That's good to know. I'm considering sheet vinyl, but I wasn't sure if you'd be able to feel the subfloor seams while walking across because it's so thin.I'd strongly suggest sheet vinyl (or marmoleum, or linoleum), not planks or anything in pieces that click together.
Never ending major thermal expansion and contraction cycles and constantly jostling have most folks regret planks.
This is not necessarily true, it all depends on the type and quality of the Vinyl plank flooring. It has to be a “solid core” plank. I had my vinyl plank floor from CoreTec for 3 ½ years in my Airstream with temperatures from 32° to 120° inside, and with humidity from 5% to 75%. It haven’t budged as much as a millimeter. I did not install it under my furniture, though, because it was a remodel.I'd strongly suggest sheet vinyl (or marmoleum, or linoleum), not planks or anything in pieces that click together.
Never ending major thermal expansion and contraction cycles and constantly jostling have most folks regret planks.
You answered your own question:I still don't understand why so many people put the finished floor down before building out the van.
We'd rather have no gaps to trim. If the floor surface can't survive the construction phase, it surely can’t survive the sharp rocks we bring in on our hiking boots.…so have to make sure whatever trim over the edge gaps…
A few boot rocks are pretty mild compared to screwdrivers and drills falling point first, wood falling onto the floor corner first, and sliding sheets in and out over whatever grit is under them, sanding down the floor with 2 grit sandpaper. My subfloor was scratched up terribly and had a few huge gouges in it by the time I got to finishing the floor.You answered your own question:
We'd rather have no gaps to trim. If the floor surface can't survive the construction phase, it surely can’t survive the sharp rocks we bring in on our hiking boots.
Since you've done the real work I feel ascetics is just whatever flooring you want to float....I actually just bought some flooring from Costco on sale, I did my sub-floor w/thinsulate then covered w/fiberglass/plastic Home Depot 4x8 sheets wht square hole stuff then put rubber roof remnants from my flat roof install on top of that....Great material if you can get it? So, anything on top is ascetics...Hey all! Finished my floating subfloor and added some kilz mildew/mold primer on top. Great stuff around the edges. I’m curious if there’s any benefit to putting vinyl plank flooring down before adding furniture and counters in a build rather than adding to the visible floor areas afterwards. Thanks!
Whoa there Nelly, I bought stuff at Lowes that close to 3/16" thick. I chose it because it was thick and 'lived with' a pattern I was not "in love with." No regrets after 4 years or so. If you layout some paper on the floor area (pasting several sheets together as we did) you can trace a line (on a flt surface) then put the paper onto the vinyl and trace the line onto it to create a tight-fitting sheet. And, because teh stuff comes in 12 foot widths, you can get a way withunder two yards of vinyl for many vehicles w/o a need to seam (which they sell kits for).I'm considering sheet viny . . . because it's so thin.
Well, when I did out Kitchen in Florida (Using overstock(cheap) PERGO, I hired 'pros' to do the work back when they glued the stuff. Then I installed the cabinets. We we sold the home 15-20 years later, it was still there and looking good. It is now a rental (as I understand it) and the flooring's still there.I still don't understand why so many people put the finished floor down
Maybe so, but the 'professionals' I've met along the way over fifty years or so have been anything but systems engineers, chemists, architects. Rather folks who were always asking "Why do we need to learn that?" in High School before dropping out and getting a GED. The last guy I had pour a slab didn't know the 3,4,5 rule. I've had 'electricians' make up all manner of rationals for CODE Requirements. Many of the tradesmen learned how to do what they do as a helper watching the guy who used to be the helper (Apprentice, if you will) do it and redoing it if the inspector insisted, for instance, on a Green Grounding Screw.No professional would ever put down a finished floor first!
