# Carpet covers



## kaacee (Nov 29, 2008)

We took possession of our new MH a month ago and just getting the feel of all the fittings etc., one small question, the carpet's are covered in a type of see through plastic for want of a better description, do other's remove this or leave it in situ, or even remove the carpets altogether.


Keith


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## Hobbyfan (Jul 3, 2010)

I think that your plastic covers are the equivalent of the plastic seat covers that you get on new cars, no one wants to keep them on!

A good idea is to take the carpet to a decent carpet shop and ask them to cut you a piece the same shape. They can bind the edges very neatly for a small sum.

Store the original carpets at home and when you come to sell the 'van put the lovely pristine original carpets back in!


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## kaacee (Nov 29, 2008)

The polythene cover is sewn into the carpet, can this be removed without damaging the carpet. Also the underside of the carpet's have press studs to fix to the floor.


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## Hobbyfan (Jul 3, 2010)

gudlucker said:


> The polythene cover is sewn into the carpet, can this be removed without damaging the carpet. Also the underside of the carpet's have press studs to fix to the floor.


Mmm, that's interesting. Is it not just lightly tacked to keep it in place? I've not come across that before. You can do no harm by just unpicking a bit of it and I can't see that removing a thread that's sewn through the carpet can do it any harm.

If you don't mind the plastic covering then keep it on, but I wouldn't fancy it!

The press studs are another matter, I had those in my first 'van and what I did was, as I said above, get a duplicate carpet made. I kept the original carpet in and put the new one on top, which made for slightly better insulation as well.


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## davidandgwen (Jun 25, 2008)

My van came with a lovely light brown carpet with a sort of knotted texture (I'm sure there is a proper name for this). They made it look nice and light and airy BUT we have two golden retrievers!!!! 

Down to Range, £50 worth of dark brown carpet tiles with a few extra in case of future spills, a day cutting them to shape (not one ended up a full square!) and now we have a smart interior which is easy to keep clean. They are not glued but, provided they are accurately cut, will not slip or slide about. 

The carpets are in storage together with the press studs. 

Job done!


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## suedew (May 10, 2005)

We removed the carpets, still with (most of) the plastic attached.now stored under the bed :!: 
Have nice wood effect flooring already in the van, use a couple of big bath mats for rugs. So easy to just sweep van out and chuck dirty mats in the washer.
Sue


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## Jennifer (Mar 24, 2009)

My carpets are lightly rolled up on top of the fitted wardrobes. I actually cut out replacement carpet and bound it myself from carpet I had left over from bedroom fitted carpet. Not ideal carpetting for heavy use, but much better than getting the original carpet so dirty, and I am not so particular now. End of season, throw away and start over.

Jenny


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## kaacee (Nov 29, 2008)

Thank you all for your suggestions, looks like we will take them up and store them somewhere, and then do as you suggest, fit loose carpets that can be cleaned.

Keith


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## wp1234 (Sep 29, 2009)

I take mine out in the summer and put back in during the winter.Also use a roll of the adhesive plastic protector(E Bay) when in the drive


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## wp1234 (Sep 29, 2009)

I take mine out in the summer and put back in during the winter.Also use a roll of the adhesive plastic protector(E Bay) when in the drive


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## wp1234 (Sep 29, 2009)

I take mine out in the summer and put back in during the winter.Also use a roll of the adhesive plastic protector(E Bay) when in the drive


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## rrusty (Sep 15, 2007)

gudlucker said:


> even remove the carpets altogether.
> Keith


We lifted our carpets on day one and stored them and when we traded our Augusta in 4 months ago the dealer viewed it without the carpets in place, in fact they were never mentioned.
We are using our new M/H with all the carpets in place & getting the use of them, as they are meant too be.


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## Hezbez (Feb 7, 2009)

Our van came with a similar clear plastic covering as your describing, also stiched into the binding of the carpet.

When we first got the van we decided to leave this plastic in situ as we had the dog.
Now the dogs gone to heaven, but we've still not taken the plastic off.

...And the vans now over two and half years old!

It's starting to get a bit tatty now, so we'll get round to lifting it some day soon :lol:


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## pneumatician (May 1, 2005)

*Carpets*

I covered all of our carpets with carpet protector and fixed the edges with Gold (22k) edging strip. Then decided to cover this with a couple of cut lengths purchased from an end of roll sale.
I am hoping the 8 yr old original is as good as new, it's under there somewhere.

