yous shop. Laminate tends to be thicker and harder to cut, but oft looks more than "real".
That said, I nigh recently laid down a vinyl floor considering I loved the way it looked and how piece of cake information technology was to cutting:
This vinyl flooring was super like shooting fish in a barrel to cut and nosotros didn't even take to put down underlayment! I wound up liking the wait of it better than the laminate flooring I laid in my other RV.
These are the tools you'll need to DIY a new floor in your RV
–A flooring installation kit
–A cordless jigsaw
–A cordless round saw
-Measuring tape
-Pencil & newspaper
How to install your new floor
Your flooring will be some version of "popular and lock" flooring, pregnant that it will actually lock into itself – no nailing, stapling, or glueing required. Your floor installation kit will be your best friend as you work considering information technology has all the tools yous need to lock the flooring into place.
Showtime past watching this video – it'll get y'all all the basics you lot demand to install your first floor:
This video volition requite yous more than advanced tips to DIY a new floor in your RV:
Here are the key tips to carry in mind as you install:
Always leave a ¼ inch gap effectually the outer edges of the flooring – This is because your flooring will expand with temperature changes and motion as you drive. If you don't leave this gap, your floor will have nowhere to expand, resulting in buckling and slap-up. Your floor installation kit will come with spacers for this exact purpose.
Stagger your seams – One time you go rolling, information technology will be tempting to lay down full pieces of flooring without cutting them. If you do this, y'all'll air current upwards with a lot of seams that line upwards to each other. This isn't visually highly-seasoned, and then you need to work in a pattern of staggering your flooring planks:
Be sure to stagger the seams of your floor planks and so they don't line up. You tin can see in this picture how staggered seams create variety and a more authentic expect.
Cut effectually stuff will be your most difficult job – Flooring is relatively like shooting fish in a barrel to lay down until you have to cut around article of furniture, appliances, or other obstructions. The videos I shared in a higher place will show you how to practise this, only don't get discouraged if you have a bit of trial-and-mistake here. My married woman and I had several planks that we had to recut due to bad measuring. Exist sure to order some extra flooring for these inevitable errors and you'll get on fine.
Those planks in the middle went downwards super easily. The ones along edges involve cuts which can be tricky. Keep at it and afterward cutting a few planks to fit, y'all'll get the hang of information technology!
Roofing the ¼ inch gap
Once you have your flooring downwards, you lot'll have to contend with the ¼ inch gap you left for expansion along the outer edges. You've got two main options here: finish trim or caulk.
The well-nigh common blazon of finish trim is "quarter circular", a modest rounded piece of trim that tin can cover the gap. In our instance, this type of trim looked too large in our RV and then we purchased sparse window trim and used it to trim over the gaps.
Alternatively, you can utilize a colored flooring caulk to fill up in the gaps. I used floor caulk to DIY a new floor in one of my campers and it worked quite well. Be aware that you'll demand a substantial amount of caulk to brand this expect good. This mail service will walk you through the caulking process.
Once you've covered the ¼ inch gap, your work will be done! DIY'ing a new flooring in your RV is a fun and affordable projection that will make your rig shine like new.
The finished product! For less than $700 nosotros will be able to enjoy our new RV floor for years to come.
Source: https://www.your-rv-lifestyle.com/how-to-diy-a-new-floor-in-your-rv/
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