i am the proud owner of a 1990 abi marauder 450 ct.. the carpet is starting to look a little bit on the shabby side.... and i quite like the idea of fitting some DIY laminate flooring... has anyone done this with any success.. and any tips.. ie underlay, glue ,spacing etc ........thanx
hi welcome,no reason why not apart from the weight of it.a lot of new vans are fitted like this now.as for underlay it depends on how much room you have under the draws and doors.if you have room use it.price up cushion floor.they have fitters too.
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our first van was a 1989 Avondale and the carpet was abit acky, we looked into laying laminate but once we realised the weight issues we looked into putting lino down, but hubby ripped it before he even got round to laying, so we laid down lino pieces that you lay like laminate but at a fraction of the weight. We put it down in the kitchen area and had carpet in between the seating areas
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The weight would be my main concern. The cheapest laminates are thin though so would be as much as 50% lighter and thinner. THe stuff I fitted in my living room wsa 7mm thick, but I have sen it as thin as 3mm. Then the problem arises with it breaking if you use the thin stuff as the caravan floor flexes while it's towed, unlike the floor in your house which doesn't get towed! It would be a compromise, if I were doing it I would go for something in the middle, say 5mm and consider glueing the joints too so thet it doesn't pop apart when you are towing. Cupboard doors probably won't be a problem as they are usually well above floor level, nor would the main door as this usually opens out. This only leaves the washroom door and on my van this is also well clear of the floor, but could probably be trimmed by a few mm if needed. Maybe more if you took the fillet from the bottom and refitted it afterwards a little higher.
Laminate would be a lot more practical than carpet or cusion floor as luggage tends to move around when towing which could tear cusion floor and carpet is not really condusive to a muddy field.
Spacing if I recall correctly should be 6mm around the edges. My preference for underlay is the green slabs rather than the bubble wrap stuff as it is easier to work with, does not damage as easily and reduces the noise when walking on the laminate afterwards. It is also bettersuited for a flexible floor.
Most if not all laminates these days are clicked or hooked together. It is many years since I saw a glued laminate for sale. However in a caravan I would be inclined to glue it as well, particularly with the laminates that click straight in without having to lift and hook in, as there might be a tendancy to unclick when moving and once they have been in and out a couple of times they wear and will never stay in. Therefore, I would lay it, then pick it all up and refit gluing each piece, working from the fron back so you are not walking over it to get out. If you do need to kneel on any to do the last few pieces, place a few pieces over the top of the pieces you are kneeling on, running the opposite direction to spread the load.
yep iv just had a look round the local DIY..and was surprised by the weight of a sq M pack ... this has well and truly put me off the idea.. carpet cutoffs anyone???
as it happens - yes. I went to the tip and a man was throwing away some carpet, and even though my van is new, I decided to use the cut offs and save my carpet for when I sell the van again. ( the cut off carpet was from a range rover - good home!) decided now that when this gets dirty - can't clean any more, I'll just get a bit more.
We removed the carpet of our Coachman 2/3 yrs ago, and put down cork tiles, they have worked very well, are not any heavier than the carpet we removed, and are nice underfoot
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Topic: laminate floor
