Need Help with Carpet Replacement

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Wingnut - 06 Jan 2007 06:22 GMT

It's time to replace the carpet in the old MH. It is a 99 Holiday Rambler
Admiral. Since I know absolutely nothing about the subject, any helpful
advice or tips or caveats will certainly be appreciated. Is it like buying
carpet for the home, and does it require a pad?

--
wingnut
"of no ilk"

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Jim Redelfs - 06 Jan 2007 12:57 GMT

> It's time to replace the carpet in the old MH. It is a 99 Holiday Rambler
> Admiral. Since I know absolutely nothing about the subject, any helpful
> advice or tips or caveats will certainly be appreciated.

This topic has been featured in at least ONE Motorhome magazine that I recall.
Done right, it can be a rather "involved" job.

> Is it like buying carpet for the home

No.

> does it require a pad?

I'm not sure. I recall it depends on your rig.

Many, if not most, RVs are carpeted BEFORE the interior is finished. This
means that the carpeting is under everything: It's under the couch and below
the cabinets. This fact complicates the removal of the old stuff.

You'll notice the clearance from the bottom edge of some cabinet doors to the
carpet below is VERY "tight". A new, plush carpeting, with pad no less, would
likely interfere with the cabinet doors opening and closing. Obviously, this
is a big factor to keep in mind when doing the job.

Since I've never done such work either, that's the best I can recall from what
I've read. Good luck!

Signature

:)
JR

2000 Skamper Ultra 249 TT
2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
Vortec 8100 - Allison 1000

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Frank Tabor - 06 Jan 2007 13:54 GMT

Don't carpet, put down vinyl tile. Also as Jim mentions, the carpet was
laid down before the walls and interior were put on, so you can't get it
all up. You will have to get a very good, sharp carpet knife and cut it
out.

Where ever there is something mounted to the floor, like the pedestal for
the dinette, take it up. Check with Hunter, she tiled her airstream. You
will have to put down an underlayment of luan, but it isn't hard.

Signature

Frank Tabor
"I have more information in one place than anybody in the world."
-- Jerry Pournelle, an absurd notion, apparently about the BIX BBS

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Wingnut - 06 Jan 2007 16:44 GMT

"Frank Tabor" wrote
Wingnut wrote:

>> It's time to replace the carpet in the old MH. >>
>
> Don't carpet, put down vinyl tile.

Thank you Frank. Good advice, SWMBO has already decided that is the way to
go, except for the bedroom, where the carpet is ok and can stay. We will
probably also leave the carpet on the doghouse, as I don't see that anything
else would look as good and help to muffle the engine noise as well.

Also as Jim mentions, the carpet was

> laid down before the walls and interior were put on, so you can't get it
> all up. You will have to get a very good, sharp carpet knife and cut it
> out.
>
> Where ever there is something mounted to the floor, like the pedestal for
> the dinette, take it up.

How about the driver's chair and the passenger's chair?

>Check with Hunter,

Hunter has me killfiled cause she thought I wanted to eat her pets or some
such nonsense.

she tiled her airstream. You

> will have to put down an underlayment of luan, but it isn't hard.

I am past the time where I would try to do it myself. I will pay someone to
install the floor, but I just need to educate myself to the point that I can
negotiate intelligently with them. I am taking the MH to RV Masters in
Houston next week for a load of work and I will get them to give estimates
and options on the flooring.

--
wingnut
"of no ilk"

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Frank Tabor - 06 Jan 2007 17:05 GMT

> How about the driver's chair and the passenger's chair?

I would. It's not that hard to take them up. One can only cut so close
the the edges. Quarter round will hide the remnants around the cabinets
and wall, but around the seats will be hard to hide like that.

Signature

Frank Tabor
Call me bored, but don't call me boring.
-- Larry Wall in <199705101952.MAA00756@wall.org>

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Jim Redelfs - 07 Jan 2007 15:17 GMT

> Hunter has me killfiled cause she thought I wanted to
> eat her pets or some such nonsense.

Gee, I'm sorry I missed that one. <g>

Besides, they're not her "pets". They're her CHILDREN. Admittedly, to a
certain degree, I can relate... <sigh>

Signature

:)
JR

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Audrey Ekstrom - 08 Jan 2007 22:57 GMT

> It's time to replace the carpet in the old MH. It is a 99
> Holiday Rambler
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> wingnut
> "of no ilk"

For our first RV we bought an old used one and the carpeting was
horrid. We went shopping for a large remnant (our RV was only
24' long) and we fortunately found an independent carpet layer
that was game to try the job. He did a beautiful job and though
he said it wasn't the easiest job he'd ever done, he was able to
complete it in a day including the area under the captains chair,
between the pedals and over the doghouse. He put the carpet down
exactly the same way he would install carpeting in the house. He
first cut out the old carpet with a sharp "carpet layer" knife,
then put down carpet strips against all the walls and went to
work. He carpeted everything except the bathroom. We didn't
have him install padding because that would have raised the
height of the carpet too high for drawers and doors to open.
Hope this info helps a little.

Audrey

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