Replacing Flooring...can I use peel & Stick?

[mprosser]

NEED ADVICE PLEASE! We have a 2006 Jayco Seneca 35GS. My wife wants to replace all the old carpet and vinyl with new hard flooring. She's picked out a peel and stick. The project was advanced due to the slide catching the edge of the vinyl in front of the stove and buckled it up as it was coming in. So I started to pull it up and cut it out under the cabinets and find that it was not glued down anywhere. Just stapled as far as I can tell.
My wife found peel and stick 24x12" vinyl tiles that she wants me to lay down. I've read what I could, and I can only assume that Jayco didn't glue it down to allow for expansion / contraction of the subfloor? Can we use a peel and stick type of floor or is that a bad idea? And if so, should I put any type of primer or sealer on the OSB subfloor? Don't want to make a big mistake by using the wrong material and method.

[PaulB12]

I'd find a really good waterproofing sealer, seal it and put anything to your liking.
We had a 27' Award tt and put actual hardwood flooring down. In our case we never had any I'll effects, and the wife liked it.
PaulB12

[Scoutmaster253]

Originally Posted by mprosser

NEED ADVICE PLEASE! ...
Can we use a peel and stick type of floor or is that a bad idea? And if so, should I put any type of primer or sealer on the OSB subfloor? Don't want to make a big mistake by using the wrong material and method.

Read the manufacturer's fine print. Peel and Stick might be OK but a similar replacement floor covering (Vinyl Plank Flooring) is specifically NOT rated for RV use (or in boats or on a deck), and doing so will void their warranty.

[Jagiven]

Every Jayco assembly video I have seen, the floors are only stapled down along the edges. I had new sheet vinyl installed in my SB house. They only edge glued it.

Peal and stick I have mixed feelings? At our current place the previous owners install it in the second floor of the garage. I pulled up some this past summer to run some additional utilities under the floor. The glue was supper sticky, but you could tell it was only adhering in a few spots on each tile. These were applied to a decent plywood sub straight.

If I was going to use them, I do like the idea of sealing the wood. There are different grades of OSB, some expand badly when they get wet. I think Jayco uses a much better grade. I would in a unseen location, apply a sealer to see how the OSB reacts, before doing the whole floor.

Personally, I would call a flooring company and ask for a quote on laying a new sheet vinyl. When we had our kitchen done, the price was really good. It was a complicated layout. It took all day for two guys to lay, but no seams, only edge glued.

[Pops184]

Originally Posted by mprosser

NEED ADVICE PLEASE! We have a 2006 Jayco Seneca 35GS. My wife wants to replace all the old carpet and vinyl with new hard flooring. She's picked out a peel and stick. The project was advanced due to the slide catching the edge of the vinyl in front of the stove and buckled it up as it was coming in. So I started to pull it up and cut it out under the cabinets and find that it was not glued down anywhere. Just stapled as far as I can tell.
My wife found peel and stick 24x12" vinyl tiles that she wants me to lay down. I've read what I could, and I can only assume that Jayco didn't glue it down to allow for expansion / contraction of the subfloor? Can we use a peel and stick type of floor or is that a bad idea? And if so, should I put any type of primer or sealer on the OSB subfloor? Don't want to make a big mistake by using the wrong material and method.

We have a 2006 Viking Legend Popup and added peel&stick vinyl flooring several years ago. Cheap and easy fix and upgraded the looks. Have not had any issues, even with four young & active boys. I went with the vinyl as its more durable in the RV.

[mjc29]

i have a 34ss and the previous owner put down sticky wood look flooring and it is moving and coming up. In the heat mine get inside the glue melts and fails. I have found some vinyl flooring at Lowes that can take 120 degrees that I plan on changing mine too. So if your RV ever get hot inside be careful what you buy.

[mprosser]

Thanks for the reply's. Leaning towards using a marine spar varnish on the OSB flooring, and the peel and stick. Hopefully we don't have issues, as I only want to do this once.

