Replacing the Floor on a Pop-Up Camper
Although Brooke With an E was well-taken care of, she had not been updated. Well, I take that back…someone had laid another linoleum layer of flooring on top of the original. So, there’s that, I suppose.
The upper layer of flooring was in decent shape (besides being gross and needing a good scrub), but there was a part that had curled up by the door from a wayward slip of a utility knife. I knew I wanted to put down new flooring, so I thought the best way to put it down would be to remove the first layer of linoleum. I was not planning to go all the way down to the subfloor.
I did some research online of different flooring for a pop-up, and ultimately decided to do a peel-and-stick tile. I thought that would be easier to manage in the tighter space.
First to come up was the quarter-round trim. It was easy to pry out with a hammer and flat edge to pry the nails out of the siding. I kept them so that I could cut new trim using the originals as templates. I numbered each one to remember the order so I could reassemble with the least amount of frustration!
Then I took a utility knife and cut strips down the linoleum. I pulled up the layer and it came up pretty easily, leaving behind most of its adhesive and backing. The original flooring was revealed - look at that 70s look!
Next came the tedious job of softening the backing and adhesive and pulling it up. I borrowed a heat gun from my dad and his metal putty knife and slowly heated up sections of the backing and slid my putty knife under to bring it up. This took a few hours to do, but I got all of the backing up with this method and probably 95% of the adhesive!
So. Much. Vacuuming… My little shop vac got a work out that day! Some of the pieces came up large, but others were small.
All done! The darker orange spots in the above photo is the adhesive I couldn’t quite get up. Since I was going to lay down peel and stick flooring, I wasn’t too worried about it. If that doesn’t scream 70s, I don’t know what does…
I fell in love with this pattern. I got one box of 30 tiles - about $26 for the box. I laid out the tiles to test if I guessed right and I was left with a couple of tiles left over, so I crossed my fingers and got to work.
Most tutorials (including the one on the back of the box!) told me to find the middle and work out from there. I tried. But it was so weird to do that. So, instead, I started at the kitchenette base and worked out. As you can tell from the photo, I couldn’t quite fit anther tile in the middle section, so it was 2 full tiles down the middle and then cutting other tiles to fit. I began to get nervous here - before, I had only two left over on my test…will I still make it with all of this extra cutting?
I made it! I had one complete tile left over from my box of 30, with several scraps of different sizes. The first two photos above show the completed floor but before the quarter-round trim was reinstalled. The third photo shows the black trim. I didn’t take photos of that process because I was mostly cursing a lot as I tried to cut the right angles…I don’t care how many times I try to use a miter saw or a miter cut, I never seem to get it right! I was super glad that I had kept the originals as templates - that saved my butt. I spray painted the new trim the same color as the hardware and nailed it into place (I had to use wood glue in the narrow space between the kitchenette and the wall since I couldn’t get in a hammer). I think the black trim really adds a bit of pop to the floor and I’m so pleased with how it all turned out.
Peel and stick tile was a dream to work with and very easy. However, I must have pushed on some of them as I was assembling others because at the end, I saw some of the original flooring still peeking through. Unfortunately, some of the tiles slipped. By the time I noticed, the tiles in question were really stuck (which was good!), but I couldn’t pull them up to readjust. A few options went through my mind - leave it (no), color the “seams” black (with what, a sharpie?), or grout it. I ultimately decided to pick up a tub of grout and I set to work grouting every seam between the tiles (even up to the walls). I did this because I figured that with the movement of the trailer in transportation, it couldn’t hurt to have that little bit of stability and strength between the tiles. I picked a gray and once it was dried, you can’t even tell unless you’re looking for it. The quarter-round trim hides the grouting and edges against the wall.
