Linoleum Flooring vs. Hardwood

[astro_school86]

Hi folks!!

I have a few questions. Has anyone had success using linoleum flooring in their schoolie? My fiancé wants to go with it for the affordability but I've seen two conversions where the builders said they regret using linoleum. What's the typical cost for using hard wood on the floors and the ceiling? How much weight does it typically add?

Thanks!!

[ol trunt]

Lino of the variety sold at the big boxes isn't too good for the rough use it will receive in a skoolie. If you look closely at that material you will see a thin foam like layer just under the bright surface--that is the weak point.

Having said that, I would recommend commercial grade lino like you'd see in a doctors office. These materials don't have the foam layer and are much tougher.

Because I wanted to go with a sort of art deco/industrial look (stainless steel) interior I hunted older flooring stores until I found a 1950's lino remnant that looked like terrazzo. It was difficult to install because it had been rolled up for 50 years but once heated with a heat gun a little at a time it relaxed and went down smoothly. I Used 1/4" smooth surfaced plywood as the base and latex cement as the binder. After ten years the floor still looks like new. It is easy to maintain and does not scuff or puncture whatsoever.

I like to post pics of whatever I have just been palavering about and although the lino can be seen in the following pic, the pic was originally taken to show the zippered partition I use to isolate the down- the- road AC from the rest of the bus when we are driving.
Jack

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[Danjo]

I’d recommend commercial grade vinyl plank for anyone inexperience with sheet good. Since it goes down a plank at a time, the adhesive is easier to work with and miscut pieces won’t make you too unhappy.

If you decide to go this route don’t get the click together stuff and don’t use the pressure sensitive adhesive. Call the manufacturer tech support and talk to them about your application. They will help you with product selection and installation tips to make your job turn out great.

[Ronnie]

For the ceiling I would suggest tongue and groove ceder instead of hardwood. About half the weight and easier to work with. Thin plywood is another option for the ceiling. We kept the metal ceiling.

We considered hardwood for the floor and ended up doing carpet. we really like that. we do have a shoe rack at the door, and do not wear shoes in the house(bus).

[Danjo]

Lowe’s sells 1/4” thick x 3 1/2” tongue and groove Spruce wainscoting

[Sraycwb]

Originally Posted by Danjo

Lowe’s sells 1/4” thick x 3 1/2” tongue and groove Spruce wainscoting

Do you have a link to it buy chance?

[Danjo]

Here you go

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Design-Inno...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

[Native]

Originally Posted by ol trunt

Lino of the variety sold at the big boxes isn't too good for the rough use it will receive in a skoolie. If you look closely at that material you will see a thin foam like layer just under the bright surface--that is the weak point.

Having said that, I would recommend commercial grade lino like you'd see in a doctors office. These materials don't have the foam layer and are much tougher.

Because I wanted to go with a sort of art deco/industrial look (stainless steel) interior I hunted older flooring stores until I found a 1950's lino remnant that looked like terrazzo. It was difficult to install because it had been rolled up for 50 years but once heated with a heat gun a little at a time it relaxed and went down smoothly. I Used 1/4" smooth surfaced plywood as the base and latex cement as the binder. After ten years the floor still looks like new. It is easy to maintain and does not scuff or puncture whatsoever.

I like to post pics of whatever I have just been palavering about and although the lino can be seen in the following pic, the pic was originally taken to show the zippered partition I use to isolate the down- the- road AC from the rest of the bus when we are driving.
Jack

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Okay Jack .... who, what, when, where on the divider! We really need to do this sort of thing in our bus!

[Sraycwb]

Originally Posted by Danjo

Here you go

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Design-Inno...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

Thank you.

[ol trunt]

Pardon the thread drift but to answer your question Native, the grey material is light weight awning material and the clear is upholstery vinyl like you find covering the silk chair cushions in a not so fancy Chinese restaurant. The center zipper is plastic and zips up from the bottom for access to the back of the bus. You can see at the top of the pic some of the black snaps that hold the divider in. Installation and removal takes about a minute.
Jack

[banman]

Originally Posted by ol trunt

Pardon the thread drift but to answer your question Native, the grey material is light weight awning material and the clear is upholstery vinyl like you find covering the silk chair cushions in a not so fancy Chinese restaurant. The center zipper is plastic and zips up from the bottom for access to the back of the bus. You can see at the top of the pic some of the black snaps that hold the divider in. Installation and removal takes about a minute.
Jack

I assume that was done to provide heating/ cooling of the driver compartment only while driving -- do you find it makes the driver compartment any quieter when you seal it off from the rest of the bus?

[wrenchtech]

Originally Posted by ol trunt

Pardon the thread drift but to answer your question Native, the grey material is light weight awning material and the clear is upholstery vinyl like you find covering the silk chair cushions in a not so fancy Chinese restaurant. The center zipper is plastic and zips up from the bottom for access to the back of the bus. You can see at the top of the pic some of the black snaps that hold the divider in. Installation and removal takes about a minute.
Jack

That is a darn nice divider you have there. And a timely idea for me as I will be dividing the back half of the bus off from the rest pretty shortly.

[ol trunt]

David, just for heating and cooling down the road. The partition probably would help lower the noise in a rear engine bus but in my little diesel front engine thrasher nothing but the ignition key much helps with the noise.
Jack

[wrenchtech]

Back to the idea of using the linoleum for flooring in the bus. I am considering that as well. I was also thinking about repeating the original layout with the traffic strip in the middle of the bus and maybe some contrasting material outboard of that.. Another thing to consider might be garage flooring. The choices in that area seem to be growing with more and more options including colors and patterns.

[banman]

Originally Posted by wrenchtech

Back to the idea of using the linoleum for flooring in the bus. I am considering that as well. I was also thinking about repeating the original layout with the traffic strip in the middle of the bus and maybe some contrasting material outboard of that.. Another thing to consider might be garage flooring. The choices in that area seem to be growing with more and more options including colors and patterns.

Garage flooring IS a great idea. The good stuff is pricey but that's usually when thinking of a whole garage -- the bus foot-print is much smaller...

[Ronnie]

Partitions, I also have one made from thermal curtains just behind the front roof top a/c. Works well. Ol Trunt's sure are nice too. Most boat upholstery places can do one like that.

The mention of garage flooring, reminded me that some one's bus I saw a bit ago had bed liner material for the floor. That would be super durable.

[Sharee100]

I put in sheet vinyl that looks like the planks. It was much easier for me.

[Sharee100]

Following, too, for divider. I am exploring ideas to keep my 2 cats from escaping thru front door when I exit the bus.

[RIlse]

We have been considering bed liner on the flooring as well. Was it left as is? Or did they have a covering?

[Ronnie]

Originally Posted by RIlse

We have been considering bed liner on the flooring as well. Was it left as is? Or did they have a covering?

Left as is. They have 4 kids. makes it easy to clean.