vinyl sheet flooring installation question

You need to "cut and tape" together a full sized template. My flooring dealer has some heavy black "tar paper like" material that he sells me for this purpose. Save this pattern and use it to protect your new floor, while you finish the trailer.

The sub floor has to be VERY SMOOTH, or any small bump, like a nail head will just pop right through. The material may seem to be thick, but everything will show through it in time. I have never used the Luan, but understand that some have had good luck using it. I just mix up some 3M "two part" body filler, commonly referred to as Bondo to fill any imperfections or cracks. Then just use a belt sander to smooth it off. I roll on some primer over the filler, mainly to help me see any imperfections that I might have missed.

I've tried it several ways, but here is what I do currently. Make a pattern. Tape the pattern to the flooring material in the driveway, and cut it out with a utility knife. Get two people, and carefully roll the material up and slide it into the trailer. Note, I usually do the flooring with one end still open. Lay the flooring, being VERY careful at any corner cuts, because they will tear. After the flooring is laid, I let it sit for a day to stretch, and trim any areas that are too tight. Then I roll the flooring back and glue the left side of the trailer up to one half of the isle. It's best to use about six or eight wood dowels, or pieces of EMT conduit. Lay them on the glued floor surface, then roll the flooring back as you remove the dowels. They keep the flooring from sticking to the glued floor. You will not get much room to move the flooring so every little bit helps. This is the same method to lay Formica sheeting. The only one piece floors I have done are the old style Marmoleum with the jute backing.

I try to never roll and unroll the material when it's cool or cold out, only when warm. Also, DO NOT let direct sun light hit the newly laid flooring after it's glued, or it will pucker up like a huge blister, don't ask how I know about BAD THINGS, LOL.