What is the best floor for a foamie?

[GPW]

Don L ... No matter what we did to the bottom ( black nasty stuff) , Our Morning dew would end up underneath on the floor , but adding a drip edge solved that problem , and even though we park over gravel , the bottom always stays nice and dry now ...

[Bob Hammond]

On the cedar frame that i've built, I've tried to minimize the exposed punctures for the stainless steel screws that must be used to attach the frame to the chassis, and the screw heads are driven flush, not depressed. There are none directly exposed to the weather. I suppose that at installation I could have stopped at 1/4" and put a dab of PL Premium under the heads to embed them.

I definitely plan to install a drip cap/edge at the wall-to-floor joint, with care not to leave a sharp edge at the door openings. A bead of PL Premium will be laid under & on top of the drip cap, laid on the frame, and then the wall will be placed. The Z-profile window drip cap comes in 1-1/4" and 1-5/8" widths and 10ft lengths (the 10" description on the webpage is wrong). The L-shaped roof edge has an angled edge that is better for shedding water, but it doesn't have the Z profile that extends up the inner side of the wall.

Z profile window cap:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Amerimax-Hom ... 097629-_-N

Here's the roof drip edge. I wonder if it could be folded to form a Z profile, using a 2x4 as a brake:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Amerimax-Hom ... /100004889

[CanuckShooter]

Has anyone ever tried square pvc tubing instead of wood in the floor? It wouldn't be to hard to fill it with spray foam and it wouldn't rot. They even make solid bars, that could be used for mounting points rather than wood inserts.

https://www.amazon.com/Polyvinyl-Chlori ... VWCGBZS3KC

NO??

[KCStudly]

The consensus is that it is too flexible and not structurally adequate.

[GPW]

Unless it’s been “tested" , it remains a viable alternative ... But it may work better for simple framing where we use wood now ... ?

[rustytoolss]

What about using the man made (plastic type stuff) outdoor deck boards just asking ? not sure of what it called. But you can buy it at Lowes/ homedepot. Since I have not built a trailer yet. How long did your floors last before you had to repair them ? And Why is it that some pop ups and other campers floors seem to last longer ? OR NOT

[Rick Tyler]

What about using the man made (plastic type stuff) outdoor deck boards just asking ? not sure of what it called. But you can buy it at Lowes/ homedepot. Since I have not built a trailer yet. How long did your floors last before you had to repair them ? And Why is it that some pop ups and other campers floors seem to last longer ? OR NOT

The outdoor boards grow mildew/mold/slime nearly as well as untreated lumber. Google on Trex class-action suit. Trex (and most similar products) are very dense and heavy, not very stiff, do not hold fasteners well, and are expensive. It also doesn't come in sheets. It's like MDF with plastic fibers mixed in with the wood and resin.

Water + air = rot. There is no such thing as "dry rot," wood rot always involves water. The trailers that last longer are either stored indoors, or are better built (no leaks). There is nothing really magic going on -- water plus air is bad.

There are thousands of shop-built (and professionally-built) ply/epoxy/glass composite boats that have been around for decades with no rot. The method is perfect for tear drops (lightweight, stiff, nearly waterproof), but costs more than most traditional methods. Some builders of foamies on this forum have done foam/epoxy/glass composites with good results. Teardrops don't have to be as strong as boats, and the foam is pretty cheap, so I think it's an interesting method. I was a boat-builder first, though, so I am especially prone to using materials and methods I understand. (That is, I've built a few small boats, I'm not a professional.)

[Bob Hammond]

Wooden structures can last a long time if built with care. I don't see why a teardrop can't be built to last.

In my backyard is a 7'x11' playhouse made of pine that was built about 1951, When I moved here in '89, the 2x4 sill plates were rotted out but the rest of the structure was in good shape. So i braced it up and rolled it off the dirt on fence poles with a comealong. I put an 18" block foundation in, replaced the sill plates with pressure treated wood and installed a plywood floor, painted it, reshingled it, and moved it back. It is still solid today. The point here is that I used appropriate materials for damp ground contact, and protected it with a good paint job and roof. The other thing is, is that has excellent ventilation and is unheated/unoccupied in the winter.

