Floors

[paulfredricks]

We are shopping for a new travel trailer. I've seen all the info about quality these days. Most issues sound small to me as I am very handy.

Some of the units we are looking at have a 2" laminated floor listed. A friend of mine had a laminated floor in the past and said that where ever someone spent a lot of time, like in front of the sink, the floor sagged. It was dented in. For that reason he will only go with a camper that has a plywood floor.

Is this still a concern with this type of floor?

[dedmiston]

The thread got bumped by a spammer. Sorry guys.

[deltabravo]

kellem wrote:
Foam core flooring seems to be common in trailers with heated underbelly due to it's insulation R value.

Northwood MFG and Outdoors RV have always had heated, enclosed underbellies and they have never used a laminated floor system.

[deltabravo]

jdc1 wrote:
Stick to a good sheet vinyl floor. Less chance of moisture to penetrate down to the OSB sheeting.

OSB for the flooring is used by low-end RV manufacturers.
I wouldn't buy one that used OSB anywhere in the construction

[ktmrfs]

We have a 2011 keystone outback with laminated floor. Gets used a couple months/year at least, and haven't noticed any issues with floor sagging anywhere. But we are careful to make sure there is no water intrusion.

Fellow campers have trailers 10+ years old with laminated floors and lots of use and not issues either.
Are there better floors? likely

[Huntindog]

Just say no,Why buy a potential headache. There are plenty out there without such a floor. They weigh more but it is good weight.

[thomas66]

SNIP

[kellem]

Foam core flooring seems to be common in trailers with heated underbelly due to it's insulation R value.

We have a friend who actually went through the floor on brand new trailer but can I mention this person exceeded 400 lbs.

That said, we've not experienced any issues but are light on foot.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

paulfredricks wrote:
Forest River makes a number of campers with 5/8" ply wood floors

My 2018 Rockwood has a plywood floor

[GrandpaKip]

Our camper has a foam core floor and we use it a lot. There has been no problem with the floor.
However, if you are a larger type person, there can (and probably will) be a breakdown of the floor, especially at the door. I have seen this firsthand in someone else’s trailer.

[valhalla360]

campigloo wrote:
The laminated floors are usually pretty good. His probably got wet. They’re used because they have some insulation value and they’re light. Unless maybe it’s a toy hauler I doubt you’ll find any camper made in the last 30 years that will have plywood flooring.

The sandwich core flooring is used because it's cheap and light weight.

Lots of campers still use plywood though there has been a move to OSB. As long as it stays dry, OSB vs plywood isn't a big deal but OSB is far less forgiving if it gets wet. Not that you want plywood to get wet but if it gets wet a couple times then you fix the leak, good chance the plywood will be fine...the OSB will disintegrate.

Problem with sandwich core is they use very thin sheets of plywood, so the deflection goes into the foam core. In high traffic areas, that foam starts to break down, even if it never gets wet. So by the door or in front of the sink, the floor starts to sag. If you use the trailer a few weekends per year, it may be years before the issue is noticeable. If you use the trailer a lot, it can show up quickly.

[spoon059]

I've got a 2015 Jayco with a solid plywood floor. Laminated floors are good when they are solid, but just about impossible to fix if they get damaged. While I hope that I never need to fix my floor, I am confident in my abilities to replace a section of plywood. I'd have to pay to fix a laminated floor, or scrap the trailer.

That played into my decision of what brand and type trailer I wanted.

[coolmom42]

Lots of problems with the foam core floors getting soft spots. The stuff in the middle gets soft with use.

I would rather have a wood floor with vinyl tile or sheet vinyl on top.

[CarnationSailor]

campigloo wrote:
The laminated floors are usually pretty good. His probably got wet. They’re used because they have some insulation value and they’re light. Unless maybe it’s a toy hauler I doubt you’ll find any camper made in the last 30 years that will have plywood flooring.

My 2011 Keystone Cougar TT had a laminated floor (foam core) and it sagged in high traffic areas and it did NOT get wet. Also, I know of at least two others with Keystone products of that era who had similar problems.

I hope the current laminated floors are free of that defect.

[cougar28]

Jayco uses "5/8 in. tongue-and-groove joined plywood floor decking" in a lot of there models.