Forum Discussion

Rotaxxx's avatar
Rotaxxx
Explorer
Jul 08, 2018

Truck bed liner on the bottom of truck camper bad idea?

Well we bought ourselves a 2008 Palomino Bronco 1250 a few weeks ago. When we went and looked at it, it all looked great. Previous owner stated it was stored inside, or under a tarp ,all of its life. He was the original owner of it. So we settled on a price which was a fair bit seeing as these are hard to find in our area, and we took it home. When we got home the bottom corner molding at the back was loose and fallen down a bit. Weird I thought as it was not like that when we picked it up. Got looking at it and the OSB wood on the bottom was soft and the screw pulled out on it. So I put a longer screw in it and pulled it up tight, but now it has me worried that the rest of the floor may get damp and get soft (being OSB). Then we would have a real real big problem.... So I got thinking it might be a good idea to paint or put something on the bottom of it to stop it from getting wet. I at first thought about some sort of paint, but then got thinking maybe spray on truck bed liner would work great. Its super tough and would seal it up real good. But the big problem with that is if it gets wet on top of the floor the OSB wouldn't be able to breath and the would rot real fast then. So good idea to do it? Or bad? Any other suggestions? Thanks all.
Truck Campers
  • SidecarFlip's avatar
    SidecarFlip
    Explorer III
    Jul 09, 2018
    I believe you can not buy Rhino Liner/Herculiner in different colors (besides black) now.

    When I had the addition put on my shop, the contractor was going to use OSB for roof sheathing. I paid the difference for plywood.
  • Grit_dog's avatar
    Grit_dog
    Navigator
    Jul 08, 2018
    Bed liner isn't a bad idea, but if the bottom is already soft in spots, if you're planning on keeping it, I'd replace it with some plywood, then seal it up.
  • mountainkowboy's avatar
    mountainkowboy
    Explorer
    Jul 08, 2018
    OSB is HORRIBLE for the bottom of a camper, it's a sponge for water and then it falls apart. I replaced some that was rotting on the S&S with exterior plywood and then sprayed rubberized undercoating on the bottom and sides. That was 2011 and all is good still with it.
  • SidecarFlip's avatar
    SidecarFlip
    Explorer III
    Jul 08, 2018
    My new (2014) Palomino's bottom and sides are 3/4" plywood, not OSB (that the lord for that) and the entire outer is skinned in pebble grained sheet aluminum.

    The bottom of the bottom sits proud of the truck bed on formed steel extrusions running parallel to the camper with one at 90 degrees in the very front and one at the back. That adds rigidity and keeps the camper off the bed of the truck.

    Obviously, much improved over the original units.

    I'd say skin it (you can get the material from Palomino in Colon, Michigan or, coat the entire bottom with a truck bed liner material line Line-X or Rhino Liner, both rubber based and both water resistant. Think I'd add 1 x 6 Pressure Treated stringers to the bottom as well, to keep the bottom from direct contact with the truck bed.

    As a side note, I do not have a bed mat in my truck, just the Line-X bed liner and I've never had a movement issue and I camp off road 99% of the time.

    If your OSB starts out dry and you seal it dry, rot isn't an issue. Takes moisture and heat to start rot.

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