And by the way, where I lived near Philadelphia, there is house that was built about 1638, and that was a private residence until 1937. I explored it when it was essentially derelict in the 1980s and was almost burned down by vandals. It was interesting to see how the joints were cut to shed water. The building has since been 'restored' and is now on the National Register.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWBqnqoqaWw

[GPW]

Once again , the purpose of a Foamie trailer is to use a lighter material (s) that doesn’t easily rot , is easily worked by anyone with basic tools and a modicum of skill , and is inexpensive ...

The real truth is ... EVERY MATERIAL HAS IT’S QUIRKS !!!! Nothing is perfect ... But some materials do better than others for most people ... and it’s usually depends How you use them !

BH ... "Wooden structures can last a long time if built with care.”.. You know , that’s so True ( and we Love those ) !!! But how many people have the skills , knowledge ( or desire) now to build like the old timers did ... And how many can afford those that do ... ? Old school construction would be prohibitively expensive these days, if you could find the craftsmen and materials ...
So, Lets just say (again) that the Foamie trailer in it’s many incarnations , is just something else to build from, an alternative ... something EASY ... The “Peoples” camper trailer .

( finally , the point ) And yes, water and air tend to rot most things eventually ... But as we’ve learned , occasional wetting and quick drying causes minimal damage ( except for plywood which swells immediately ) ... It’s the continued “SOAKING” that does the major damage ... Water that is Trapped , and has no where to go ... so we must consider that whatever you use , certain parameters must be provided for , most of which involves the ability to dry quickly and completely . It seems unfair to compare a material ( deckboards ) without actually giving them a try in a protected trailer situation rather than on an open deck ... “ The outdoor boards grow mildew/mold/slime nearly as well as untreated lumber. “ ... The key word being OUTDOOR ...

Foamies are all about THINKING and Learning how to use a common (LIGHTWEIGHT) material(s) that is not so prone to being affected by water and air ...

Personally we can only comment from the experience of actually having or using certain materials in the TRAILER situation .... and we’re STILL Learning ... Hopefully we can all compare our experiences and come up with something that works BETTER , and yet is still affordable and doesn’t take FOREVER ...

[Bob Hammond]

....

[alaska teardrop]

Just a repeat from another thread that asked this question: viewtopic.php?f=55&t=65067

Good points for both Plywood and boards , or even foam ... Guess it’s up to the builder to choose ...

FYI, I’m only trying to promote different ideas here , so don’t get mad at me if you don’t agree... Simply post your views for consideration too ...

Simple construction.
Lightweight.
Protected underside.
No wood rot.
Insulated floor.

Not foamies, but two examples of the sketch above.

.063" aluminum riveted to frame, 2" extruded polystyrene, lay flat/no glue vinyl flooring.



.050" aluminum riveted to frame, 1-1/2" extruded polystyrene, 1/4" oak plywood flooring.



Fred

[GPW]

Fred, That’s certainly very NICE !!!

I was thinking about something similar on those low "utility trailers” with the steel mesh floors ...

[ghcoe]

My old '57 Kenskill TT had what looked like thick roofing felt stapled to the bottom of the floor. Ply wood was still in great shape even after 35 years. I think the intent was for the paper to protect the wood but allow it to dry if it got wet.

[aggie79]

okay, lets talk about improperly sealed fasteners...

Let's say we've build the perfect floor, foam, with 5mm luan on both sides, covered with canvas, and it's perfectly water tight.

Then we drill a bunch of holes to attach the floor to the frame. Now we've got a bunch of holes that just want to wick in the water.

What do we do?

Mike...

Mike,

My floor is sandwich construction - 1/4" ply, 3/4" framing and foam (1x2s laid flat) and 1/4" ply. It is attached to the 2" x 2" trailer framing with trailer deck screws that only penetrate the upper surface of the square tubing.

Before I fastened the floor, I covered the upper frame surfaces with window flashing tape. The flashing has a bituminous layer that seals penetrations from fasteners. In this instance it seals around the deck screws.



Although the deck screws are self-drilling, I pre-drilled the for deck screw holes through the floor framing only and not into the steel tube trailer framing. I then used a syringe to squirt sealant into each hole, similar to this picture:



When I fastened the trailer deck screws, there was "squeeze-out" of the sealant. With the ends of the deck screws inside of the square tubing, and the window flashing tape plus sealant, I am confident that there is no pathway for moisture to migrate.

Take care,
Tom

[Bob Hammond]

I saw 4x8 sheets of HDPE at Menards that come in 1/8,1/4, & 3/8 thicknesses. Rot proof and rock proof, and no goo.

http://www.menards.com/main/building-ma ... 1374239187