Ripping out the Shag.. Questions?

Matt Colie

Matt Colie

Well-known member
Aug 15, 2008
11,101
807
113
South East Michigan near DTW
First Questions for the community:
If you replaced the carpet in your coach, did you go back to carpet?
If yes, what did you put back and how?
And are you happy with it?

If you put in a hard surface floor,
What did you use?
And are you happy with it?

We have decided to finally remove the snag carpet in the Chaumière. It is all beat down, even after cleaning it does not come back up (and my
pouring a pint of power steering fluid into it did not help it at all).

Thank you

Matt

--
Matt & Mary Colie - '73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan
OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Twixt A2 and Detroit
 
Well, i put down floating vinyl. I'm so so happy with it. The temperature
variations cause significant movement that causes small gaps. The two most
noticeable are as you walk in =) I'd purchase adhesive press together vs
snap together if i were to do it again. Other than that its been a blessing
for cleaning up messes.

I plan to use normal home carpet for the cockpit. Remove as one piece, give
to the local carpet shop to cut you a new one, and re-install.

-Will

> First Questions for the community:
> If you replaced the carpet in your coach, did you go back to carpet?
> If yes, what did you put back and how?
> And are you happy with it?
>
> If you put in a hard surface floor,
> What did you use?
> And are you happy with it?
>
> We have decided to finally remove the snag carpet in the Chaumière. It is
> all beat down, even after cleaning it does not come back up (and my
> pouring a pint of power steering fluid into it did not help it at all).
>
> Thank you
>
> Matt
>
> --
> Matt & Mary Colie - '73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
> Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan
> OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
> SE Michigan - Twixt A2 and Detroit
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
 
Matt,

The PO installed teak parquet flooring in our coach:

http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/g3402-wood-flooring-installation.html

I'm reasonably happy with it, but it requires a bit more maintenance than I would have liked.. I have sanded it down and refinished it with Minwax
Wipe-On Polyurethane, but it doesn't hold up well to tracked in dirt. I'm not sure anything would.

I recently saw an ad for "Rejuvenate" floor finish and picked up a bottle of that, along with their cleaner. So far, the results have been good.

We have small throw rugs covering most of it which makes cleaning easy. Just take the rugs out and vacuum them and sweep and wipe down the wood
floor.

Bruce also did the cockpit and steps in a cut pile carpet, and it looks good.
--
Carl Stouffer
'75 ex Palm Beach
Tucson, AZ.
Chuck Aulgur Reaction Arm Disc Brakes, Quadrabags, 3.70 LSD final drive, Lenzi knuckles/hubs, Dodge Truck 16" X 8" front wheels, Rear American Eagles,
Solar battery charging. GMCSJ and GMCMI member
 
We had our house redone in vinyl (from a roll) a few years ago, and
really liked it, so we had the coach done in the same vinyl, by the same
folks that did the house. Left the cockpit area in carpet. Put down 3
carpet runners from Home Depot to forestall "frozen foot syndrome" during
unexpected night-time excursions. Worked well, sweeps and vacuums easily.
The runners can be swept, vacuumed or shaken out the door.

Ron & Linda Clark
North Plains, ORYGUN
1978 Eleganza II

On Mon, 07 Jan 2019 07:44:29 -0700 Matt Colie
writes:
> First Questions for the community:
> If you replaced the carpet in your coach, did you go back to carpet?
>
> If yes, what did you put back and how?
> And are you happy with it?
>
> If you put in a hard surface floor,
> What did you use?
> And are you happy with it?
 
Yea, I'd go with Vinyl if i were to do it again.

>
> We had our house redone in vinyl (from a roll) a few years ago, and
> really liked it, so we had the coach done in the same vinyl, by the same
> folks that did the house. Left the cockpit area in carpet. Put down 3
> carpet runners from Home Depot to forestall "frozen foot syndrome" during
> unexpected night-time excursions. Worked well, sweeps and vacuums easily.
> The runners can be swept, vacuumed or shaken out the door.
>
>
> Ron & Linda Clark
> North Plains, ORYGUN
> 1978 Eleganza II
>
>
> On Mon, 07 Jan 2019 07:44:29 -0700 Matt Colie

> > First Questions for the community:
> > If you replaced the carpet in your coach, did you go back to carpet?
> >
> > If yes, what did you put back and how?
> > And are you happy with it?
> >
> > If you put in a hard surface floor,
> > What did you use?
> > And are you happy with it?
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
 
There is a big difference in carpet in a house and carpet in an RV.

