I'm going to be replacing the existing flooring in my 2002 Itasca Suncruiser 35U with laminate but was wondering what others who have done this recommend for the cockpit area and doghouse (engine cover). I'm not sure whether a full replacement with laminate is the best option, with all the jigs and jogs and desirability of soundproofing.
Clearly, the shape of the doghouse doesn't lend itself well to laminate.
We just replaced the flooring. We stopped short of the seats and just rolled the carpet like the manufacturer did along the other vinyl areas (pre-tear-out). We did that in slide area as well since we couldn't get the carpet out cleanly in those areas too. It looks pretty good. I'm not sure I'd want to try to get vinyl or anything else up there other than carpet
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Thom Boles
2010 Winnebago Vista 32K with a 2013 Mini Cooper S Roadster toad.
Considering to the same thing in our MH, 2003 35U. I think it would be just about impossible to cover the dog house with anything but carpet. Even molding carpet around it would not be a trivial task. When we looked at we decided you would have to stop just before the dog house and seats.
Update: I've decided not to go with laminate due to it's susceptibility to moisture and the fact that there are some signs of leakage at the bottom corners of the slide out. We've decided to use commercial grade carpet tiles instead and will be using them in the cockpit area as well. I don't know if they will be flexible enough for the doghouse so I'll have to wait and see how that plays out.
Bob, Take a look how they 'mold' carpet — lotsa heat and a two-part mold. Yet, if you had a heat gun and a 3D computer mind, I'd bet you could come up with the pieces to 'mosaic' something that may look pretty decent.
We're going to do a stem-to-stern replacement of 2002 carpeting and Linoleum in our Sunseeker 27. It seems like every worker made sure he walked thru the lube pit before climbing aboard.
One option is a 'removable' system of woven floor covering by Chilewich Floor Covering (look on YouTube how they use this on boats - interesting) I have ordered a sample of Nautikflor - this looks like a really decent reproduction of Teak-and-Holly used in fine boats. It is PVC and makes into a 'floating' floor.
Update: We decided to go with, and have installed commercial grade 19.75" square carpet tiles in the main living area. Because of an impending trip, we left the cockpit area untouched but will be completing it in the near future. I'm hoping that the carpet tiles will simplify the cut-and-fit process.