Steve


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## Jodi1 (Mar 25, 2010)

When we got our motorhome it had a sticky plastic covering over the carpet. We left it in place for our first trip away which kept most of the carpet clean, but the dogs nails soon pricked through the plastic (no what you mean about Golden Retrievers, if their not shedding hair then they are bringing mud). So we tooke the carpets up and they are stored under a bed at home. OH wants to put them back down again in the colder months, but I like the idea of finding suitable washable mats. What sort of mats can be recommended?


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## Kipper (May 1, 2005)

I am of the ilk that believes that if I've bought something then I want to enjoy it and not put it away/cover it so that the next owner can get the enjoyment out of it.

Much will also depend on your style of motorhoming - do you spend most of your time on hardstandings and/or in the sun in Spain or do you stay on fields along with sheep muck etc on basic CLs. Do you have large mucky dogs or do you religiously slip off your outdoor shoes at the door and put slippers on to keep things clean and nice.

Personally I LIKE the feel of carpet underfoot - particularly in winter - but we can get pretty cold miserable weather here in July too... I do have a dog with big feet that picks up half the field whenever she ventures forth plus a cat that's in and out all the time. I have paleish beige carpets with press studs over a wood effect vinyl floor. Despite having said muck magnet and cat I've always left my carpets in situ (though if I went to a mudbath like Glastonbury Festival (say) then I would prob take them up for the duration and stick them in the 'boot'. I do have one of those 'turtle' dirt attracting rugs in the doorway and another by the cooker. Where the dog sleeps she has a fleece rug as she's getting increasingly smelly with old age and I can chuck that in the washing matchne when I get home.

I did have one disaster with the carpet and no amount of sponging would get rid of the stain and smell - I took the whole piece of carpet out and shoved it in the bath at home with some washing powder and left it to soak. Hung it on the line to dry and it was as good as new! Did worry that it might shrink but it went back on its press studs fine.

The plastic cover that you talk about is something some dealers have to stop the carpets spoiling when people tramp in and out whilst viewing. Get rid.


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## Hezbez (Feb 7, 2009)

Kipper said:


> The plastic cover that you talk about is something some dealers have to stop the carpets spoiling when people tramp in and out whilst viewing. Get rid.


I don't think it's the same thing as the dealers use.
This stuff is stiched into the binding of the carpet from new.


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## muggers (Jul 14, 2007)

gudlucker said:


> remove the carpets altogether.


Pale cream carpets and 2 dogs? There was lovely lino underneath which we put cut-off carpet pieces on (free binding when we bought a new house carpet) and we keep it in place with non-slip waffle stuff from Lidl (although available in most pound stores. (Do I sound like a cheapskate?  ) Otherwise the dogs slide around as we go round corners - very funny to watch but not much fun for them going by the look on their faces. :wink:

Easy to take out and vacuum between trips and the originals are pristine for when the day ever comes that we sell.

Although we do cut down a lot of the muddy paws by using the Movelite XL awning as a kennel so they can dry off out there 

But I imagine even the dogless will bring mud and grass clippings inside? Life's too short IMO :wink:


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## LisaB (Apr 24, 2009)

wp1234 said:


> I take mine out in the summer and put back in during the winter.Also use a roll of the adhesive plastic protector(E Bay) when in the drive


Glad to see our "old" carpets are still behaving the same as they did for us :lol: Hope you are still enjoying.?


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## Hobbyfan (Jul 3, 2010)

I think that it can help when you come to sell your MH if your original carpets are clean. It gives the impression of a 'van that's been well looked after.

My carpets are very light and move slightly so we fitted Flotex, which is incredible stuff. We have another light, bright, colour and the carpet is fitted exactly so that there's no movement.

Flotex is amazing! It feels nice underfoot but but has a rubber backing. You can take it out and hose it down and give it a good scrub. If for instance, you drop jam on it, you scrape it off with a knife and then give it a wipe with a wet cloth.

We had it in our kitchen and when the kitchen was redone we put the old Flotex in a section of the garage and twenty-odd years later it's like new.

I think the average 'van would cost about £100 - £120 to do.

http://flotex.karpetkingdom.co.uk/

For us it's also about convenience and having a carpet that's easy to look after practicable and it won't do any harm to have the original pristine carpets back in when we sell it. First impressions count!


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## BespokeRugs (Dec 12, 2007)

Hi,

The protective covering is only supposed to be temporary and if left, it will leave a residue on the carpet when it is finally removed and then all dust and dirt will literally stick to the carpet fibres. I have seen and replaced this kind of damage many times. My advice would be to remove the covering carefully when you first get the chance.

Hope this helps.

Darren


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