The house does not move so the environment outside can be controlled to keep the carpet lasting longer and limiting need to clean.

The RV, in my humble opinion, is the WORST place to put a wall to wall carpet. Sure, it looks nice and feels good when your shoes are
off, as long as it is parked in the back yard.

BUT if you travel to parks, beaches, anywhere the outside environment changes, that carpet will get grossly dirty and after a few cleanings,
that carpet just won't clean anymore.

My suggestion is to hard coat the floor, with tile, which is what I did, or that pour on floor surface. Either will help keep the floor water
tight and help control the dirt problem.

To help keep the floor warmer in cold weather, you put down throw rugs. There are some very nice ones out there. If you find an indoor/outdoor
carpet, when it gets dirty you just take it outside and shake it out or hose it down if needed. Let it dry and put back inside.

I prefer the carpet with the back side rubber coated so it won't slide around the floor. This is particularly helpful if you have pets traveling
with you.

I have had tile and throw rugs for a few years and cleaning has become very easy because of this fore thought.

Good luck with your project.

--
GatsbysCruise. \
74GMC260 Former Glacier Model style. \
Waukegan, Illinois \ Keep those MiniDiscs Spinning \ MY GREYHOUND IS FASTER THAN YOUR HONOR ROLL STUDENT \ WindowsXP-Win7-Win8.1-UBUNTU STUDIO -
UBUNTU VOYAGER - Berzin Auto Center
 
I pulled the carpet, would never put it back in.

I put in floating cork floor. I'm not sure I picked a good underlayment (I might pull it when I redo my seating arrangement). I was worried about
moisture so I go this stuff that lets moisture go up and out, but not down.. (I got it at Home Depot, it was basically red plastic with styrofoam
beads stuck to it)
The floor has a lot of give because of it and it was messy. Just plastic would have been fine.

I love the cork: looks good, is soft, is warm (like carpet) is easy to clean.

I also would leave the step alone, I pulled carpet off the lower step. Took a lot more work to put flooring on it. Somewhere on the photo album I
tracked my progress. Also, if I redo it I might choose something different for the entryway, 1' or so of tile, or plank flooring...

Pulling the carpeting was SO satisfying.

Cheers
kelly

--
1978 Kingsley
Putney VT
 
First thing I did after reinsulating and putting a new ceiling in the coach was flooring. After pulling out 5000 staples that "clean" carpet was
nasty when you flipped it over. First thing the boss said after the carpet was gone was how much better the coach smelled inside. I probably
vacuumed up 4 cups of sand as well.

I went with Traffic Master Hickory from the Depot. My spreadsheet says 125 bucks, so I must have bought 5 boxes. (26 foot coach). and I had some left
over. I did up to the first step and then used a carpet rem that I had been saving for 10 years for "a project". which fit the cockpit and hatch
cover. Also the dog has some grip on the carpet and she likes it up there.

I did put a thinner underlayment pad down first, then the floating click in flooring. Im very happy with it. The on board vaccuum gets it all clean
in about 5 mins. With little ones and a dog coming and going its been very very easy to take care of. We have a few small area rugs which are easy
enough to shake out if they get sandy.

I trimmed it all in with 1/4 round. Its been a very nice upgrade and I dont think I would go back to carpet.

Yes, the floor is a bit colder to the feet. That's about the only downside.
--
77 Royale, Rear Dry Bath. 403, 3.55 Final Drive, Lenzi goodies, Patterson carb and dizzy.
Mid Michigan
 
> Yes, the floor is a bit colder to the feet. That's about the only downside.

That's why I got some bathroom rags to throw on my tiles. Great
addition, and you can easily throw them in the washer. SWMBO and I love
them.

--
Best regards

Peer Oliver Schmidt
PGP KeyID: 0x4196BF22
'76a 26' Eleganza II - Virginia, US
'73 23' Sequoia - Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
 
> First Questions for the community:
> If you replaced the carpet in your coach, did you go back to carpet?
> If yes, what did you put back and how?
> And are you happy with it?
>
> If you put in a hard surface floor,
> What did you use?
> And are you happy with it?
>
> We have decided to finally remove the snag carpet in the Chaumière. It is all beat down, even after cleaning it does not come back up (and my
> pouring a pint of power steering fluid into it did not help it at all).
>
> Thank you
>
> Matt

I put down Armstrong Laminate on the main area that was left over from when we did our kitchen floor. This is the type you glue the pieces together
and we use rubber backed throw rugs in places. That way we can sweep the bulk of the floor and just shake out the rugs.

