Want to lay laminate flooring in my step van - Underlayment? Framing? Plywood...?

[decodancer]

I did not glue the vinyl strips down in the previous rv and it held up beautifully. I'll check the packaging before I use the glue though a contractor friend said he always glues it down. I chose the vinyl strip because I have three dogs and it was advertised to be the best option for wet basements and an incontinent 18 year old Chihuahua . I do know I did not have the ugly glue lines or pee smell that I had with the peel and stick squares. My favorite part was how easy it was to put down and how much better my trailer looked in just a couple of hours.

 

[LeeRevell]

Be advised the glue will create a strong smell, that will last a couple weeks or more. At least that was our experience on the stuff the installer used on Mom's new vinyl flooring a few months back. After a month or so, we no longer smell it.

 

[anewbiewannabe]

When I had to replace my laundry room floor I used the peel and stick vinyl strips that look like wood grain and have some texture over a sealed subfloor. It gets a lot of wear and tear and moisture as it's the mud room too and I don't worry about it like the laminate I have in the kitchen. It's had some puddles sit for a bit accidentally a couple times, and once dried out if there was any lifting I just put a weight on the spot for a day---only had to do that like twice. It's going strong after 8 or so years. It was an easy install---a few hours for a 10x13 room. The other nice thing about it was that it didn't have the horrible off-gassing that I notice with roll vinyl.

 

[sisterearth]

when I bought new bamboo flooring, not for van, and I would not recommend for van, but regarding materials odors, I left it to air out in a garage a couple days before installing. Toxic smells! Just a thought about that vinyl smell too. Peace!

 

[Bela's Mom]

I've been wanting to put the vinyl strips down for a long time but I don't know how it will hold up in summer temps between 90-100 degrees.  Any experience with that?

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I am a fan of laminate flooring I have had mine in for five years, if I was to do it over again I would buy a better quality laminate, but I got this one for a bargain price and didn't know there was a difference, I do now I have had no issues with it, it is installed directly over the floor it had an underlay already glued to the bottom side of the laminate. my floor is insulated from  under the floor with 1 1/2 blue foam. It is very easy to clean, a lot of the better stuff is like arborite  strong and non absorbent.
here is a pic

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I even used it on a high use area like the front steps and it has held up well, and this is not a good quality laminate this is the type you see lifting in cheap apartments, but like I said mine is still doing ok 5 years on.  I have never slipped on it but since this photo I have added non slip stick on strips  on the steps

 

[anewbiewannabe]

I've been wanting to put the vinyl strips down for a long time but I don't know how it will hold up in summer temps between 90-100 degrees.  Any experience with that?

Don't have experience with it in a vehicle, but summers here have had a few long stretches of 90+ with high humidity where the laundry room wasn't cooled except by breezes through the screen door. The sticky backing is really sticky so any that peeks out during install needs to be removed. Other than that I haven't noticed any issues---no oozing out between the strips. When I get a chance I'll heat up one of the scrap strips attached to some scrap wood to see what happens since I'm thinking that if I don't just seal a board floor and paint it then I might do the vinyl strips since they would be less slick.

 

[Bela's Mom]

Don't have experience with it in a vehicle, but summers here have had a few long stretches of 90+ with high humidity where the laundry room wasn't cooled except by breezes through the screen door.  The sticky backing is really sticky so any that peeks out during install needs to be removed.  Other than that I haven't noticed any issues---no oozing out between the strips.  When I get a chance I'll heat up one of the scrap strips attached to some scrap wood to see what happens since I'm thinking that if I don't just seal a board floor and paint it then I might do the vinyl strips since they would be less slick.

Thanks, that is very helpful.  I live where the humidity is high also.  I leave the awning type windows open in my van most of the time so the heat can escape and it has some breeze but not much.  Guess I'll give the strips a try.  If it doesn't work out I can always put something else down.  That ugly strip of carpet between the beds has to go!

 

[LeeRevell]

If you apply adhesive, GO LIGHTLY! On my Navy ship we did our own tile flooring in our work space, and botched it. Had the brown adhesive oozing up in many places. Later a yardbird showed us how to do it right, and we totally redid it. It doesn't take much.

 

[anewbiewannabe]

If you apply adhesive, GO LIGHTLY!  On my Navy ship we did our own tile flooring in our work space, and botched it.  Had the brown adhesive oozing up in many places.  Later a yardbird showed us how to do it right, and we totally redid it.  It doesn't take much.

That's one of the things that makes the peel and stick vinyl strips so easy is that they don't need adhesive. The sticky backing also doesn't stink as much as adhesives for vinyl applications. Gratefully I never had to learn how to glue down vinyl flooring---I'd much rather ceramic tile an area than deal with any vinyl other than the peel and stick strips, but that's just me. Too bad terra cotta tiles wouldn't work well in a van because they would be gorgeous.

 

[cdiggy]

If you apply adhesive, GO LIGHTLY! On my Navy ship we did our own tile flooring in our work space, and botched it. Had the brown adhesive oozing up in many places. Later a yardbird showed us how to do it right, and we totally redid it. It doesn't take much.

Yardbird??? I resemble that remark!!! (Journeyman Marine Pupefitter, been on every modern conventional aircraft carrier they made)