Nyloboard Field Test Results

[wasagachris]

I just spent quite some time searching thread titles in this section of frame/floor repair. Of the 1166 current threads on this topic not one was titled Nyloboard. Yes you can do a google search and find the threads where Nyloboard is mentioned.
I thought it might be easier to find if it had it's own title.
There has been a discussion lately about a waterproof airstream and how to avoid the floor rotting out. Various methods have been described and proposed. The only area in an Airstream that will rot is the floor and Nyloboard has been used by some as a viable replacement option.
What I would like to see here in response is reports from people who have installed Nyloboard in their trailers and have used the trailers since.
How is it in comparison to plywood?
Is it holding up well?
Have you seen any instances regarding expansion and contraction that would be a concern?
Would you give it a good report regarding overall strength and longevity?

I have several trailers to restore and am considering using this product as an alternative to plywood. For my first trailer I used MGP and a very expensive coating to seal it. I think that the costs were similar to using Nyloboard.
So if you have used this product and have any comments regarding it please post here so that I and other furure restoers can find the info quickly.

[idroba]

I am going to be following this post carefully. I personally do not believe that any RV, AS included, can be made to be leak proof or condensation proof, and any wood used in the floor location will never be always be able to be kept dry over time.

That leaves the only true solution to be a different floor material, one that has the structural capacity needed, combined with the water resistance and rot resistance properties that, over time, will be necessary.

Until I saw this post on Nyloboard I had not seen anything that was available in sheet form, and the right thickness. It looks good, but the structural (sag) problem is not easy to determine, especially over time, and I am concerned about that.

However, at this point, if I were to be doing a floor replacement in an AS or Argosy, I think Nyloboard would be my first choice. I am excited to see a possible flooring material, other than plywood, that has potential to deal with all the problems the AS floor must contend with.

[mutcth]

byamcaravanner has posted about seeing a trailer with a full floor of Nyloboard. Supposedly contraction wasn't an issue. That post is here.

I'm interested to hear more about this. If I did a shell-off on another trailer, I'd want something other than wood too.

Tom

[Lothlorian]

Did my bathroom in Nyloboard and it has been several years now. No problems. The scrap is still in the yard on the northside of my garden shed and it is used to house my plants over the summer. It is still as good as new. No rotting, bending, or shrinkage.

I live 30 minutes from where they make it. I was allowed a tour of the plant and I had about a 30 minute conversation with the president of the plant. It is made from recycled carpeting (Nylon).

I am sold on it.

Brian

[dznf0g]

I think everyone is interested in this, but has enough time elapsed for a true "rot" summary?

[Lothlorian]

I am not a chemist so I will not give you any quantative data on nyloboard, but I don't think Nylon rots. When they built my house 20 years ago they buried all the old wood and garbage in a hole in my woods. 20 years later everything has pretty much rotted away except the scraps from the carpeting they layed in my house. It is still in the hole and together. It was made of nylon.

I have left scrap wood in my yard by the Nylo board and it rotted. I just recently cleaned that wood out. I think sitting on the ground and getting wet over and over again should be a pretty good test. It has been 5 years now.

Brian

[dznf0g]

I get it. That's why I put rot in parenthesis'. I meant....are there other durability issues which only time will tell. ie, how does continual flexing and vibration do with it? etc. I CURRENTLY have no leaks (maybe) and no rot (absolutely sure), but I am sure I will some day. I have high hopes for Nyloboard.

[DFlores]

I will be watching this one, I have a floor to replace.

[54Cruiser]

I'm pretty sure this is the route I'm taking. I read many of these posts a while back and like wasagachris was curious of the outcome. The reasons for using pretty much outweigh the cost in my opinion. In all likelihood I will also be covering the floor with some form of hardwood so I'm not overly concerned about sagging, which I think will be non existant anyway. I have my shell almost ready to lift so this is coming up quick.

[Becky B.]

I called the Nyloboard company last year for dealer info in my area. They were nice & sent me samples of 1/2" & 3/4" nyloboard (there is no 5/8"). The nearest dealer quoted me prices of $288 for a 4' x 8' sheet of 1/2", and $429 for a sheet of 3/4" 4' x 8'. That's not including the shipping (since they don't keep it stocked in their store) of $120 something. I didn't go with Nyloboard, but thought you might want the prices in your thread for more info.

[Not Done]

On my '73 there is no support for the floor in the areas directly above the tanks. That would be a relatively large unsupported span and I susupect that nyloboard would sag when stepped on in these areas.

[wasagachris]

Originally Posted by mutcth

byamcaravanner has posted about seeing a trailer with a full floor of Nyloboard. Supposedly contraction wasn't an issue. That post is here.

I'm interested to hear more about this. If I did a shell-off on another trailer, I'd want something other than wood too.

