Date: Mon, 8 Jan 2007 12:17:17 -0600
Reply-To: Jim Felder <felder@KNOLOGY.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jim Felder <felder@KNOLOGY.NET>
Subject: Re: Nathaniel - wood van flooring on thesamba
In-Reply-To: <01DA3E05-E5E1-4BC6-90A1-58B87D50DA4E@comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
I put a Pergo-type composite floor throughout my living room, dining
room, kitchen and office addition. While it's worked out pretty well
in the office, I wouldn't have it in the house again. Some may say
that I'm being picky about getting more life out of the flooring, but
in some places--notable the kitchen where there are often little
spills where, for instance, ice may fall out of the fridge (everybody
with an ice dispenser knows what I am talking about) and water will
splatter around the kitchen sink. If even a small puddle lands on a
joint between two pieces, the floor swells. When it swells, normal
foot traffic removes and levels the raised portion and then the floor
looks ugly. In the dining room, a small roof leak after a hailstorm
went unnoticed long enough to make the floor very unnerving to stand on.
In the kitchen, a bookend fell off a stack of cookbooks and punched a
hole through the top surface. Same with something heavy that fell
from my attic space above the office when I opened the trap door. It
makes an unsightly, deep hole as the composite under the top finish
is pretty soft. The hole, which in a wood floor would just be a dent,
is really obvious. The way I use my vans, that wouldn't do.
My parents have had real oak flooring in their house since 1957, and
it's been through all those things and more, and the floor is fine.
So I wouldn't use the composite unless I were looking for something
more than temporary.
Just my 2.
Jim
On Jan 8, 2007, at 11:25 AM, Tom Buese wrote:
> On Jan 6, 2007, at 9:08 PM, Jake de Villiers wrote:
>
>> Ironwood is Pau Ferro, Leslie.
>>
>> I wouldn't put Pergo in a camper because the substrate swells when
>> it gets
>> damp and we get a lot of damp around here. The finish scratches
>> pretty
>> easily too.
>>
>> I love the real linoleum that came in our Weekender anyway, and the
>> only
>> thing I would replace it with is cork. Warm to the touch and
>> acoustically
>> absorbent, if a little pricey. :)
>>
> Bingo! As an architect, I hardily agree w/ Jake. Marmoleum, a real
> linoleum product, as opposed to sheet vinyl, is resilient, easy to
> keep clean, looks the most original, & is a sustainable building
> material for those who care. It is also the correct thickness & can
> take moisture w/o swelling, delaminating, buckling, etc. like real
> hardwood or laminated fake wood products.
>
> Tom B. AIA-cork would be nice, has the same characteristics as real
> Linoleum.
>> On 1/6/07, Leslie H Schwartz <lhs_emf@pacbell.net> wrote:
>>>
>>> I have seen this material at Costco too, but the last several
>>> times I went
>>> there it was not on the shelf. It seems to always be available at
>>> Home
>>> Depot.
>>>
>>> The link seems to say there are two makers: Pergo and Harmonics,
>>> and that
>>> Harmonics had a more scratch resistant product. This was my
>>> concern too
>>> because the top wood laminante seems way too thin for normal
>>> family use. I
>>> thought with the commercial carpet over it - it would ok for my
>>> passenger
>>> van floor, in my case which is primarily for Home Depot, Costco,
>>> and big
>>> item shopping trips, or use by myself.
>>>
>>> The "iron wood" would be better, I just do not know the real name
>>> for it,
>>> and I havn't found a local lumber yard yet near Plano.
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----
>>> From: Jack R <jack007@COMCAST.NET>
>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>> Sent: Saturday, January 6, 2007 8:55:06 PM
>>> Subject: Re: Nathaniel - wood van flooring on thesamba
>>>
>>> For less than $30... this stuff would, or should I say "wood" be
>>> worth a
>>> try.
>>> http://torque.oncloud8.com/archives/000379.html
>>>
>>> I've used this in a friends cottage, and did a 10 x 11 room in
>>> less than 3
>>> hours. Strong too, we took a hammer to a test piece and it didn't
>>> dent.
>>>
>>> Costco has this available most of the time.
>>>
>>> Jack
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
>>> Behalf Of
>>> Leslie H Schwartz
>>> Sent: Saturday, January 06, 2007 8:40 PM
>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>> Subject: Re: Nathaniel - wood van flooring on thesamba
>>>
>>> I was thinking about doing this too, but with the sort of
>>> inexpensive wood
>>> laminate from Home Depot. Real oak would be a lot better though. My
>>> weather
>>> conditions are mild enough that I might be able to use the
>>> laminate, but I
>>> will investigate this further.
>>>
>>> I moved from California last year, but I used to go reasonably
>>> frequently
>>> to
>>> the lumber yards there, one excellent wood for this purpose was
>>> called
>>> "iron-wood" dark but very hard and dense and a lot less expensive
>>> than
>>> oak.
>>> I am not sure how easy it will be to find iron-wood in Texas.
>>>
>>> I also thought some stringers running in the cross direction
>>> would be
>>> needed
>>> to do this, but this detail was not in the link. Stringers or ply
>>> underlayment.
>>>
>>> I would like to ask how well this fits in with the metal edges,
>>> (metal
>>> lip)
>>> especially around the van sliding door. And I was wondering how to
>>> attach
>>> the flooring material to the van bottom pan - sheet metal screws?
>>> Didn't
>>> see
>>> any indication of how the flooring was set into the van bottom pan
>>> - which
>>> indicates very good craftsmanship.
>>>
>>> Again my plan was to cover the wood floor center with one of those
>>> larger
>>> rubber nylon carpet matts used commercially.
>>>
>>> Thanks for putting this up - great job! Any further details would be
>>> interesting to hear about.
>>>
>>> Leslie
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----
>>> From: Nathaniel Poole <npoole@TELUS.NET>
>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>> Sent: Saturday, January 6, 2007 6:45:47 PM
>>> Subject: <no subject>
>>>
>>> I got motivated today. Funny how it's so much quicker and easier
>>> to rip
>>> stuff out than put it back in.
>>>
>>>
>>> http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=212483
>>>
>>> Nathaniel
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Jake
>> 1984 Vanagon GL
>> 1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie"
>> www.crescentbeachguitar.com
>
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