Can I replace the carpet in my motorhome, which has slide rooms?

Dear Dave, 
We want to replace the carpet in our motorhome but are not sure if we can do it ourselves. Also, we’re not having any luck finding someone that is familiar with doing it since the slides have to go over it and they sit flush when extended. If I put a click-lock floor in, would the slides not catch on it when closing? —Matthew, 2005 Holiday Rambler Presidential

Dear Matthew,
We did a similar project on a 2003 Winnebago Brave that had carpet and a vinyl floor in the kitchen. It also had a couch and dinette slide, but not the flush floor when extended. Getting the old carpet out was fairly easy as it was simply stapled around the edges and under the slide room. Getting the vinyl off the kitchen floor was a major hassle. We finally got the glue off using Goo Gone!

We removed all the furniture, as the owners were getting a new couch and computer station, so we had a wide-open room to deal with. We went with a padded vinyl from Infinity that is used in luxury pontoon boats. Infinity was looking to get into the RV market and provided the material free.

Since the slide room was also going to slide or “glide” on the flooring material, we went with a medium thickness and decided to glue it to the floor where the slide would come in contact.

How we got access under slide room

We covered the slide floor first, then extended the slide room out, but left about 3” from being fully extended. This allowed us to lift the slide room with a pry bar and insert 2×4 blocks for access to the underneath all the way to the wall. After much trial and error, we found it easier to go outside and use floor jacks from a local home improvement store to lift the room for access!

I believe you will find this works on yours, as the room is above the floor until it slopes down at the end to provide a flush floor. Most likely your slide room has a flap or runner at the edge that hides the transition, so you might be able to access the entire floor with the room extended.

Carpet is much easier to work with

One lesson we learned is that carpet is much easier to install and much more forgiving. You can staple it just about anywhere and not see or feel the staples. You can also “seam” the carpet in transition areas and simply fluff the nap to hide the seam, cut corners such as steps, and have a clean line along the wall. We had to hide all the transitions with molding, which we stained to the same wood tone as the cabinets. It looked OK, but it was a lot more work.

We originally had a technician from Infinity come out and start the project. However, he spent three days just getting the old carpet out as the driver and passenger platform was a massive undertaking. He spent an entire day running around the area trying to find the adhesive that would not disintegrate the foam backing. He left, and we had a motorhome that had no flooring. I hired a local flooring installer to help finish the project and he did a great job.

Check at a home improvement store to find an installer

If you don’t want to tackle this yourself, I would suggest going to a home improvement store and check with the flooring department. They usually have a list of installers that will put in just about any type of flooring.

As you remove the old carpet, you should be able to tell how they fastened it. Most just do a perimeter staple as the interior cabinetry helps hold the carpet in place under the slide room. However, you might find they added staples underneath for reinforcement.

Click-lock flooring

If you decide to go with a click-lock flooring material, make sure it’s at least 7-mil thick. Don’t skimp on price. Take a look at how your slide room moves across the current flooring with either plastic molding or rollers on the sidewall. Keep in mind that going with the wood laminate means more seams to hide. And it should “float,” as you will get expansion and retraction with temperature changes.

You might have an easier time with the driver and passenger area than we did, as Winnebago uses a full steel cab and the carpet was glued with the strongest adhesive I have ever seen. We ended up covering the “goop” with a thin underlayment to get an even floor without all the bumps. Yours might be a wood platform, so check it out before tearing into it.

I conduct seminars at about 8–10 shows each year. I have found that very few RV manufacturers are using carpet in the living room area. Most are using a vinyl sheeting that is easy to install, cut, and fasten. Again, don’t skimp on price—get a quality material that is scratch- and scuff-resistant.

 You might also enjoy these posts from Dave 

• There is a soft spot in RV’s floor. What’s the best way to repair it?
• Staples are coming up through my RV’s vinyl floor. Should I be concerned?
• My slide room floor is rotten from water damage. How can I fix and waterproof it?
• How do I fix RV’s torn vinyl floor when I can’t find a match for it?
• How much does it cost to replace an RV floor?

DAVE HAS ANSWERED MORE THAN 1,000 readers’ maintenance and repair questions. Read a directory here. There is so much to learn!

Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”

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