Tuesday, September 10, 2013

New Camper Floor

My camper is now dry.  She is also re-sealed so she will stay that way.  All that is left to do is put her back together.  Like Humpty Dumpty.

First we had to decide what kind of floor covering to use.  Because of the water damage, we had a "questionable" spot to the side of the front door.

 
Remember this loveliness?
 
We could have cut that piece out and replaced it, but that would have meant removing the bench seat and then there was the possibility of having to remove the wheel well (because these things are put together in a way that one thing is attached to another and you don't know until you get there).  We found out the hard way, campers are a can of worms and the more you get into, the more you find.  In order to get this lady in perfect condition, we would have had to replace outer plywood walls and sub flooring.  Since we paid market price, and we do not have a barn to work on her in AND we want to use her at some point, we had to draw a line.  We decided to dry her out, seal her up and use her till she falls apart and be happy.
 
Back to the question at hand.  What kind of flooring?  Because we had an area with compromised integrity, we wanted something with some stability.  Linoleum was out.  Peel and stick was out.  Ceramic tile is too heavy so it was out.  We decided on laminate.
 
Laminate would give our floor the added support we wanted, it is durable, easy to clean and water resistant.  It does however, have a downside.  Campers are small with lots of jogs and corners.  I am quite sure my husband was questioning my love for him while he was cutting, and measuring, and cutting, and making templates, and cutting inside a teeny tiny 95 degree camper.  He did however, prove his love for me because now...
 
 
my camper floor looks like this.  Remember what this same corner used to look like?
 

 
Amazing.  Husband of the year. 
 
I will tell you a couple of pointers.  We bought flooring with padding already attached.  Definitely worth the extra money.  Take your time.  It seems like it would go fast because it is a small area.  Wrong.  Takes for-ev-er because of all the cutting and limited range of motion.  It is very worth it.  At least in my opinion.
 
 
***What?  You've never installed laminate flooring before?  Don't worry.  Us either.  It is surprisingly easy.  Watch this video.  It helps.***
 
 
 
 
***Like my flooring?  Got it at Lumber Liquidators for $1.99 a square foot.  It comes with a 30 year warranty (pretty sure my camper won't last that long but it's a nice thought), the name is Manatee Hills Mahogany and it comes in 12mm planks.***
 



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