Which Floor Material?

[ACamper-SKO]

I picked up some samples of vinyl sheet and vinyl plank at Home Depot and was asking the guy about the differences and install requirements. He said to take the chisel I was holding and try scratching the samples. The sheet scratched very easily under only light pressure.

A couple of years ago I rented a place that had brand new vinyl flooring in the kitchen. It looked nice, brand new.

One day after about a year or so the light was shinning right and I noticed in the kitchen prep area there was a few nicks in the flooring, a couple were all the way thru. I was amazed because we never dropped anything big or crude on the floor, just a spatula or a cup once in a while like normal kitchen wear.

flimsy stuff.

 

[Mountain Yawp]

Joe45,

I had the exact same thoughts as your opening post. Same pros and cons list. I also went to Home Depot and talked to the flooring guy. He fully recommended the snap together vinyl plank for our bus. The deciding factor for me was the fact that if I went with the sheet vinyl, then I wanted it full length from side to side and front to back, so that I had no seems. With my bus length, that means I would have to buy about 36 ft of roll x 12 ft wide, of which I would cut off and waste over 4 x 36 ft. But if I went vinyl plank, then I could install it last, just in the needed area which will likely be about 3 x 30 ft.
So, even though the plank costs more per square foot, it will cost less and be a better overall product. I think. If it doesn't hold up well, then it will also be easier to remove and replace with something else in the future than would sheet vinyl laid down at the start of the build.
I have some friends who worked for a flooring store for years, and they swear that vinyl plank flooring is the best kept secret in the flooring industry and has always been overlooked due to the high advertising budget and profit on the click-together laminate flooring, like Pergo.
I have purchased my vinyl plank, but have yet to install, so I don't know if anything I am saying is true. I will let everyone know in a few years how it has held up.

 

[rjheaton@aol.com]

I think that the click and snap would be the way to go. It will also help with the sound deadening.

 

[LoveBusTreatery]

I don't know how true this is, but I have been told vinyl is not ideal for full-time living situations because it expands and contracts with ambient moisture and environmental changes. Apparently this may cause warping over time. This may not be an issue everywhere, I can tell you I almost bought a bus that already had vinyl flooring installed for the previous 18 mo of travel and it was heavily warped and almost pulled up entirely in places. Faded, waterstained etc. Totally possible they used a cheap product, just thought I'd chime in.

Best of luck with whatever you choose!

 

[Mountain Yawp]

I don't know how true this is, but I have been told vinyl is not ideal for full-time living situations because it expands and contracts with ambient moisture and environmental changes. Apparently this may cause warping over time.

The expanding and contracting of vinyl is my biggest worry but the snap together type has an advantage there because it will only be in my walking areas, not pinned down by cabinets or furniture. I will also leave about 1/4 inch gap around all of the edges that contact a fixed structure. Supposedly it is meant to be floating and if not pinned down by anything it is free to expand and contract with temp changes without warping, cracking, or buckling.

I can imaging that a full sheet of vinyl that is glued or pinned down by furniture, cabinets, or walls would likely end up buckled or crack as it changes with temperature. That is what eventually happened to my camp trailer's vinyl sheet floor, but it did take about 15 years before becoming a problem. However it was a small trainer with minimal flooring area so less overall change in size.

 

[TheHubbardBus]

The expanding and contracting of vinyl is my biggest worry but the snap together type has an advantage there because it will only be in my walking areas, not pinned down by cabinets or furniture. I will also leave about 1/4 inch gap around all of the edges that contact a fixed structure. Supposedly it is meant to be floating and if not pinned down by anything it is free to expand and contract with temp changes without warping, cracking, or buckling.

This is what I thought would be the case, intuitively. However, the warranty applicable to the brand of vinyl plank we'll be using requires the use of the glue-down method with their flooring - which supports floating/snap-together installation - when subjected to temperature extremes. I still haven't exactly figured out the mechanics of this, but we're tentatively planning a glue-down installation based on this mandate:


http://www.usfloorsllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/USF-COREtec-Plus-Warranties.pdf

 

[scloughcarroll]

Hey just wanted to give my two cents having just installed a vinyl plank floor.

I went back and forth on material, I ended up going for a vinyl plank that I got from home depot, mainly because I was looking for something very durable and completely waterproof.

Yes, it was expensive, around 800$ for my 200SQ Ft, so if the cost is an issue then not good for everyone.

Install was very easy, it had an underlay attached that is sound dampening, I put down a vapour barrier over my OSB flooring and installed it, it snapped together with a hammer getting it started straight in a bus was the toughest part very easy to put together and it went down solid, looks great and has been very resistant to wear in the month I have had it.

It does say on the box not to use it in RV's so take that as you will, I am sure I won't be getting any warranty on this after the install in my bus.

