New flooring in my tub for camping.

[GreenUte]

Firstly I hope this is the best area for posting this question.

I'm lining my tub with a new floor and sides and then carpeting it all. I'll also be boxing over the wheel arches.

I'm using yellow tongue flooring and bolting it from underneath with countersink bolts and lock nuts. At the tailgate end there will be a nice aluminium angle trim to dress it up nicely.

This weekend took the ute down to the car wash and spent 15 minutes pounding it with water from all angles and there is absolutely no leaks. Despite this I took to the inside of the tub with a tube of silicone sealant and sealed every seam I could find.

Now.... Before I lay the yellow tongue down who thinks I should put a layer of foam or carpet underlay between the tub and the timber floor? Or should I just lay the yellow tongue straight onto the tub and bolt it in place?

[ScotsMan]

maybe consider using marine ply or form ply no matter how much you try the tail gate will always let some water in .No point in doing all that work just to have the chipboard swell might as well do it right first time it sucks having to do things twice

[GreenUte]

Thanks ScotsMan, Yeah I looked at marine ply initally but moved to yellow tongue for its sheer density. I have sealed up the tailgate extremely well with rubber seals and I'm confident no water will get in. but I might go back tomorrow and look at it again.

[ScotsMan]

for what its worth any company that makes drawer systems either uses marine ply of folded steel they dont use chipboard for a reason

[mrcranky]

hi green ute , yellow is way to heavy, use sum thing like 12mm ply and water proof it with bond Crete

[GreenUte]

Thanks Scotsman, you've convinced me. I'll check out marine ply next days off.
mrcranky, thanks for the tip about bondcrete. I'll pick some up also

[oldhilux]

I looked up BondCrete on their website and they said the following, which doesn't sound to me like it is made for waterproofing:

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FAQs

Can I use BondCrete to waterproof my concrete slab?

No, BondCrete is not a waterproofing product and will re-emulsify when it comes into contact with water.


~~~~~~~~~~~

[mrcranky]

old hilux, bond crete is a well known product used by a lot of people in floors of boat trailers including myself
my last boat trailer floor was 7 years old and no problem when sold, and my current boat trailer floor made from 12mm ply, bond crete, carpet over has been in and out of water for the last 6 years with no water damage, you can only learn from experience and i would use bond crete again.

[Alby]

Definitely don't use yellow tongue flooring
Far to heavy and it will swell up

[GreenUte]

Well regarding the swelling/water issue, I have a completely sealed canopy/tub, including the tailgate so there just as much chance of water enter the cabin as there is entering the tub. Water is not an issue, believe me.

Picked up some marine ply today, cut and laid and ready to be bolted to the floor. I ran some 20x15mm hardwood strips along the ridges of the tub floor - from front to back - and bolted them in place. This forms a 'sub-frame' and allows the floor to sit a couple of mm above the tub floor. I can then pack the gaps with insulation since I'll be sleeping in it. This weekend I'll screw the floor to the hardwood strips.

Next is to locate some matching loop pile carpet and build the side walls of the tub (by boxing in the wheel arches) and some small cupboards between the wheel arches and the front wall of the tub.

[Hobosgold]

I used 18mm flooring ply in mine camper trailer, its almost as good as marine ply and a bit cheaper, I would use yellow tongue flooring, its too heavy, as stated before. check out my You Tube video on my camper trailer.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsN3k1f ... NgflvqO8RG regards Johnny

[GreenUte]

Hobosgold, great videos you have made there. I used to do the odd panning in Central Vic. myself.

As it turns out I did not get marine ply, just normal 18mm thick flooring ply! Bought the wrong stuff. Doesn't matter. Looks great all laid down and fitted.

Put some carpet down today but it's not soft enough (too hard on my knees) so I need to put some underlay/underfelt/foam underneath. It needs to be glued to the ply floor with contact adhesive, then the carpet is then glued on top.

Incidently the carpet is backed with a lining so the adhesive won't bleed through the carpet. For the headboard - the wall at the front of the tub - I'm going to use two layers of foam underlay.

Progressing well...