Ctgriffi Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 Spent a long weekend ripping out the old, lousy carpet in my Warrior, prepping the floor, and installing new vinyl plank flooring (three boxes). As usual, the job turned out to be more time-consuming that I expected... I did not know that every single item in my coach was installed on top of carpet! Cabinets, dinette, shower, closet, even the dang toilet flange were all sitting on top of it! This made the job difficult because my new flooring was quite a bit thinner than the original carpet, and I didn't want to leave a noticeable vertical gap around the perimeter. Anyway, I settled on cutting the carpet back as far as possible under each fixture (sharp blades for the box knife are a must), and then I'll finish it off with a tidy bead of gray caulk around the edge of my flooring. I still need to finish the stairwell, but I'm going to use some dark gray indoor/outdoor carpet for that area, cap off the edges with wraparound, silver metal trim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 Can't tell what it looked like before, but I imagine that's a huge improvement. Looks really good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PapaFred Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 Looks really good! Same kind I used and easy to sweep out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace57 Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 That looks nice, thats what I need to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snail powered Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 Certainly nicer than the carpet. You can cover the gap using some screen molding trim (1/4" thick 3/4" high). Just stain it to blend with the cabinets or the floor. It will look nice. Some of the gaps in the photo look a bit wide for using caulk and the gaps are uneven in height which means your caulking won't have a nice straight edge at the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back East Don Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 We had done the same when rehabbing ours. It was a bit of a pain but totally worth it. Much easier to clean, 3 years out still looks great. Being primarily beach goers almost essential. We had picked up a 12 volt vacuum but just a small dust pan and brush to keep it tidy is all we ever needed. You'll definitely appreciate this project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ctgriffi Posted April 6, 2015 Author Share Posted April 6, 2015 Certainly nicer than the carpet. You can cover the gap using some screen molding trim (1/4" thick 3/4" high). Just stain it to blend with the cabinets or the floor. It will look nice. Some of the gaps in the photo look a bit wide for using caulk and the gaps are uneven in height which means your caulking won't have a nice straight edge at the top. I had initially considered running a nice shoe molding around the perimeter 'cause I've used it quite a bit with laminate floor installations. But, in my Warrior there were so many odd corners and projections that I felt it would be a nightmare to wrap everything tightly with molding. Most of the gaps I'm dealing with now are about 1/4" high and can't be seen unless you're on your hands/knees... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snail powered Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Shoe molding would be too wide because of all the trim pieces on the corners which is why I suggested a much thinner type of molding that can fit between the corner pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ctgriffi Posted April 7, 2015 Author Share Posted April 7, 2015 Okay, I see what you mean. I don't know if I like the idea of just skipping the corner pieces, though... Anyway, the part that's giving me the most trouble right now is the edge of the stairwell: I couldn't run vinyl completely up to the edge because there are several hefty (important) screw heads surrounding the stairwell. I had planned to wrap the entire edge with silver, aluminum stair edging, but it's not gonna provide enough "coverage." Standard metal edging is about 1 1/8" deep, and I need about 1 1/2" of coverage, in order to reach over the edge of the vinyl. Anybody have a good, attractive solution for this? I'm considering engineering a custom edging/nosing out of oak, but that's gonna eat up a lot of time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snail powered Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Okay, I see what you mean. I don't know if I like the idea of just skipping the corner pieces, though... Anyway, the part that's giving me the most trouble right now is the edge of the stairwell: I couldn't run vinyl completely up to the edge because there are several hefty (important) screw heads surrounding the stairwell. I had planned to wrap the entire edge with silver, aluminum stair edging, but it's not gonna provide enough "coverage." Standard metal edging is about 1 1/8" deep, and I need about 1 1/2" of coverage, in order to reach over the edge of the vinyl. Anybody have a good, attractive solution for this? I'm considering engineering a custom edging/nosing out of oak, but that's gonna eat up a lot of time... Please post a photo of the situation and maybe a ruler in the photo for reference. I am pretty good at finding solutions for interior finish issues. I can't tell exactly from your description but the answer might be a two piece solution with one overlapping the other. If it is done right it would look like a single piece with a transition step in the profile. It is easy enough to get strips of flat aluminum at the hardware stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back East Don Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Here is a picture of how I did the stair well. For the most part I skipped any other moulding except the front berth wall as I had done that over when gutting out the rot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ctgriffi Posted April 7, 2015 Author Share Posted April 7, 2015 ...It is easy enough to get strips of flat aluminum at the hardware stores. Yes, it is. I've already visited several different hardware and flooring stores trying to find stair-edging at the needed dimensions. However, your comments, Corbin, have started me thinking about the possibility of combining a small strip with some standard edging. Hmm... one question that arises—how to join the pieces? One single-bullet solution to all this might be a product I just came across on Home Depot's website (Amazon carries it, too). