My wife and I are replacing the carpet in the front 2/3 of our class A Bounder and are trying to decide if we should install the laminate traditional (front-to-back configuration) or diagonal as the installer suggests is becoming popular.

Any pros, cons, suggestions, or personal experience prior to July 24th would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Dan DeRenzy
Illinois

I have installed laminate flooring in three different RV's that we have owned.
First one we did front/back pattern.
Second we did side to side pattern, we were much happier with that one.
Third we did diagonal and was just as happy as we were with the side to side installation.

We found that side to side was the easiest to install an diagonal was the hardest, required the most cuts and more flooring to do the same area due to wasted ends.

Install the flooring in what ever pattern you want... you are the end user and have to be happy with the end results.

Browzin

Thanks for the response. My wife and I just want to make sure we cover all the issues or potential issues with the installation design and that we don't get blindsided with something trivial we may not have thought of.

You mentioned you were much happier with the side-to-side design, why was that if I may ask? We are hiring the work done so it will be the installer's responsibility to make the difficult cuts for whichever pattern we choose. We don't want to end up with a pattern/design that will not be functional or look hideous.

The floor lay out pattern that you decide on is a personal choice.

For us, the front to rear pattern reminded us of a bowling alley lane, (we did the entire floor front to rear). Secondly when one of the slide glide pads came lose and made a scratch/grooved line in the floor, it required replacing several boards to repair.

With the side to side pattern it would of been a simple matter of only replacing a couple of boards.

In the second RV, by using the side to side pattern we were able to use a total different color flooring in the kitchen area than the living room area, this allowed things to be offset and make a separation between the two areas.
(We left the bedroom carpeted in the second and third RV's, hated getting up and placing warm feet on cold wood floor.)

On the third RV we went with a diagonal pattern for something different and the fact that this one had tile in the kitchen area that we wanted to keep (there was already a built in separation of areas because of the tiled area).

As I already stated; Install the flooring in what ever pattern you want... you are the end user and have to be happy with the end results.

I know this thread is a little old, but I was recently searching for a similar answer and couldn't find it. I now feel like I can contribute a valuable answer for other people searching.
Some neighbors were talking about Floors to Your Home and that's what got us thinking about replacing our own floors.The side by side pattern is very much easier in an RV then the front/back pattern. Diagonal will also work, but I was most pleased with the side by side results. It is all about person choice though.

How did you deal with the joint where the slide meets the other floor? Is there a bump at that spot? Do you have any pictures you could share?

Glad I found this topic because we are thinking about doing the same thing, ie replacing carpet with laminate floor.

Question to those who have laminate floors, whether replacements or from factory: I'm concerned about the slide(s) scratching the wood floor. How likely is it the slides will scratch the floor? Is is unusual , all the time, or what? How bad is the scratching? How easy is it to replace the boards when it happens?

It had already occurred to me that the side/side pattern would be a better choice than front to back.

I'll be grateful for any thoughts/suggestions anyone may have.