Subfloors?

[pat g]

Squatch,

I like the way you think! Look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Pat G

[Conedodger]

Cone, great find !!! Sure would be nice to try some of those "industrial" panels ... vacuum bonded and all .. that just HAS to be Strong eh ? Wonder how dear they are???

So after speaking to them it seams that all the RV manufactures who buy from them use the same stuff

They recommend a 30mm overall thick insulated panel with a lay up of;-
2MM GEL COATED GRP / 25MM FOAM / 2MM GEL COATED GRP
AVERAGE PRICE. £44.00 PER M2, ex works, ex vat
WEIGHT. 7.77 KG PER M2 APPROX.

So £44 plus vat (Value added tax at 20%) is about $93 per square meter (39" square") and you have to collect it.

Maybe it has a gold thread running through it, think about it, if you cut out a window you will throw away $50

[GPW]

OUCH !!!! Very Pricy !!! That VAT is a bugger eh !!! Guess they have to pay for "the wedding" some way ... Is VAT on Everything ?

[GPW]

Just a little more thinking on sub floors ... Anybody consider using the Old School T&G boards for flooring ... Worked for the Old Timers, and no restrictions on width like plywood ...
My Tiny CT has a T&G floor , and although unfinished seems to be in Great shape ... Maybe Lighter than plywood and no de-lamination...

[tinksdad]

The original Midget in the "Vintage Plans" at the top of the page used T&G for the floor with a perimeter frame on top of the floor. I would imagine the perimeter framing keeps the edges of the T&G from warping out of position. I don't see why it wouldn't work as long as you could pull the seams together nice and tight. IMHO, I would still seal it well.

[GPW]

Dad , it seems to work well on my Tiny CT and I get no "bounce" as with plywood ...

[Conedodger]

OUCH !!!! Very Pricy !!! That VAT is a bugger eh !!! Guess they have to pay for "the wedding" some way ... Is VAT on Everything ?

Not on food, some books, kids clothes and a few other items

And i agree vat is a bugger

[GPW]

Cone ,here we have "state tax" and "city tax" , which when combined into a "sales tax" comes up to 9% on Everything ... Not appreciated , since everything has already been previously taxed all along the way through all and various transactions... ad infinitum ... and that's only the one , every time you do anything , it's taxed... I guess if you added it up , it would be a considerable sum ... They even tax me on my SS(retirement) income , for which I was taxed to death through all my working years , a punishment for being self-employed ...in the land of "Free Enterprise" WT?


OOPS!!! A little OT... Eagle would "have a cow" should she be here ...

[eaglesdare]

Cone ,here we have "state tax" and "city tax" , which when combined into a "sales tax" comes up to 9% on Everything ... Not appreciated , since everything has already been previously taxed all along the way through all and various transactions... ad infinitum ... and that's only the one , every time you do anything , it's taxed... I guess if you added it up , it would be a considerable sum ... They even tax me on my SS(retirement) income , for which I was taxed to death through all my working years , a punishment for being self-employed ...in the land of "Free Enterprise" WT?


OOPS!!! A little OT... Eagle would "have a cow" should she be here ...

hey now, be nice. you know sometimes a little off topic is a good thing. who knows what other kinds of ideas can come from that. just don't tell the big boss mike. i don't want to get into trouble.

[GPW]

No Troubles, just the mice scurrying about sans supervision All for Fun , Fun for all !!!

[squatch]

I don't think I'd use T+G for a subfloor without a frame for it. Plywood is strong in several directions. Planks are strong in one direction. I live in a house full of T+G and love the stuff. But like all planks it swells with wet and humidity and shrinks when dry. This will open up the seams to let water in then comes the rot. It would be difficult to truely seal the bottom of it to road spray ect. Would make for a pretty floor though.

[mezmo]

Hi Squatch,

I'll just throw out a couple thoughts on it.

It is my impression that ply with a framework is used for including
insulation in the floor. If light framework [say 3/4 x 1 1/2] is used
with thinner ply [1/4-3/8] you can get an insulated floor for about
the same weight as full 3/4 ply. If the rest of the foamie is insulated
by default, I'd carry it through to the floor as well. It's more work,
but it all boils down to what you want. My personal preference
would be to insulate.

I should also think that if you use a denser foam, you could make
a home-made SIP for the floor. I'd use a perimeter frame and insert
blocking at the bolt-through points for attaching the floor to the frame,
using 1/4 and 1/4 ply for the faces or 3/8 top & 1/4 bottom ply.

Also I've seen quite a few postings around the web on old TTs/Caravans.
My impression is that the tongue & groove flooring was used in the
early TTs as plywood wasn't really affordable or widely available. Once
it became affordable and widely available it was used due to it's many
benefits - more stable, stronger, less labor etc..

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[Wobbly Wheels]

a home-made SIP for the floor

That's exactly what I'm planning for all of my panels, including the floor. I just finished laying up the door this weekend as a test and it passed with flying colors.
Here's the thread: http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=44522

I'm using doorskin on one side of the foam and epoxy with 6oz cloth on the other (outside). The floor will be skinned on both sides - the lower skin will probably be 1/4", strictly for puncture resistance.

[GPW]

Just playing Devils advocate ... Plywood is easier to use... Cheaper than good T&G wood which must be fitted piece by piece .. Ply delaminates , T&G may suffer from Rot ... But you can change out T&G in the rotted areas whereas ply must have the whole thing replaced...
You can glue insulation to either... and how many folks have experienced catastrophic punctures in their TD floors ... Never read about that here... Curious !!!

The T&G floor on my Tiny CT is T&G and although unprotected or sealed is in fine shape after some time ...

[Wobbly Wheels]

FWIW, my 'puncture resistance' comment was as opposed to raw foam, 1/8" doorskin or glassed foam....none of which would stand up well, especially in the wheels wells.

I don't have an opinion on T&G vs ply because I would encapsulate both in epoxy anyway, so I'm just following with interest...