[travelingjw]

Make sure you purchase a good quality peel and stick tile if you are going to use one. Others may have better experience but I wouldn't use a peel and stick. My concern would be the variable temperatures and flexing/vibration of the floor. In a few years I suspect you are going to have uneven edges.

[koko]

Our son replaced his old carpet with the pop together rubberized laminate. It looks really great; and if he ever wants to replace it, he won't have to deal with stripping off something sticky. He lives in a climate where it's very hot in the summer and cold in the winter, and his flooring hasn't shifted at all after three years. He used the barrier cloth that is recommended under laminate.

[mprosser]

Thanks.

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by mprosser

Hopefully we don't have issues, as I only want to do this once.

Home Depot and I assume Lowes have a floating vinyl tile, it only locks together on the edges.

[mprosser]

Grumpy... so you would NOT recommend peel and stick?

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by mprosser

Grumpy... so you would NOT recommend peel and stick?

Everybody I know that replaced the flooring in their 1st Gen SENECA's went with laminated flooring which floats. Personally, I would look for something that floats.

[koko]

My son's is the floating type - came in strips just like hardwood and looks like hardwood. The moisture barrier cloth is important to do it right. Easy to install. We put it in our office at home.

[Jungle]

Being in the RV business for 30 years, I have seen many do it yourself flooring jobs. I have yet to see a peel and stick floor hold up over time. The vinyl like products expand and contract with the weather and typically, over time, leave gaps between the pieces. The manufacturers generally do not glue the linoleum down to the wood flooring. This allows for the expansion and contraction of the flooring material caused by the EXTREME temperature variations that occur in a RV. Make sure that whatever you do you do your research on the product. You may want to have it professionally installed by a reputable flooring company.

[HikeCampRepeat]

We used peel and stick on our first pop up. Stayed in place despite temp changes and young boys. When we sold the pop up years later, the floor was still like new.

[gypsmjim]

Originally Posted by mprosser

Can we use a peel and stick type of floor or is that a bad idea? And if so, should I put any type of primer or sealer on the OSB subfloor? Don't want to make a big mistake by using the wrong material and method.

Its not a bad idea, its a horrible idea. Been there, done that. I was swayed that way because its just too easy.

Some varieties shrink something awful. Its not necessarily the cheap ones. With the normal temperature swings associated with an RV, you're taking a big chance.

Certainly, you have to seal the substrate. The real issue is the glue on the tiles.

If you want a vinyl floor, and you can't do sheet vinyl, lay down adhesive and use regular unglued tiles.

In our current Rv, we didn't like the vinyl floor, so I covered it with a very heavy carpet. I got remnants and made several pieces that mated up together. If I had a slide I would simply roll up a piece or 2 and there would be no chance of damage when the slide came in.

[Greg58]

I did peal and stick in our little 165 this spring when I replaced the floor, Primed the floor but still had to glue the edges of a few pieces. If your decking is OSB peal and stick may not adhere well due to the uneven surface, I used sanded plywood in mine.

[Sundancer330]

Originally Posted by mprosser

Thanks for the reply's. Leaning towards using a marine spar varnish on the OSB flooring, and the peel and stick. Hopefully we don't have issues, as I only want to do this once.

I would think twice before installing any peel and stick over OSB, its a very uneven surface. This is why new homes have 1/4 luan plywood stapled over the OSB to create a nice smooth surface. Also the varnish on the OSB may create a slick surface and make the possible bond even worse.

[Kristian]

Personally, I would not go with the peel and stick for several reasons. The main one being that I just did it in my house (I know this is RV related) but I even primed and used glue (at the "expert" advice of the home improvement store) because they say that the glue on the tiles really aren't that good. Well, I did that and the tiles just simply do NOT stick. Even tried it in the bathroom with primer and no glue, and that had trouble sticking. Factor in that your RV is going to be subjected to EXTREME temperature changes, along with the expansion and contraction of the material, you are going to deal with the effects on the adhesive. Just my thoughts (my wife has been on me about maybe replacing the floor in ours too because even though it is a 2018, the bump out caught the floor and ripped it about 2-3 inches. arragghhhh