In the cab I used commercial carpet tiles that way when they get dirty we take them out and can take a shampooer to them. Both work out well to keep
the inside clean.

--
Tom Lins
St Augustine, FL
77 GM Rear Twin, Dry Bath, 455
Manuals on DVD
http://www.bdub.net/tomlins/
 
We ripped out outs when we did the ceiling. Interesting as to what was in the old carpet. I sealed the wood floor twice, bought some sound deadening padding (used in condo's) and used left over laminate from the house. Add two runners and good to go. I did use carpet in the cab. Great decision!

Cheers,

Len and Pat Novak
1978 GMC Kingsley
The Beast II with dash lights that work and labels you can see!
Fallbrook, CA new email: B52Rule
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/showgallery.php?cat=4375

www.bdub.net/novak/

-----Original Message-----
From: Gmclist [mailto:gmclist-bounces] On Behalf Of Matt Colie
Sent: Monday, January 07, 2019 6:44 AM
To: gmclist
Subject: [GMCnet] Ripping out the Shag.. Questions?

First Questions for the community:
If you replaced the carpet in your coach, did you go back to carpet?
If yes, what did you put back and how?
And are you happy with it?

If you put in a hard surface floor,
What did you use?
And are you happy with it?

We have decided to finally remove the snag carpet in the Chaumière. It is all beat down, even after cleaning it does not come back up (and my
pouring a pint of power steering fluid into it did not help it at all).

Thank you

Matt

--
Matt & Mary Colie - '73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan
OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Twixt A2 and Detroit

_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
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This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
https://www.avg.com
 
This, exactly the same. Though my coach still smelled not daisy fresh. Months later I removed the curtains and washed them- there's the daisy fresh
smell!

First thing the boss said after the carpet was gone was how much better the coach smelled inside. I probably vacuumed up 4 cups of sand as well.

--
1978 Kingsley
Putney VT
 
I just redid my interior last winter.
I used a product called “fat mat” sound deadening material throughout the coach. 3 - 50 sf rolls will do the job with some left over.
Found some 3/8” mineral fiber material with aluminum backing that I used for carpet padding up front.
This material is used as a firewall material under the hoods of cars.
Has great sound deadening qualities.
Went with carpet up front and one piece vinyl throughout the remainder of the coach.
The one piece vinyl was from Home Depot. A wood grain pattern we really liked.
Made a template from cardboard moving boxes taped together. Cut to within 1/2 in of perimeter.
Scribed some cross lines for general layout and then use a 2’ and 6’ level as an offset around the perimeter.
Reconstructed template outside the coach and used levels to scribe cut line.
I was a bit nervous. When I laid it in it was all within an 1/8”. Happy Happy.
I used a flexible cover base.
I wish I had glued it down but still turned out fine but have a few ripples.
The coach is very quiet. We use some floor rugs.
Very satisfied!!!

Gary Coaster / Reno, NV
1977 GMC Eleganza ll
GMC RV Day Night Shade Sales
GMCShades
www.GMCMotorhomemarketplace.com/GMC_Shades/

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Len Novak"
> Date: January 7, 2019 at 12:22:36 PM PST
> To:
> Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Ripping out the Shag.. Questions?
> Reply-To: gmclist
>
> We ripped out outs when we did the ceiling. Interesting as to what was in the old carpet. I sealed the wood floor twice, bought some sound deadening padding (used in condo's) and used left over laminate from the house. Add two runners and good to go. I did use carpet in the cab. Great decision!
>
> Cheers,
>
> Len and Pat Novak
> 1978 GMC Kingsley
> The Beast II with dash lights that work and labels you can see!
> Fallbrook, CA new email: B52Rule
> http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/showgallery.php?cat=4375
>
> www.bdub.net/novak/
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Gmclist [mailto:gmclist-bounces] On Behalf Of Matt Colie
> Sent: Monday, January 07, 2019 6:44 AM
> To: gmclist
> Subject: [GMCnet] Ripping out the Shag.. Questions?
>
> First Questions for the community:
> If you replaced the carpet in your coach, did you go back to carpet?
> If yes, what did you put back and how?
> And are you happy with it?
>
> If you put in a hard surface floor,
> What did you use?
> And are you happy with it?
>
> We have decided to finally remove the snag carpet in the Chaumière. It is all beat down, even after cleaning it does not come back up (and my
> pouring a pint of power steering fluid into it did not help it at all).
>
> Thank you
>
> Matt
>
> --
> Matt & Mary Colie - '73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
> Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan
> OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
> SE Michigan - Twixt A2 and Detroit
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
>
> ---
> This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
> https://www.avg.com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
 
I put in a floating click-together cork floor. It's OK, though I'm not wild about the pattern. I think there are prettier versions available.
It's held up pretty well in the ~6 years it's been in there though. I sealed all the edges with varnish before assembly to keep it from absorbing
moisture.

