Finch Flock's Foamie

[FinchFlock]

So far all the wood is free , useful pieces of a project that my husband dismantled. I ran out of long pieces and had to make due with the shorter ones at the ends (where there won't be much weight).

[GPW]

Quote: “ So far all the wood is free “ ... That’s the spirit !!
How are you posting your pictures? In your Album ?

[FinchFlock]

Yes, I put them in an album. I tried two different ways to post them, but they don't look nice like yours and many others.

[FinchFlock]

It's so frustrating
But I can't really blame the computer when I know that it is most likely an operator error

[GPW]

In an album here ? ... You know you have your own album !!! Then just copy the album number ... Or you can upload the pics in the "Upload attachments" ... ( see below)

[FinchFlock]

[album]20160323 110512[/album]

[FinchFlock]

[FinchFlock]

These were the tires that were on it when we bought it.
The larger one is new, the spare matched the small one. I took the small ones to get replaced. The man at the tire shop said they were "really old...from the early 90s". ...
What does that say about me?
I'm glad I don't age like a tire!

[GPW]

Tires are a big issue around here ... And by what others say are only usable for a few years ... The General Discussion ^ has many threads on tires ...
Thankfully Foamie trailers , being Lighter , are easier on tires than the heavier wooden trailers ... but they still age ... ( like everything else eh ??? )

[ghcoe]

Manufactures love expiration dates........Makes you buy more stuff!

[FinchFlock]

We decided to try something different. We used plastic wall board for the under side of the trailer. We sealed the seams with tar tape that is usually used for roofing. We plan on gluing it to the wood on the other side.
I wouldn't recommend using the screws that we used. They stick up too much, and although I liked that they had a water tight gasket built in, they are not made for wood, so they don't hold as well .

[FinchFlock]

We are thankful for having such nice neighbors! They helped us flip the base over and place it on the trailer. We can work on attaching it now.
The plastic is loose around the edges because we plan on attaching a drip edge(learning from GPW 's experience ), and wrapping the canvas around it and onto the wood. Then screwing the edges of the plastic over that. If we still think it may leak, maybe we will add some tar tape over that .
I hope the tar tape doesn't melt or ooze in our summer heat
Maybe we will just have to take it(and us) to cooler places during that time

[GPW]

Finch, that plastic under-floor may seem like a good idea now , but remember any non-permeable material will do a better job holding water IN , than keeping or letting it out ... Water always finds a way in (ask anybody here ) ... the idea is to get the water OUT before it has a chance to soak up into anything .
It may also be a good idea to go ahead and seal your floor frame with “the Mix “ . Or the black nasty stuff ... that will protect it and waterproof it and wouldn’t need any “covering" underneath ... The underside of a trailer survives remarkably well , especially when the only water it ever sees is on the road ... ( Remarkably , my old All steel cargo trailer has a wooden board floor , unpainted , no undercoating , looks great for being at least 20 years old . The outer steel skin is configured to provide a drip edge all around so the bottom stays dry all the time ..

[FinchFlock]

Finch, that plastic under-floor may seem like a good idea now , but remember any non-permeable material will do a better job holding water IN , than keeping or letting it out ... Water always finds a way in (ask anybody here ) ... the idea is to get the water OUT before it has a chance to soak up into anything

I really appreciate your help. I already treated the floor frame, but with full strength varnish. The thinner I got made it half watery, half a cloudy gel. Maybe I got the wrong stuff? Maybe I didn't use enough thinner? The guy at the HD paint counter said it would work to thin it.
Keeping the water out was only half the purpose. I intend to fill the gap with foam. (I wouldn't buy a cooler that had one side with no insulation... and I don't like cold floors)
Our original plan was to wrap the bottom with canvas(avoiding the black nasty stuff if possible ). Maybe we should revisit that idea. I guess we could use plywood but we have managed to avoid it so far, and I'd like to keep it that way if possible.

[GPW]

Maybe a spray foam coating on the underside , insulating , waterproofing and integrating the whole frame floor thing together ... Just a thought ... since it would see no UV rays , it wouldn’t even have to be especially protected...

Ps. if you put the Black nasty stuff on Now , it’s Easy , Later is much more difficult ( ask me how I know )