Yahoo Message Number: 95298 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/95298)
Our 2004 CC Allure came with tile in the kitchen and bath area and through the years the tile has developed many cracks. I'm afraid to replace the tile because I have been warned several times that to to so would tear apart the heated wires below the tile that are a part of the in-floor (radiant) heating system. Besides, CC says this particular tile is no longer available.
I am wondering if installing very thin hardwood flooring over the tile would be a solution. With the popularity of radiant heat in floors these days, surely the manufacturers must make wood flooring that will withstand the heat from below the floor. I imagine the unevenness of the tile surface would require that a layer of a compound of some kind that would fill in the depressions would be needed before the wood flooring was laid down.
I doubt I'm the only one with this problem. What have others done to fix this? I appreciate your thoughts.
Jim Mercer
Albuquerque
2004 CC Allure
Newport Floorplan, #31070
Yahoo Message Number: 95307 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/95307)
Jim
We were able to find the tile in our 2006 Allure. The tile can be removed but needs to be done carefully and there are now repair kits if you break one of the wires. We replaced about twelve tile and experienced one break in the wire of the floor heat.
Dan 2006 Allure 31348
Yahoo Message Number: 95318 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/95318)
We were fortunate NOT to have the heated floors under our tile making frepairs a bit easier as we experienced a number of cracked tiles. It was explained to me at Country Coach that they did a lousy job installling tile using cheap thinset grout instead of a flexible grout like they should have used. Then with flexing of the floor from movement on the road, it cracks. Another black mark on Country Coach's record.
We scrounged around and managed to find a few boxes of the same discontinued tile from Florida Tile. It was 18" tile instead of the 13" so we had it cut down to the proper size and had a tile guy dig out ALL the grout between our existing tile and pull out 7 cracked and/or loose tiles. The new ones were reset with a flexible acrylic mastic from Home Depot and he redid all the grout with Quartzlock2:
www.bostik-us.com/our-brands/quartzlock-2%E2%84%A2 This is a very high quality flexible grout, expensive, but well worth the price. It looks great and has held up well... If Country Coach has used stuff like this originally none of us would ever have had these problems.
Joseph Burkle
2008 Country Coach Inspire 360 Founders Edition
Yahoo Message Number: 95320 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/95320)
Dan,
I am very much interested in the information on who is capable of doing this tile work and the wiring. I have thought about calling Country Coach or possibly Kevin Waite in Junction City.
Any contact or other information would be very helpful. I have at least 1 tile that is cracked and getting worse and I do have the heated floor.
John
08 Intrigue
10 Ford Escape
Yahoo Message Number: 95325 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/95325)
We had Oregon Motor Coach remove carpet and old tile and install new heat mats and wood grain ceramic tile from the entry to the bedroom. The floor looks great and the heat is an added benefit. I believe they did use the flexible grout etc. Call and talk to Jim Cooley.
S. Brandt,'06 Intrigue, 11964
Yahoo Message Number: 95328 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/95328)
Would very much like to see pictures.
Wally & Elta Mae
2007Allure 470 #31535
Yahoo Message Number: 95331 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/95331)
We are a way from our coach right now, but I will try to post some pictures in the next week or so.
S Brandt, '06 Intrigue, 11964
Yahoo Message Number: 95299 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/95299)
We heard through the grapevine that stranded bamboo might be the answer for flooring issues. Its tougher that other hard woods and is not susceptible to water leaks. I was told it available at Lumber liquidators. I know Eric at Premiere in Tuscon is familiar with repairing heated floors but it is quite a challenge. OMC wanted $5000.00 to pull up the carpet lay another zone of heating and install bamboo 4 years ago and I passed as I had spent close to $10,000 dollars that year in repairs. I'm not sure I want wood floors as it will change the acoustics of the space and my M&K sound system is just on the edge of being too dispersed as is with out making the space more reverberant by replacing padded carpet with slick hard wood..
TWI 2004 Intrigue 11731
Yahoo Message Number: 95300 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/95300)
Jim, I had strand bamboo floor installed in my Intrique last summer when I lived in Oregon. Looked great and the did not scratch, easy to clean. Now that I have moved to Arizona the floor is shrinking quite a bit. We floated the floor and did not glue down the planks. At this point some gaps have appeared between the planks. Not sure if this would have happened if we glued the floor down. All I know for sure is that the bamboo will change size depending upon the humidity. The flooring shrunk over a period of 6 months. We are going back to Oregon in a couple of weeks and staying for 6 weeks so I will see if the floor returns to it's original size. Mike H #11422