looking for advice on floor replacement
Hi, I am new to the forum and this is my first post here. I'm also new to campers as well. Over the weekend, I purchased a 2004 Aerolite 215 (hybrid). I knew there was a soft spot in the floor, but...
Forum Discussion
Thanks for the good words, DrewE. I think you are right - no need to re-engineer the flooring.
I believe the water was getting in in two places: the very front panel was dinged and the seam was not sealed. I'm talking about the vertical wall meeting the floor, just above where the frame extends beyond the body. I caulked that yesterday and will be sure to keep an eye on it. Secondly, the front bunk does not seal well. The previous owner had to replace the wood on the front bunk, that should have been a clue that there was a seal issue here. It's especially a problem because the front face of the trailer is sloped (for better aerodynamics), but that means that water wants to drip inside. I noticed this because it rained after I got it into my driveway and the hinge area was damp. I will deal with that this weekend.
right now I am fully planning on gutting the interior and ripping out as much flooring as I can. Poking around, that there are extruded aluminum frames inside the floor where the wall meet. That made me feel a lot better that there is some frame structure there I can attach to.
My thoughts right now are to use marine-grade plywood for sure, top and bottom. Probably stick with 1/4" thick. simply going with marine-grade will be enough of an upgrade beyond builder specifications that I should be good for another 10 years at least. I will be encapsulating the edges and any holes with epoxy to prevent water from wicking into the board.
As far as the bottom surface - I'm not going to waterproof it beyond applying a water-repellent stain. I want the wood to breathe, rather than trap moisture. But, at the same time, I don't want any splashed water soaking into the wood - I want it beading up and dripping off. I expect to have to re-apply once a year but that isn't a huge deal. At the end of the day, I will be driving in the rain with it maybe a couple times a year - a few continuous hours of moisture followed by days of dry won't cause issues. Standing water being trapped against a moisture barrier seems like a worse situation to me.
Everything else on this trailer seems to be in great working shape. The roof is solid, the walls look good, appliances seem to be in good condition, etc. some canvas needs repaired/replaced, but that should be expected in a 10 yr old trailer.
I believe the water was getting in in two places: the very front panel was dinged and the seam was not sealed. I'm talking about the vertical wall meeting the floor, just above where the frame extends beyond the body. I caulked that yesterday and will be sure to keep an eye on it. Secondly, the front bunk does not seal well. The previous owner had to replace the wood on the front bunk, that should have been a clue that there was a seal issue here. It's especially a problem because the front face of the trailer is sloped (for better aerodynamics), but that means that water wants to drip inside. I noticed this because it rained after I got it into my driveway and the hinge area was damp. I will deal with that this weekend.
right now I am fully planning on gutting the interior and ripping out as much flooring as I can. Poking around, that there are extruded aluminum frames inside the floor where the wall meet. That made me feel a lot better that there is some frame structure there I can attach to.
My thoughts right now are to use marine-grade plywood for sure, top and bottom. Probably stick with 1/4" thick. simply going with marine-grade will be enough of an upgrade beyond builder specifications that I should be good for another 10 years at least. I will be encapsulating the edges and any holes with epoxy to prevent water from wicking into the board.
As far as the bottom surface - I'm not going to waterproof it beyond applying a water-repellent stain. I want the wood to breathe, rather than trap moisture. But, at the same time, I don't want any splashed water soaking into the wood - I want it beading up and dripping off. I expect to have to re-apply once a year but that isn't a huge deal. At the end of the day, I will be driving in the rain with it maybe a couple times a year - a few continuous hours of moisture followed by days of dry won't cause issues. Standing water being trapped against a moisture barrier seems like a worse situation to me.
Everything else on this trailer seems to be in great working shape. The roof is solid, the walls look good, appliances seem to be in good condition, etc. some canvas needs repaired/replaced, but that should be expected in a 10 yr old trailer.
