A better plywood floor

kyle4501 · September 21, 2015, 06:01:01 PM

Manufactured wood panels have their place, but most assuredly NOT on a vehicle floor. My '86 Airstream trailer used something like you are talking about on the floor - absolute trash. Have you any idea the difficulty involved in replacing that crap?

Lots of building products test well in the laboratory, but don't perform nearly as well in the real world.

As has been said, Marine grade plywood is one of the best choices you could make for your floor.
The biggest problem with a manufactured wood panel (or what ever you want to call shredded wood & glue pressed flat ) is that more often than not, they are not as tough & durable as a good quality piece plywood when subjected to real world conditions.

There are also some aluminum skinned plywood panels also available, but those usually make the marine grade plywood look cheap.

For reference, my '87 Newell has plywood on the floor with foam insulation sprayed on the bottom. Still ROCK SOLID.
I haven't had it in the cold yet, but it is insulated well enough that 1 roof AC can easily keep it cool on the hottest day this past summer.

Good luck with your project.

PS, the foundation of any project sets the tone for everything that follows . . . .

luvrbus · September 21, 2015, 06:17:15 PM

Over the years I seen a lot of buses and high end motor homes like a Newell the floor was rotten made with marine plywood,you have to take great pains on the installation of any type sub flooring and keep it dry

sledhead · September 22, 2015, 04:32:12 AM

the down side with plywood is it delaminates . when it does its toast .

dave

kyle4501 · September 22, 2015, 05:05:07 AM

Quote from: sledhead on September 22, 2015, 04:32:12 AM
the down side with plywood is it delaminates . when it does its toast .

dave

Isn't delamination a failure of the glue joint? So that should apply to any glued product.

I remember all the hype about FRP siding being such a great & perfect improvement over the 'ugly' riveted alum panels - - - - Too bad the real world results didn't match the sales hype . . . . .

It has been my observation that when plywood delaminates, it doesn't loose all of its strength. The pieces of wood are still large enough to provide some support. With the smaller pieces used in 'engineered' wood products . . . .

As with anything, abuse & neglected maintenance usually leads to early failure.

If you could only keep it dry. . . . .

Your project, your choice. Hope that whatever you choose to use works as you intended so you can spend more time enjoying it !

From what I've seen, the engineered wood products are harder, where, in comparison, the plywood has a little bit softness. Ie: easier to walk on, not as harsh.

Darkspeed · September 22, 2015, 05:35:23 AM

Doing more research... from what I understand the binder resin is similar to gorilla glue.

I did find this, it is a pice that has been exposed to the weather untreated for ten years, its actually a door to a contractor dumpster.. >

luvrbus · September 22, 2015, 06:03:15 AM

Plywood is a engineered wood also isn't it,I have watched it made in Oregon they have strips glued to make a sheet 4x8 of veneer then they keep stacking and gluing the sheets to the desired thickness only difference in any plywood is the glue and the top sheet of veneer.You have to keep both products dry and seal the edges but I never saw OSB used in RV it maybe ok it's all they use in houses now

lostagain · September 22, 2015, 07:08:17 AM

It doesn't matter so much what the floor is made out of. What matters most is to keep it dry. Most materials will last a long time if kept dry.

JC

Jeremy · September 22, 2015, 07:23:50 AM

The term 'plywood' covers everything from cheap sheeting made with softwood and PVA glues, right up to and including materials made of hardwoods and modern resins used to construct aircraft and racing yachts. I used to build boats and wince (in an entirely pretentious way) when people use the term 'marine plywood' when they actually mean 'exterior grade ply bought from my local timber merchant'. True marine ply is quite hard to get hold of and hellishly expensive, and has to comply with BS1088. I've actually just looked on Wikipedia to see what the equivalent American standard is, and there isn't one - apparently the code to which different grades of plywood are manufactured to is entirely voluntary in the States, which might be why the product seems less highly regarded and/or less commonly used

Jeremy

Oh, and that dumpster door will be heavier and floppier than a heavy floppy thing.

luvrbus · September 22, 2015, 07:39:25 AM

We have all kinds of marine plywood manufactures here that meet the BS1088 specs the better grade is Lauan board laminated together with what ever veneer you choose, 1088 is the same code number we use here for marine plywood some here use code 6566

Forest Products ships marine plywood all over the world I saw a whole 53 ft container full of their Aquatech 1088 going to a yacht builder in Asia

Oonrahnjay · September 22, 2015, 07:44:08 AM

Quote from: lostagain on September 22, 2015, 07:08:17 AM
It doesn't matter so much what the floor is made out of. What matters most is to keep it dry. Most materials will last a long time if kept dry.

JC

I had a few leaks around edges and corners of my floor downstairs. When I looked, I found that the original plywood floor was rotten in places and delaminated. I had to replace it all. I put coats and coats of sealer and sealer paint - esp. on the edges - of the new plywood, even though it was exterior grade ply. I also went from 1/2" (equiv.*) to 3/4" (equiv.) -- much better.

(* Equiv. = whatever they sell now that is supposed to be the "real" thickness but isn't.)

eagle19952 · September 22, 2015, 09:49:57 AM

if it's wood...it needs sealants.

chip board will drink a lot of it

kyle4501 · September 22, 2015, 09:55:00 AM

There seems to be a consensus -
1 - use good quality
2 - keep it dry
3 - use sealants & paints if you can't keep it away from water

zubzub · September 23, 2015, 05:36:20 AM

I use both all time and have yet to find an OSB that holds fasteners as well as plywood. We are allowed to use OSB for flooring now but if I can get the client to agree I upgrade to ply. I agree that keeping it dry is the most important, but the truth is water will do what it does so...I prefer ply, it will eventually fall apart but OSB punks out much faster. No matter how well you seal a surface there will be screws etc to let water in. Also along the wall edge a certain amount of condensation should be expected unless you engineer the connection very carefully against thermal bridging.
Interesting thread though as the OP seems pretty convinced already that OSB is the way to go.

buddydawg · September 23, 2015, 09:35:01 AM

I used the 3/4" AdvanTech over the original plywood bus floor. It was installed in 2008 and has survived more than one water mishap, It still looks new in places where you can still see it. It is a quality product IMO.

kyle4501 · September 23, 2015, 10:10:29 AM

Quote from: buddydawg on September 23, 2015, 09:35:01 AM
I used the 3/4" AdvanTech over the original plywood bus floor. It was installed in 2008 and has survived more than one water mishap, It still looks new in places where you can still see it. It is a quality product IMO.

I don't believe you. You need to attend the NonRally to prove it.

Been way too long