Floor covering idea.....

[Rastaman]

I just cant stand carpet....so....I am thinking....1/4" plywood....pre sanded on one side...cut to fit,.stained to color of choice...then a good several coats of polyurathine....screwed down to floor....
I have done this before....and it looks GOOD....nice wood floor look..fairly inexpensive..(notice how expense is a big factor to me  :wink: )...
I havent removed the carpet yet, but it will eventually go...although its fairly new...
rasta

[Rodney]

do a search for carpet here, there are storys you need to read to prepare you for the job.
someone else has done that I don't remember who :?:
R

[Andy Illes]

Rasta, I'd seriously encourage you to reconsider about carpet, for at least one VERY practical reason.... you can't have anything sitting on a wood or tile floor, or it'll be sliding all OVER the place!!!  In my case, not the least of which would be poor Jaws winding up stuffed in the glove compartment every stop.  

Couple other reasons... with all the sand & shellrock we have down here, it's impossible to not track it in, and grind right through any finish. You'll also wind up with clearance problems with wood, under the electric panel, furnace hatch.. pantry, bathroom and wardrobe doors, esp since you'd have to use a 1/4 round molding or something to cover gaps at edges... which you won't be able to avoid... if you look closely, there are a LOTTA places to make small notches.  Carpet's forgiving & you can trim it to fit in place... wood/tile's not, and has to be precut.  Think it over.

Carpet only took an afternoon to fit, ANY kindda wood'd take a couple days, at least, unless you're just gonna slop it in.  Plywood'd take even longer.  No matter how careful, you will NOT be able to make a perfectly fitting pattern.  Also, these things flex some driving around... your joints'd pop like ripe zits... look crappy.

As to cost, the stuff I got was $24 total at Home Depot, enough to do the whole thing, except the bath and cab.  Don't have to worry about edges, it lays flat just fine.  Only place it's secured is the aluminum jobbie at the door step-down.

The stuff's 12' wide... I got 36" and planned to seam pieces under the dinette and by the entry.... can't see the seams, even though the pieces are flipped 90*

If yours has been recarpeted (sounds like it) you won't even have to deal with the infamous Mad Stapler... worst part of replacing the orig carpet.

Ok... Dolphins/Steelers are starting.... later.

[Rodney]

Andy is right on!!! I agree an We don't got no sharks, sand, shells  or himacanes to worry about scratching up  the floor. Just good old dirt and rocks are all the time getting tracked in. And the carpet makes a good sound deadner when traveling.
R

[Rastaman]

Andy....hummm......things to ponder......thanks....i am presently 30miles from the clip (did i say i must get a name..for HER) so i wasnt able to asses all that would be involved in fitting...trackin sand in?....you dont take your shoes off? but the more i think about it.....the more i think i will leave it the way it is...the PO must of recently put new carpet in,plus it has a plastic laying over it (which just pulls off)...the cab area I will redo.
The dash is some thing ugly, has anyone ever covered the dash?
bucs playing the jags
rasta

[Andy Illes]

Fins 0... Pit 10.... crap.  Half time.

Glad you're rethinking your floor issue... you wouldn't like either what's involved in putting a ply floor down.... or how it'd look after you busted your butt on it.

My dash is onna those "padded plastic" jobbies, and it's in good condition.... no splits, etc.  My doghouse is fiberglass.  So no, haven't covered either one.  

Went out and looked at Fred's and assuming your dash shape's the same, wouldn't be hard to cover with the same carpet you'd use for the cab floor... no serious compound curves.  If you take that route though, after you have it cut to fit, take it to a carpet place to hem or it'll look junky.  Guess you could also get some "Naugahide" that you like.... glue that on.  It's a little "strechy", so it's easy to fit.... glue it on with contact cement, tuck the edges under the trim (carpet's too thick to do that with).  Could do the same with your doghouse.  I've thought about carpeting mine just for extra heat/sound insulation, but with all the curves, it'd be tough to do and still come out looking decent.  Could also use headliner material at an upholstery supply place... it has a thin foam backing.  Comes in limited colors/patterns though.

All I can think of buddy.

Good luck....