FoamStream , the restoration … a lesson learned .

[KennethW]

I do things a little different. I would make a floor panel (no framing) of 1 1/2 EXP foam board with canvas on the bottom and 1/4 or 3/8 plywood on top. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Owens-Corni ... /100297916

[ghcoe]

I would cut the canvas at the floor wall separation to keep the canvas from fraying. Then use the plunge cutter and go around the outside of the wall and then along the inside of the wall. Those plunge cutters make quick work.

So do you think you would still have this problem if it was not for the ants?

[GPW]

George , first ( and foremost) I blame myself for not using the Mix …. Then blame the ants , because without those holes , water wouldn’t have gotten in at all … The drip edges did very little after the fact , 'cause the holes were above the drip edge … And then I blame myself again for not fixing them sooner !!! …. even a piece of Gorilla tape as a temporary patch would have prevented all this … (another lesson learned) We make mistakes, we learn from them , and try to prevent them from happening again ( ant Killer ) Thanks for the suggestions , we'll do that !!!

It appears ( for now) the floor will only be a PIA to remove and not a really Major Project …. We saw that Bonnie cut away a floor ( on our old Foamie #1 ) All by herself too ( bless her ) … so it’s just something we have to deal with … Besides I was finished all my painting commssions and am looking for something to do … Not the most Fun thing to do on summer vacation , but it’s necessary and probably not as bad a job as we can imagine it to be right now !!!

Guys , I’d Love to do a sandwich floor ( Light , Strong ) but I just can’t put any confidence in plywood and these other sheet materials … not living IN the Swamp !!! Now then , my friend at the guitar factory is making a kayak with a fiberglass type sheet material he gets from MS next state over… comes in long rolls and like 96” wide . in three thicknesses , and that would be the stuff I’d like to test on a sandwich floor … ( see pic) … and It’s Not ”That” expensive ... I was waithing for him to finish his Yak , before trying it myself , but maybe if we don’t find some cedar boards we like , we’ll try that … and maybe put some fiberglass "Ant border walls” in under the new canvas… I already talked to the Ant Queen , and she’s going to pay for it …

[linuxmanxxx]

That E6000 I was talking about will glue that fiberglass straight to the foam. Strongest and tackiest glue I've ever used. Guy at work glued some electronic board sockets together wanting to be helpful and we had to separate them so we could mount the main board. That glue would stretch an inch and half before it would tear. Stuck good to everything I've ever used it on. Wood plaster plastic.

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[Pmullen503]

RE Using boards for your floor.

Many years ago I had a house in MN that had a redwood deck. I wanted to convert it to a 3 season porch. The floor boards had gaps between them and being in Minnesota, where the temp and humidity swings are extreme, the boards expand and contract maybe an 1/8" over the course of a year.

So... I took up each board and milled a 1/4" groove in the edges and reinstalled the boards with floating splines in the grooves. The boards were reattached with 2 screws at each joist in the center of each board (same for the wall connections.) That way the boards were free to expand and contract and the gaps were sealed against mosquitoes by the splines.

No reason that strategy wouldn't work with your floor boards. Then you could use treated boards if you wanted though I'd make sure it was sealed off from the living space.

[GPW]

Thanks Steve, we’ll also pass that info on to our Yak friend too …

Today I’m going to be near Harbor Freight ( next door ) , we’ll stop in and see if they have a reasonably priced sawzall… figured the cabin can be cleanly sliced off the floor … ( we’ll see ) Unless something goes horribly wrong , it should be fairly easy to do … The floor OSB is pretty soft …. and once we remove that drip edge , we can slice the canvas like George said and then just "cut the cake ” …

Thanks PM … I really have confidence in a board floor .. and the splines sound like a good idea if I can make that happen … If we can’t arrange some saw time at my buddies shop , the plan was to just butt them together with a nail’s space between , then some real linoleum on the floor covering all … It’s worked on my little Cargo trailer , and for many years … Wonder why I didn’t see that sooner …
and naturally the boards will be thoroughly slobbered with the Mix , even pre drilled screwholes . Nothing left to water intrusion and we still dont know about the ants yet ...
And then again , all this may be a temporary thing …. as I got the wife agree to a new trailer build in the Fall … We’ll fix it like we’re going to keep it and then we’ll have TWO … Never enough trailers ... I warned everybody they were ADDICTIVE !!!

