We have a chance to buy enough laminate flooring to do the floors in our bus from front to back. The flooring is from Sweeden and is called Alloc. It seems to have a a deluxe finish, standard center of typical manufactured material, but the third layer is all aluminum. This is clip together layer (no hammer tapping necessary) The bottom layer is a rubberized layer material to work as a vapor barrier. The flooring is 1/4" thick. They want $3.50 a foot for this flooring. Has anyone heard of this type off flooring?
Also, I have installed 3/4" plywood over the original metal bus floor. Instead of installing this flooring as a "floating floor" can I glue this flooring down?
Any and all suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks,
Dave
Can't answer your questions but FWIW, I installed mine as a floating floor & haven't had any problems for the three years it's been there.
TOM
It is not meant to be glued. Don't glue it.
JC
Dave you may want too contact Ace. I believe this is in his line of business.
Dave I'm not an expert but I do believe the flooring you're speaking of because of the aluminum is what we refer to as an HPL or better known as high pressure laminate. Most laminate's that dont have the aluminum intrusion are referred to as DPL better known as direct pressure laminate! Most all laminates are pressed paper and fiber board without any intrusion but they mostly install the same way!
Not sure about the moisture capabilities but I'm thinking it's probably like the rest and not intended to be around much moisture or water! As for direct gluing? That's a no no! Again all glue or adhesives have water in them! Leave it at that!
Dave :: We did our bus with a cheaper brand than yours but it was a giant mistake. More than the moister factor was the change of temp. It has become not so pretty a surface, so I intend to carpet over it. Relay looked great for a while but o well. Tony
Tony is correct! Actually the temp difference he is referring to is still a moisture situation! If you don't run the airs or have a means to keep the humidity down then yes, you will get warpage, separation, delamination, whatever! The stuff just does not like standing water, spills that can seep in the seams, or high humidity which is a form of moisture!
I hope the pergo flooring i bought 3 weeks ago lasts for more than a month.. am redoing the living area floor for it, so i wont glue it down, now that i read the posts.
We live in the south (normally,) and it was suggested that we leave lots of space for expansion at the walls and under the seats to help with swelling and shrinking. We used a much cheaper home-depot variety and it's performed well so far.
Our bus has laminate flooring for 5, 6 years now. Still looks good. No problems.
JC
We have laminate in the family room at home a Evap cooler will make the stuff crawl like crazy,
I am going to install vinyl planks in the S&S we have I think it better flooring and cost is about the same or a little more than the better laminate takes the hassle away from leaving expansion on each side to catch the dirt neat stuff the vinyl planks IMO sure looks good in the high end RV's
good luck
The vinyl planks are my first choice! Had them in the last two buses but switched up this time for ceramic
I put down Alloc flooring in my house 12 years ago. I think its a great product, has held up well and I was able to do a 12x14 room in under 4 hours. I would not recommend gluing it down. Some of the extras I had were in my garage underneath an air handler that had a drain pipe clog, which dumped quite a bit of water on it. The important parts of the laminate did well and didn't show any signs of water damage, however the cardboard backing, not all Alloc flooring has that so the one you have may not, separated from the rest of the laminate, warped and in some places fell apart. I wouldn't want that happening under my floor, if for no other reason would create wierd sounds and feeling underfoot as you walked across it.
Ace How would solid Bamboo hold up in a bus. I am thinking about bamboo because I like the look and the harsness should hold up to traffic. What say you. Thanks, Rod
I've never dealt a lot with bamboo because of its cost but I have heard that it wears good. Not sure about expansion or shrinkage and potential water! It would be best to check with those that have it and see how they like it! I know we don't sell much of it where I contract out of and we are a leading design store that sells to the higher ups!
Sorry I couldn't be more help!
I have installed bamboo flooring and it will hold up well but is subject to the same scuffs and scrapes as any wood floor. Also as with ANY wood (or engineered wood) floor it is subject to moisture damage if OVER exposed to water or damp conditions. Bamboo (unlike other woods -- because it really is a grass) has a tendency to draw moisture in and will stain at the cut ends of the "boards" if they are not sealed after they are cut. Not typically a problem but I would pay attention if used by showers kitchen sinks bathrooms entry ways where water may be left and not cleaned up right away. Just my experience.
HTH
YMMV
Melbo
I and several others on the HDT forum on Escapees have also been researching and using this type flooring. After many searches I have found "waterproof, pvc, laminate flooring" sites, but still haven't had samples to evaluate. It does sound practical for all of us that have the need for tough, waterproof (not water resistant) floors. Here is a reprint from one site and Mannington is just one brand, here is another - http://www.forestaflooring.com/ (http://www.forestaflooring.com/)
Waterproof Laminate
Is Waterproof Laminate Flooring a Reality or Still Just a Pipe Dream?
By Lee Wallender, About.com Guide .Is Mannington ICORE the World's First True Waterproof Laminate?
ManningtonWaterproof laminate: it's one of mankind's greatest dreams, up there with landing on Mars and solving world hunger. We joke--but not it's not that much of a joke.
Moisture has long bedeviled the laminate flooring industry, and has been one of the major reasons why many homeowners choose not to install laminate in wet places.
The Core of Laminate Floor's Problem...is the Core
The problem is not with the top layer, but with the core. Laminate flooring's core is little more than high- or medium-density fiberboard or particle board. If you've ever seen a sheet of particle board get rained on, you'll know how it bubbles up and crumbles like a wet soda cracker.
Moisture During Manufacturing
One little-known aspect of this moisture-and-laminate issue is that the moisture problem actually starts in the factory, not in the home. Flooring manufacturers have found that high moisture content in the fiberboard particles in the factory can result in poor adhesion of the top melamine wear layer.
Past Attempts to Develop "Waterproof Laminate"
The response by flooring manufacturers, to this point, has been to cover up and ignore the problem. Past responses have been:
1.They counsel homeowners not to install the product in moist places, such as basements or children's bathrooms.
2.They develop stop-gap solutions such as tighter seams and better adhesion between the boards.
3.Another solution has been to introduce more melamine resins in the fiberboard mix. So, rather than having a highly absorbent particle core that practically sucks water from the air, they now have a slightly less absorbent core.
However you slice it, it's still a problem.
Now, though, a new generation of waterproof laminate is making its way on the market, and it's worth considering.
Mannington's ICORE - First Attempt at Waterproof Laminate
In 2003, Mannington Mills patented a new type of waterproof laminate that bypassed many of those previous solutions. Their product, dubbed ICORE, has some of these features:
•Thermoplastic Core, Not Fiberboard - The key aspect is that ICORE does away with the fiberboard and replaces it with a "plastic" core made of PVC. As you can imagine, PVC (which is also used for water pipes) is quite waterproof.
•Print Layer and Overlay - This is just like conventional laminate flooring. Separate layers are required for better print adhesion, rather than printing straight onto the thermoplastic core.
•Honeycombed "Cells" Inside - "Foot feel" is important with laminate flooring, because it is so thin. Walking on laminate flooring can be difficult because it has little "give." With waterproof laminate such as ICORE, interior channels or cells make for a springier feel.
I also have found several pvc core materials that seem to be the same design that has a series of parallel passages between the top and bottom surfaces. Most are foreign flooring sites, but share a common origin - China. Searches will find many like this one - http://factory.dhgate.com/plastic-flooring/100-waterproof-laminated-pvc-flooring-p40171743.html (http://factory.dhgate.com/plastic-flooring/100-waterproof-laminated-pvc-flooring-p40171743.html)
Keep the feedback coming so all of us can find the best solutions.