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ctgriffi Posted April 7, 2015 Author Share Posted April 7, 2015 Here is a picture of how I did the stair well. For the most part I skipped any other moulding except the front berth wall as I had done that over when gutting out the rot. Unfortunately, this system is preventing me from seeing the full-size photos (permissions?), but the thumbnails look great, Don! Very sharp stuff. Did you mention earlier that this was a vinyl product you used? If so, did you have any difficulty with the raised screws and stairwell edge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back East Don Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Unfortunately, this system is preventing me from seeing the full-size photos (permissions?), but the thumbnails look great, Don! Very sharp stuff. Did you mention earlier that this was a vinyl product you used? If so, did you have any difficulty with the raised screws and stairwell edge? No this was not vinyl. It was the Pergo type flooring. I don't remember screws when I did mine. I glued in the stairwell pieces and the aluminum trim locked it all in place. Don't know what is going on with the pictures. I've been away so long now I have to figure it has something to do with that. Even I can't look at them. Perhaps I'll delete my gallery and start over. I pretty much decided on phase two this year with mine. At some point I'll repost the old ones and update the new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ctgriffi Posted April 8, 2015 Author Share Posted April 8, 2015 I don't really like posting photos when stuff still looks like crap, but they should help illustrate the little predicament I've got. (Snapped these on my phone in the dark tonight.) As mentioned before, I brought the vinyl as close to the screw heads as I could. (And, top of vinyl is very close to level with the top of the screws.) Last photo shows me holding a piece of standard stair edging in place—and the remaining 1/4" gap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdfrost64 Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 just wondering why didn't you run the floor right up to the step well opening . you could cut a plank to fill the gap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdfrost64 Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 just finished read your post just counter sink screws deeper and go over screws . if you had to get to the screws someday all you would have to do is use a heat gun .then restick the flooring back down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdfrost64 Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 yours could have been like mine . the trailer rats screwed all the cabinets and vanities from the outside in then they layed the fiberglass for the sidewall over them. one of the best tools for trailer rehabbing is a vib tool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snail powered Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Home Depot and other stores of that type only sell sizes for the most common used materials for residential buildings. Fortunately that common size is not the only size this type molding comes in and metal is not the only material available. You just need to use the keywords "commercial stair nosing" It might be best to source it locally from a flooring store that has a lot of commercial building customers. They are your best bet for shorter lengths that are wider than the stuff from the big box stores. For instance here is a link that shows some that comes in rubber vinyl with a choice of 70 colors and 13 different profiles. But they only sell it in 12' lengths which is way more that you will need. So that is why I think it will be easier to get shorter pieces locally. The nice thing about a wider than needed vinyl tread is you can cut it to the exact width you need using a knife and a straight edge or even a table saw. http://www.kofflersales.com/stair-nosing.asp As to the screw heads, switch out and use countersunk screws instead if possible. Since you will be using vinyl adhesive on vinyl tread nose for installation you can peel up the tread nose cover with a putty knife if you ever needed to get at those screws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ctgriffi Posted April 9, 2015 Author Share Posted April 9, 2015 Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. I really need to pull this all together quickly before we take the Warrior to Waco next weekend—work's keeping me busy right now, and time is getting short! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEric Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Thank you for your posting. You are inspiring me get rid of the carpet in my '90 Warrior. I've figured out what to do around stair well, but I'm still unsure what to do at the front where the carpet laps over into the cab area. Can you describe how you made this transition? Also, I'm looking for advice from another Warrior owner. I pulled off the TV antenna and laid down a new rubber roof. That fixed ALMOST all of my water problems. I still have a very small amount of leakage in right corner of the cab-over bunk. It shows up in at the overlap in the interior panel just under the edge of the mattress. I've caulked all the edge seams. Caulked around the window, even sealed up the marker lights, but I still get a wet spot. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snail powered Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Thank you for your posting. You are inspiring me get rid of the carpet in my '90 Warrior. I've figured out what to do around stair well, but I'm still unsure what to do at the front where the carpet laps over into the cab area. Can you describe how you made this transition? Also, I'm looking for advice from another Warrior owner. I pulled off the TV antenna and laid down a new rubber roof. That fixed ALMOST all of my water problems. I still have a very small amount of leakage in right corner of the cab-over bunk. It shows up in at the overlap in the interior panel just under the edge of the mattress. I've caulked all the edge seams. Caulked around the window, even sealed up the marker lights, but I still get a wet spot. Any ideas? Captain Tolleys ..It will find the tiny voids. Sometimes takes as many as 3 applications but it really does work. Solved the leak issue at my door threshold where the only other option was to take the door frame apart which would have been many hours of labor. Solved the leak issue on our boat where even removing old caulking new bedding compound and putting on new caulking never fixed it. Mystery leak fixer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rmcgloth Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I had the same leak in my warrior, it was coming from a leaky base on the top right clearance light. I took it out, Put in a new base over a bead of silicone, and have not seen the leak again. Btw thank you for this thread, I have also torn out a poor re carpeting by the previous owner, and got some good info here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ctgriffi Posted April 29, 2015 Author Share Posted April 29, 2015 Thank you for your posting. You are inspiring me get rid of the carpet in my '90 Warrior. I've figured out what to do around stair well, but I'm still unsure what to do at the front where the carpet laps over into the cab area. Can you describe how you made this transition? Basically, when I tore out my carpet, I cut a clean line across right where the cab begins. Then, after laying my flooring, I capped that whole edge with standard silver nosing; fastened that nosing right into my subfloor with small, ridged nails. I don't think I have a photo of that, but it was very straightforward and turned out nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 I'm a little confused on what your trying to do but the big box stores carry some pretty wide aluminum angle that would cover all of your edges in 1/8" angle 2" wide. You can cut aluminum with any chop saw you do not need a special blade couple of 45's and your golden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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