But, the best part was I put radiant heat under it. Got some mats from https://www.thermosoft.com/. (They often have sales, btw).
There are lots of other places to buy the stuff too.
I put a radiant barrier film under the mats (aluminum coated housewrap stuff; aluminum foil would probably work). May not do much, but doesn't hurt.
The mats don't get particularly hot, but they do keep the floor from being so darned cold. It's most noticeable if you feel under a rug or mat.
I used the felt underlayment version they have, but recently got some of the thermofilm stuff to play with.
More fun though, I've continued the theme by putting radiant heat under the rear window and in the bathroom walls. Mucho better.

jwid,
Karen
1975 26'
PS: DO NOT glue the flooring to the sub floor. Future owners will thank you. When I pulled up the damaged hardwood plank flooring in our 23,
it made a real mess of the subfloor because of the glue. Flooring is deciduous.
 
BTW, for sound deadening in the cockpit, a lot of the stuff you buy for it is exactly the same
thing as the butyl rubber sheets you can buy at Home Depot, etc, for flashing windows and such.
The flashing is *much* cheaper. I bought some of the overpriced stuff online for our first coach,
did a comparison, and used butyl flashing for the second coach.
It did make a noticeable difference in the noise level.

Karen
1975 26'
 
I forgot to mention, they make radiant (foil coated) underlayment sheeting you can use under floating floors and laminates.
I'd use that if I needed to do it again. I just happened to have radiant housewrap lying around, so that's what I used...

Karen
1975 26'
 
One more point: if you do put in electric radiant heat mats, be sure to use GFCI for the circuits.
GMCs sometimes get a bit wet...

Karen
1975 26'
 
If you do put carpet in the cockpit (easiest solution, imho)...
While it's very tempting to just cut out the carpet around the hatch and then attach that piece to the hatch itself,
it looks a whole lot better if you cut a larger piece for the hatch and fold the edges under. Also cut the hatch hole
a couple inches smaller all around so you can fold the edges under at the opening. Make up for the double thickness
of carpet by not putting the foam padding under that part. Also, if you do have exposed edges of carpet, you can sorta
finish the edges (or at least keep them from unraveling) with a quick blast from a heat gun (for synthetic carpets).
Careful though, it melts very quickly...

jwid,
Karen
1975 26'
 
One more floor covering experience: When SHE refused to sleep in the
new-to-us GMC in '98, I had to gut it completely. After covering the walls
and ceiling with white-side-out "tile board" (melamine-coated masonite), I
covered the ceiling with indoor-outdoor carpet (the cheap kind that's that'
similar to, but heavier than, boat headliner material) from HER family
furniture store. All the floors got a layer of anti-allergent carpet pad
(3/4" foam with plastic sheet on both sides). On top of that, extending up
to the bottoms of the windows, a layer of Berber-weave polypropylene
indoor-outdoor carpet still looks like brand new. Above the carpet the
walls were wall-papered with a textured vinyl. That carpet has been
GREAT. The weave is tight enough that it doesn't collect dirt badly (since
our tour in Hawaii, we NEVER wear shoes in a residence anyway). And the
polypropylene is so durable that I've literally cleaned bad spill spots
from it with lacquer thinner -- with no residual signs. I've had steam
carpet cleaners go through it twice in the past 20 years for about $50 per
session. The carpet-up-the-walls idea was one of the best I've ever had:
The walls never feel cold at night when we roll up against them. If I had
kids trooping in & out, I'd probably prefer hard floors, but would stick
with the carpeted walls for that reason.

Ken H.

walls for that reason.Ken H.

> If you do put carpet in the cockpit (easiest solution, imho)...
> While it's very tempting to just cut out the carpet around the hatch and
> then attach that piece to the hatch itself,
> it looks a whole lot better if you cut a larger piece for the hatch and
> fold the edges under. Also cut the hatch hole
> a couple inches smaller all around so you can fold the edges under at the
> opening. Make up for the double thickness
> of carpet by not putting the foam padding under that part. Also, if you
> do have exposed edges of carpet, you can sorta
> finish the edges (or at least keep them from unraveling) with a quick
> blast from a heat gun (for synthetic carpets).
> Careful though, it melts very quickly...
>
> jwid,
> Karen
> 1975 26'
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
 
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