Finishing up the carpet in RV

So First I put down noise barrier insulation.  It's some type of tar type substance with silver on top. 

 

It's a peel and stick type stuff.  There are several different brands. This one is called B-quiet.   It worked pretty well. I can now here the radio when I drive. 

Next up was the padding. 

I just bought some stuff from Home Depot.  It was pre-cut, 6x9 , I think. You can see where I cut the holes for the screws that hold the chairs down. 

Then I cut the first piece of carpet for the front section. I felt it was easier to work with it like this.  I did put carpet tack boards along both sides of the front RV section. But no place else. I used a carpet staple every where else in the front. 

So I put it under the side walls, that are covered with vinyl. (That is under where your feet go).  You can see I cut an X in the carpet and then put the chair base back in. I couldn't figure out any other way to do it.  That was tough enough. 

Then I stapled the carpet over the edge and down that step  you see right there.  I then removed the carpet off the doghouse. Lots of old glue and staples around the edges of the old doghouse. I just kept the old piece of carpet as a template to cut out the new piece.  I then used contact cement on the top, to glue it down and stapled it along the edges. There were several places with "V" cuts in it. I just followed their pattern. Worked out pretty nice.   Just don't cut it like you do fabric patterns.  You know "right sides together".  Other wise it won't fit. Yes I messed of the first one and had to cut it again. 

For the living area of the RV, I put tack strips all around. 

I even used Z-bars with tack strips near the vinyl. It's suppose to help you fold over the carpet  and make a nice edge. I couldn't get it to work and had to pull all those tack strips up. I just folded over the edge and stapled it down. 

This was the big piece I layed down in the back. I did cut it some what before bringing it in. I didn't go under the slide. I didn't pull the carpet up under the slide either. It was to hard to get to. I read a lot on the Internet and it sounds like most poeple leave it there.  I used double stick tape and taped the old and new carpet together. 

I put a piece of extra new carpet under my black chair, just so it wouldn't leave marks on the carpet.  I also put down some carpet runners to protect the carpet from the rain this weekend. 

I didn't do the steps. I've ordered sand colored vinyl to put on them, since they get most of the wetness from the rain and the dirt off your shoes. I'll try to get that done next week. 

RV Carpet replacement.

So Ive been wanting to replace the carpet in my RV.  Its old and looks it. Plus I wanted to put some sound proofing under the captain chairs in the front.  Ive already put it under the doghouse. (that is the hump that is between the two captain chairs. It covers the engine).  So, class "A" RV's, gas ones, are known for being noisy.   Because the engine sit right next to you. I think that they have gotten a lot better but my RV is a 2000 , so it was before they started all the insulation stuff.  Anyway, its really hard to hear anything when you drive on the highway.  You have to turn up the radio so loud, to hear it, that its just annoying.  Plus I think it makes driving stressful.

Here Ive taken out the driver and passenger seats.  The carpet doesnt look bad in the picture but trust me it is.  Im going to have to figure out how to take more of the seats out , to get the carpet in. I just want the round post in the floor, not that big square thing.

Here is the carpet I ordered.  Its pretty close to the color I have. That way if I cant get some small piece out, it wont be that noticeable.

Here is my son helping me. The carpet in RV's is stapled down. So some places, I just wasnt strong enough to pull it out. Good think my son was still awake to help me. You can see the engine right there.

This is under the driver's area.  I might not replace that carpet just to the right there. It goes under the TV and back a ways. I will replace the carpet on the doghouse. The doghouse is sitting to the right also , on top of the area I probably wont replace.

One thing I did fine was some water damage. Now it this left over for when the air conditioner leaked into the front passenger side?  Im not sure. Or is the window leaking.  So since I dont know, I will probably pull out the window this weekend and reset it.  Ive read on line what to do and think Lou and I can get it done.  I did pull out the window glazing bead, this afternoon. Its the rubber seal around the outside of the window.  There are little drain holes in the metal casing of the window and in the rubber parts that the window slides in. They can get clogged and you cant see it unless you pull the rubber seal out. The side with the leak, looked ok. I also did the drivers side. There was so much junk in there, it couldnt drain at all. The outside holes were ok, but the inside ones, through the rubber sliding part, were clogged. So I cleaned all that out today. If those clog, the water can leak in between the walls. And you wont see it , until really bad thing happen to your RV.

Once I have all that done, I will put down the sound proofing matting , just in the front, and then put the carpet down. The next section, where the slide is, will not be sound proofed.  I will be putting padding down there. Im really worried about the slide area. Keep your fingers crossed I get it right.

So here is the carpet after I pulled it all out. You should keep this piece to use as a template to cut your new carpet. So now you can see how bad the carpet looks. Yikes!! One thing I didnt find, yet, was tons of dirt.

Every thing I read, said you will find tons of dirt under the carpet , when you pull it up. But not so far. We'll see when I pull up the back part.