Carpet replacement

[caninecaravan]

Am thinking about replacing the carpet because it is wearing out in my 1978 21' side kitchen. want to take out all the carpet and replace it back to the kitchen. Then tile from there into the bathroom. How big of a job is this and how much material will I need? Also what will this do to the overall weight of the rig? Do I need to prep the floor after the carpet is up and what should I use. All advise will be appreciated. CanineCaravan ACOC #3552

[JerryT]

I have a rear kitchen coach, and before I took out my rug I had read about the MAD STAPLER MAN who put in our carpet at the factory! With that in mind I hired the neighbor boy last summer to do it for me. I showed him what to do, turned on the A/C and left him alone, about 10 minutes later he was knocking on the door and asking for help, it took both of us all afternoon to remove the carpeting and pull about 2000 staples! It was not that hard, it was just slow work in a small place. The shag does hide alot but I think all the floor imperfections can be worked around. I will be recarpeting this spring with non shag and I will use floor leveler and some custom trim in my side baths raised floor where the gaps are large. My new rug, 8X12 was about 40$ at an rv surplus store, I might spend another 20$ on misc. Get that old rug out,  look at the floor and you will know what's the right thing for your needs and life style. Count your staples and let us know how you make out.
Jerry T

[campernut]

Here is what I did:    my wife was so motivated to get rid of the orange shag carpet that she volunteered to remove it.  After that was done, I made a template with roofing paper, then cut the carpet to match.  Only covered the area forward from the kitchen, and tiled the rear area plus the bathroom.  Used a wooden threshold to hold down the edge between the tile and carpet.  Cut the padding just a bit shorter on each side, then stapled the edges down with my new air stapler.  Used a carpet stretcher from Harbor Freight.  Hope the middle stays tight, since I did not staple that, as it would have shown indentations.    Floor preparation is minimal for the carpeted area, since it is forgiving.  Not true for the tiled area.  Make sure all joints in the flooring are level.  I used a belt sander to make this happen.  Maybe someone else has a better idea.  
Now we want to remove the swivel chairs to allow changing this carpeted area, but cannot find the nuts holding them.  Anyone have a clue how to access them?

[Horst]

from your storage door (the outside access one) I believe (wher the generator and coach battery lives on some Clippers)

[bigray]

Yeah.........I think it was Andy and me talking about the made stapler. Yeah removing the staples was a real chore.

Hope.......you replacement went well.

[pilotdiana]

I have a 21' bunk model and just last July had a carpet company lay new linoleum throughout the rig (basically a straight line to the rear of the rig) all the way to the back wall where the toilet sits.  It makes the rig look long and clean.  I also had them install new carpet in the cab.  He basically gave me a remnant and charge me labor.  Since I am single I felt I wasn't strong enough to do it myself.  Total cost $600, most of it was labor.  It took 2 guys four hours.  I hope you can see the pic and that it is not too small.

[caninecaravan]

Well you were right. There must be 2000 staples holding the carpet down. It took about 7 hours just to get the carpet out.Nobody told me that I would have to remove the toilet to get the carpet out from underneath the flange. We purchased 5 boxes of carpet squares at Big Lots for $10 a box. The squares fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. That is my wifes job. She is trimming the edges where they meet something straight. Purchased carpet tape to hold it down at the edges. Have purchased lenolium squares at Home Depot. These are the kind that stick down. I will get a threshold to go between the bathroom door and where the carpet joins up. So far the job looks nice. What do I do about the drivers cab. Would like to replace that carpet as well as the insulation. What do I do there?