General Problem Solving ...

[GPW]

So , what did the Old Timers do about their board floors ? Deductive reasoning would have us believe , if we installed a board floor in the Hot summer , when the boards were fully thermally expanded , in the colder off months it would only be able to shrink , maybe opening up seams ... On the other hand , if we installed the floor boards in the cold winter , in the summer , the boards would expand , sealing any seams /cracks , but also may be a chance for the floor to warp or distort .. a secure flexible caulking between the boards seems the easiest idea ... floor boards installed in moderate temperatures ... Silicon? Spray foam ? Oakum ?

[Ned B]

George,
wood will expand and contract, period. Allowing for that on the edges 'width' wise.. when you build is just something to factor in. So long as you don't 'trap' the piece it should be fine. In this case, I'm not sure how much each board will move, nor how you're going to be installing the floor boards. In a traditional bricks n sticks situation you would simply allow 1/4" or so where the wood met the wall, and then install molding at the joint where the two meet, only attaching to the wall (usually)... this would then allow the floor to expand/contract as it will.
Are you going to be putting the cypress down on top of foam, or will it be structural?

[GPW]

With the prices of cypress and the current unavailability of his friend’s services , I seriously doubt we’ll be using any cypress at all ... More likely will be using pine planks across 2x4 cross members .. thusly treated for waterproofing and little else

[ghcoe]

I think there is a bit of a mix up here with the names. I was trying to give GPW some ideas and was using me as a example.....

I agree all material will contract and expand. Ply and OSB will be less of the factor because of their construction and that they are only one piece that will cover a large area. So instead of multiple individual planks expanding and contracting you only have one piece. It is not just heat and cold that will cause wood to expand and contract. It is also moisture content/humidity.

[Ned B]

whoops, my bad. I shouldn't post at oh dark hundred

[GPW]

Certainly was a mixup eh ???

[Wobbly Wheels]

Just a thought but, since you're sealing the boards anyway, your expansion and contraction ought to be minimal as long as the boards are stabilized before you seal them.

In that case, why not do your floor the way old timers did ?
If you run two plies of 3/4" stock run on an opposing bias, you won't have to worry about seams opening or the floor warping, especially since you'll want to glue the plies together most likely.

Refresh my memory: why not eliminate most of that wood altogether with a SIP floor ?

[jmkjr72]

ok a couple of questions as we start to plan our build

can you do a rubber roof on a foamie

also what about something like this for the fabric

http://www.gemplers.com/product/101225/ ... AB-REVIEWS

[GPW]

JM , Rubber roofs are possible on a Foamie , but They don’t work that well on RVs , so why ? The only reason the RV manufacturers use it is because it’s Cheap and Quick to manufacture and with the suspect (cheap) caulk they all use , guaranteed to leak without constant inspection and yearly caulk replacement .... meaning more repairs ... It’s a Profit thing !!!

[Bogo]

Looking at the spec sheet for that fabric. It is only 1.5oz sq yard. It has an elongation listed so it stretches, it's not that strong. It also lists air permeability. My bet it is is a perforated plastic sheet or plastic felt of some sort. I notice it doesn't mention what it is made out of, or if it is even UV stable so I bet it isn't. I'd pass on it as it doesn't look like it has the long fibers needed for skinning a surface.

[jmkjr72]

ok thanks for the info so far
being we are thinking of a standie we are trying to find an affordable cloth that we can put down the side without a seam

now onto another question
i have looked at several ways the sides are attached to the floor

i like what mikeschn has done with the keyways in the side and on the floor
i was thinking about adding some 2x2 that run across the top of the floor
or in the rear it could run as part of the bunk set up from outside wall to outside wall
possibly do this in any front bracing that i may come up with



do you guys think this may be a bit of overkill as i know the spars and the top foam will help tie it together

[GPW]

No rules here so do what you think is best ... what you have time for ...

[eaglesdare]

are you going to have a galley? if so, you will have a wall in the back that runs side to side. so i don't see a need for them in the back. and well i don't see the need either for the front. i don't have them in mine. unless i missed something that you needed them for.

[eaglesdare]

i just reread some on the threads. i see you want to add a bunk bed? how old will the child be? or maybe the better question is how tall is the child?
in my foamie, i had it built originally with a bunk bed. thought that would work great, til the tallest child started kicking the side (all night while sleeping) i am not sure how much of that kicking the foamie could take, so that particular child hasn't been allowed to sleep in it. the only one that it worked for with me was the younger boy (5), but he kept falling over onto my feet. so i eventually remodeled and its a shelf now.

[jmkjr72]

viewtopic.php?f=55&t=54314

this is what we are thinking about doing

i just meant bunk(as in bed) not bunk beds will be in the rear we will have a sitting area in the front and a bit of a gallery off to the side and some where a cubby to keep a portapotty

fyi i love the mickey