Tom

Tom I hope byamcaravanner reads this thread and comments or hopefully his friend who did the entire floor can report on his findings.
I am especially interested in the expansion/contraction issue because I am considering using a one piece floor set up. The thread you linked to has a post from Uwe in CA and the shipping for a piece long enough to do an entire trailer was outrageous. If I go with the one piece set up I would travel to the plant and pick them up myself. I would buy enough to do all my trailers at once to make the trip financially viable.

[tvanwave]

Used nyloboard to repair some rear floor rot last year (some pics under 'lots of rotten floor' thread). It was easy to cut. Since the c -channel is 5/8 I bought the 3/4 thickness and used an electric plane to trim 1/8 off around the edge for a good fit. Nyloboard is easy to cut and using the electric plane worked well - no smoking, melting, burning etc. I Paid $250 for a 4x8 3/4 sheet one year ago and picked it up in ATL. No shipping. No more rot!!

[perryg114]

How much scrap do you have left? If you had a 4 ft section you could do some flexture tests for us against plywood. Take an equal thickness section of wood and Nyloboard and suspend it between two saw horses and sit a cinder block in the center of both of them and see how much sag they have relative to each other. I am thinking something 4 ft long and 1 ft wide.

Perry

Originally Posted by Lothlorian

Did my bathroom in Nyloboard and it has been several years now. No problems. The scrap is still in the yard on the northside of my garden shed and it is used to house my plants over the summer. It is still as good as new. No rotting, bending, or shrinkage.

I live 30 minutes from where they make it. I was allowed a tour of the plant and I had about a 30 minute conversation with the president of the plant. It is made from recycled carpeting (Nylon).

I am sold on it.

Brian

[HHaase]

There was a fairly lengthy thread on Nyloboard a while back that kept popping up again every few months.

Initially there was a big concern since many plastics have a high expansion rate, and at the time Nyloboard did not publish the data on this. Eventually they DID publish it, and it actually seems to have very little expansion at all... less than most woods actually, and is a better match to steel and aluminum from an expansion standpoint than the original plywood floor.

-Hans

[Lothlorian]

I was doing my first ever restoration so I had to learn as I went along with it. I decided from the beginning I was not going to do a full monte and I was not going to gut the trailer.

I took the bathroom out and drilled holes through the cross member (It already had holes for my bit to go through. I snapped a line and cut the floor in the middle of the cross member. So I would have room for a cut piece to fit. I then took a cross piece of garage door track and welded it on the cross member of the trailer for extra room for the new floor piece to sit on. I bolted the new Nyloboard floor on that piece. I had a piece of thin flat steel I was doing anything with and laid / attached to the black tank box right where the pieced of Nyloboard was going to sit. There was not going to be any sag plus keep the two cut pieces together. Honestly everything has worked for years and no complaints.

I think it came out great not knowing what I was doing. Check out these few links which shows the nyloboard and how I did it. Hey if it messes up I will just fix it.

you can see on the last link I have a wood but plate. I changed that out with the 4' wide sheet of steel. I made that decision after I realized the black tank would not fit.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f36/...ion-38204.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f36/...n-38204-3.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f36/...n-38204-4.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f36/...n-38204-5.html

Brian

[r carl]

Any info on the flamability of nyloboard?

[HHaase]

Originally Posted by r carl

Any info on the flamability of nyloboard?

Here's the current datasheet for it. Oh, and it's now called nylosheet
http://www.nyloboard.com/Portals/20/...%205-11%20.pdf

ASTM E84: Class C for the G2 nylosheet
ATSM E84: Class B Smoke for the G4 nylosheet.

Not that I have the slightest idea what that means.

-Hans

[flygrrl]

Originally Posted by wasagachris

I have several trailers to restore and am considering using this product as an alternative to plywood. For my first trailer I used MGP and a very expensive coating to seal it. I think that the costs were similar to using Nyloboard.
So if you have used this product and have any comments regarding it please post here so that I and other furure restoers can find the info quickly.

Heya Chris, you have an interesting alternative available that is manufactured pretty close to you, in Mississauga, Polyboard. They recycle plastics from industry (probably cutoffs from moulded door and dash panels, think Oshawa), comes in grey and white, plus it is 'green'. I do believe that is what I will use when we do the floor on Bubbles. We may have to install a couple of angle iron cross member supports but that will be a small price to pay for NO ROT.
This is the link: Polyboard | Renew Resources
I will use the grey and if it looks ok I may even forego putting anything on the floor except for a few rugs, or maybe some vinyl plank.
Looks like you are enjoy your trip you traitor, have fun with your Mom. It is truly miserable here in Ottawa today.
Hoist one for all of us in the Great White North,
Cheers
Leonie

[tvanwave]

Originally Posted by perryg114

How much scrap do you have left? If you had a 4 ft section you could do some flexture tests for us against plywood. Take an equal thickness section of wood and Nyloboard and suspend it between two saw horses and sit a cinder block in the center of both of them and see how much sag they have relative to each other. I am thinking something 4 ft long and 1 ft wide.

Perry

I don't have scraps that size but maybe others that have used it in the past do. If I recall correctly, one Forum member was doing the full floor replacement w/ nyloboard