Expansion contraction could be an issue, I will let you guys know as it gets warmer here in the spring if any issues arrive, I left gaps for expansion and have not glued or secured the floor down, there are cabinets etc holding it down in some sections however

IMO the vinyl plank seemed to be the most resistant to wear and damage and was the best bet for me to never have to redo my floor (I hope) , I especially was worried about water damage outside the shower, and the front entry (We live in the PNW so wet) and have had bad experiences with laminate plank lifting where water has penetrated the cracks

 

[Mountain Yawp]

Hey just wanted to give my two cents having just installed a vinyl plank floor.

Thanks for your post, pics, and experience.
I bought 5 boxes of vinyl plank from HD, which should be more than enough as I plan on installing it very last after all of my walls, cabinets, and permanent furniture is installed. That basically leaves me a 2-3 ft strip from the front of my bus to where the front of my master bed starts (maybe 30 ft). That equals 90 square feet at most. I think 3 or 4 boxes will be enough, but it is easier to return a full box than try and track down another box 6 months when the color may no longer be available. I think I paid about $35/box.

 

[LoveBusTreatery]

Just another two cents of mine - I went with gym style foam puzzle tiles in my build. It was about $150 if I remember correctly, it's waterproof, replaceable pieces like snap in vinyl, they have tons of patterns/colors you can get, I honestly just went with black, and I LOVE it. Especially while I'm building but I'm sure later it will come in handy because it's SUPER comfy to sit/kneel on, I have some animal claws to keep in mind and it should be resistant to them... It also helps to insulate the floor and prevent cold toes, as it doesn't retain the ambient cold!

I'm personally very happy and I purchased from greatmats.com though I remember it wasn't a totally hassle-free experience with them.

Just an idea

 

[scloughcarroll]

Thanks for your post, pics, and experience.
I bought 5 boxes of vinyl plank from HD, which should be more than enough as I plan on installing it very last after all of my walls, cabinets, and permanent furniture is installed. That basically leaves me a 2-3 ft strip from the front of my bus to where the front of my master bed starts (maybe 30 ft). That equals 90 square feet at most. I think 3 or 4 boxes will be enough, but it is easier to return a full box than try and track down another box 6 months when the color may no longer be available. I think I paid about $35/box.

Awesome man good luck! Let us know how it goes seems like you got a pretty good price on the stuff, Where I live is pretty rural so I am always jealous of the prices and selection some builders get locally, location location!

 

[BigPaul367]

There is one more, bullet proof, floor covering that is NOT vinyl and does NOT off-gas like vinyl. AND it is something that many people 'in the know' really dig. Eucalyptus! Eucalyptus is a Non indigenous tree that has no value, to me. But it IS nearly indestructible and looks beautiful and what better use for a useless tree, WALK on it! This stuff is so hard you need metal working blades to cut it. Just sayin'!

 

[LoveBusTreatery]

Great idea. Where can it be found, but you know?

 

[Danjo-SKO]

I accidentally posted this in a different thread.

I just got done having breakfast with a friend who is a 30 year flooring installer. He’s done it all. I posed the question to him. He says glue-down vinyl plank is the way to go. He says that the glue down stuff is less susceptible to thermal expansion. I asked him about sheet material and he said that until it’s in place, the good stuff is too brittle for anyone without a lot of experience to install successfully. He says the stuff at Home Depot and the other retail outlets is not durable enough. He also said that the good vinyl plank isn’t available at the big box stores. I asked what brand. He doesn’t have current info since he’s been retired, but says he will ask another career guy what’s currently the good stuff.

I also asked him about installing before or after furniture. He said to do it after since there’s less chance of a loose nail of screw or dropped tool gouging it. He says that the stuff is easy enough to cut and notch to do it after.

When I get brand info I will update with what he has for that. I told him to make sure to tell his guy that it will be installed in a vehicle and subject to extreme temperature variation.

 

[Hersh-SKO]

I grew up doing floors so my take on it is one solid piece of vinyl IF you are starting new, meaning nothing is in the way. No cabinets/walls/etc...



Any product that gets damaged will be "some" problem to repair. The only reason I would go with one piece is because I think its a better water/moisture barrier when things get spilled.



Of course if you are doing vinyl in the dining/kitchen area and carpet in the bed area it probably doesn't matter much... unless you vinyl the whole floor and carpet over it in the bedroom area mentioned.

 

[ACamper-SKO]

I accidentally posted this on another thread, so if you read it before, that's why.


I think vinyl planks have to do with brand and quality

I went to an outdoor viewing platform in a park yesterday it was built with vinyl planks probably about 5-7 years ago. They are still solid and in great shape. I also know of another park where vinyl planks are years old and still holding up solid.

I have seen a couple of vinyl porches done on homes that completely went to **** in less then 2 years. The sun deteriorated the vinyl and the planks warped.

Seems like some of it might be the grade and mixture of the vinyl.