Floor Coverings

I do not care much for carpet in any application. While I really enjoy my house’s solid white oak & ceramic tile floors, neither were suitable for a travel trailer. Pergo-type wood, and asphalt tile floors look nice, but have a tough time weathering the uncontrolled temperature environment an Airstream experiences. So, my choices were pretty much narrowed down to sheet vinyl or linoleum. Those two choices were then narrowed down by an engineering exercise known by it’s Latin name Enie Meeni Myne Mo. After prepping the decking seams, the floor’s visible area after reinstalling the base cabinets was floated with leveling compound & allowed to cure as per product directions. The vinyl was rough cut to shape prior to hauling it out to the Airstream. After rolling it out & trimming it to within 1/8 inch or so of the walls, it was allowed to sit for an entire week to acclimate to the new environment. To me, this step was very important since it had been on a roll for some time, and it’s moisture level was probably different than the Airstreams. The new covering was then glued down at the interior’s perimeter, and where the bathroom vinyl met the main cabin vinyl only. This virtually ensures no cracking at the decking seams could occur. After the adhesive dried, the intersection between the vinyl & wall was sealed with RTV. The original reason was to keep bugs out. It later dawned on me that this effort would also contain water spills. As of this writing, the Overlander has been through three seasons & six trips covering 3000 miles, and still looks great. I have no reason to think it will not continue to look great for a long time to come.