[GPW]

Here’s a pic of the AC hole ,with no drip edge , which shows how the floor ( blue line ) meets the 3.5” thick foam , then the wooden frame inside … ~ 7” to cut through … I guess we’d cut the foam away first , then go inside to cut the sill away … ? Never done this before , a first time for everything ..

[GPW]

Stopped today at Harbor Freight , and bought a cheap sawzall ($30) and a pack of long blades for cutting wood ( with nails ) … likely that’s all we need to slice the cabin off the floor … never owned one , so it should be "interesting”

[linuxmanxxx]

They are a blast and cut something serious

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[GPW]

Steve, it looks like a SERIOUS turkey Carving Knife … Can’t wait to try it …

One other thing we discovered , the canvas that wrapped around under the floor was pretty Rotten , apparently it didn’t get waterproofed as well as we thought … and extended almost 10” underneath and that canvas seemed to hold water like a sponge and that was up against the OSB floor … ( too late with the drip edge . ) I have to fire the builder …. what an Idiot !!!
Maybe this time we can get it right … Or try anyway ...

[GPW]

So , while it’ still dark , we re-did the drawing , just so we’d have “ a Plan “ to go by … The new board floor with cross members . We’ll make the new floor on the ground ( shop floor) , slobber it with the Mix , and lift it into place . then bolt it down … I’m assuming the 2X crossmembers are still in good shape ( we’ll check) If not they’ll be replaced . Or maybe even left out … the floor “should” hold the light cabin perimeter , and I could even bolt on some metal L braces to the outer trailer frame … Maybe ?

The heavy drip edges will be replaced by a thin waterproofed strip ( Vinyl ? ) all around and the canvas skin will run straight to the bottom , and Not under this time … no chance water can get near the floor , unless splashed when underway …
And a generous application of Ant killer around wheels and tongue jack … (grrrr!!!)

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[GPW]

Wow!!! Got the blade in … What a scary tool !! … Looks like this will slice through anything … This job should go Much Quicker now …

And it just so happens the cabin will fit in the Studio, on the garage end … Keeping all that out of the rainy weather…

And as a “detail” I’m going to ask my buddy with the CNC to make me a new front rib for the floor /frame… one without lightening holes in it …. all those did was collect dirt , dust and foam beads …

[GPW]

Well then , I thought this would be difficult , but it turned out to be pretty EASY !!! First we removed those new canvas strips , then removed the screws holding the drip edge on , After that I was able to pull the drip edges off . Then taking a drywall saw we attempted to cut away the foam from the flooring … but it was already separated ...and we were easily able to push the saw under the frame too … Great gobs of floor coming off looking like shredded wheat ... Apparently everything above the floor was fine , below it was “not so fine “ ...
So it looks like it’s not going to be so much trouble to get the cabin off the trailer … It’s not all bad everywhere, but where those ants got in, that floor is gone … What doesn’t come off easily , the sawzall should take care of that ...

Funny in the wetted areas the T2 glue has turned brown and nasty looking , , underneath ,the foam is still as it was in the beginning … we just peel it off and we’re ready to go again …

So it’s not so bad , while being a typical trailer floor disaster…

Here’s pics of the Ant side and the good side …

[GPW]

Just a little more poking around we can see it wasn’t only the ants , although we did still find them in the trailer ( they’re the little bitty TINY ones… see pic ) and they tunnel through the foam for a condo ... Looks like the drip edges added as an afterthought were added too late … Water damage from fabric wrapped under the floor pretty much rotted out everything … Under all the nastiness the Foam seems fine ( save where the little A holes tunneled through it … )

Three things we will do in the future …

1. Not wrap fabric around underneath without really making SURE it’s waterproofed …
2. Make sure we have drip edges installed from the start .
3. Bring and use some ant spray … grrrr!!! Little bas***** !!!

[GPW]

Little ants , so small you can’t see them … they did all this … (circled in red)