Carpet removal and new flooring install thread.

[Blue~Go]

In some of the Chinook manuals they show two different electrical sketches for the Concourse. One "with Nu Heat" and one "without Nu Heat." So I would think if the breaker is there, you should have it (when new at least).

Heated floors are of course wonderful, but I'm thinking you would only be able to use them either when plugged in or with the generator running. If you are normally plugged in, then no prob.

[Manitou]

Well that would be awesome if I had it. There's no dial to active the feature though. I wonder what I'll find when I rip up the carpet.

[Concourse]

I recall seeing a breaker for "nu heat" the floor heating system. I've never found a switch to activate such a thing, so I assumed my rig just had the breaker

See attached pic - that's the Nuheat control knob. The Concourse's in 2004 were likely wired at the panel for a breaker but if you don't have the knob you don't have the floor. It should also be listed on the build sheet in the closet.

[Manitou]

Yea, I don't have that
I had no idea there was a build sheet in the closet. Thanks for that. (Always had at least 1 shirt hanging up covering that back left wall.

[Scott]

I couldn't live with the carpet in my Chinook anymore. Despite the good overall condition, I grew tired of vacuuming and/or tolerating a messy floor. We used a plastic runner in the aisle, with good results, but any unprotected carpet turned into a bad situation in short time, and the back step was a constant mess. Removing carpet is never a fun task, but with a good pair of end nippers, the staples came out fairly quickly. With unending rain, and trying to squeeze in trips here and there, I haven't been able to install an engineered wood floor, which was my first choice. I looked at some of the marine products (which I often do before buying anything for the RV), and as usual they were prohibitively expensive. Then I looked at some of the rubber garage flooring products with the "dime" texture. Nah, too thin and would require a subfloor over the subfloor to hide the bolt heads. I ended up using EVA foam interlocking gym tiles. I'm only mentioning this because I haven't seen any other rigs with this flooring. (EDIT: oops, after Blue Go mentioned it, I notice that this has already been done in a Chinook by "Chinookers." I should have read page 2.)

Pros:
VERY comfortable to walk on
great acoustic insulation
easy to install
thick enough to absorb the bolt heads
sweeps clean with ease
spills wipe up with ease
damaged tiles can be easily replaced
inexpensive ($1/sq ft)
basically no commitment (no gluing to the subfloor)
very light weight

I haven't installed base trim (probably won't), and I haven't finished the fiberglass back step yet; I think I'm going to cover it with plywood and spray it with bedliner. I'm not sure how this flooring will wear, but after our last trip, I'm REALLY liking it. I'm going to keep it for now and possibly install Trafficmaster flooring in the Spring.

[Blue~Go]

That's a good idea. You certainly can't beat the ease and weight savings. Do you have a link to the exact tiles you used? I've seen all different thicknesses, brands, etc. and it would be nice to know which one you found to work well.

(And I hear you - the carpet in my rig was in like-new condition when I bought it, but I STILL hate it. Vacuuming and camping just don't mix, for me.)

Just for the record (and in case its an idea someone else might want to use), I believe "Chinookers Journey" (Andrew) used those interlocking tiles over their carpeting for a few years. As I remember it they gave that a thumbs up (even with dogs, and even though you wouldn't think it would work in theory), but I think they've since taken out the carpet and put in a different floor.

[Scott]

That's a good idea. You certainly can't beat the ease and weight savings. Do you have a link to the exact tiles you used? I've seen all different thicknesses, brands, etc. and it would be nice to know which one you found to work well.

And I can't emphasize enough how nice it is to walk on!!! I never would have thought.

Here's what I used. I went with tan to sort of blend in with the "oak" cabinetry. Function precedes form in my rig, so this isn't Town & Country level stuff (like many have done with their awesome refits); I just wanted to share this as a solution that may work for others.

BTW I drove a familiar road with just the plywood subfloor and no carpet; holy cow it was loud. I've read from several sources that carpet is a very poor acoustic/thermal insulator, but I think I would have to argue that to some degree; it definitely helps. Regardless, these foam tiles are a very good improvement versus carpet for sound damping, and I'd wager the same for thermal insulation, although I have no data to support this.