Just to be on the safe side

[Loeber]

I have pulled the old pink shag carpet and the cabinets from the front half of my '79-31' SOV. The floor was/is water stained from years of wet feet and use. It passed the awl test in all areas so I am not going to do floor replacement, just reinforcement/preventative work.

My plan for the next steps are to use ROT DOC to seal and reinforce the existing 3/4" subfloor. Then put down a new 1/4" marine plywood floor on top of the existing and lay vinyl plank floor over that. The reason for the new subfloor is to tie the existing floor sheeting together and get some added strength. (I am 300lb and the 3/4" floor has some deflection when I stomp about between the outriggers/frame). Is the new sub needed? just to be on the safe side....

Does anybody who has done this have any thoughts / suggestions or tips on what I have laid out?

[azflycaster]

If the existing sub floor is in good shape, the plank floor on top should be good enough, IMO.

Rot Doctor is a great product, but be careful when applying it. The fumes are very nasty...

[Mixter]

+ 1 on that. Agree with azflycaster. My concern is that you may be burying a problem and ultimately making it more difficult to fix.our deflection is probably 2 things: #1- isnt the subfloor on'79 only 1/2 inch? I know.my'76 is, and the older ones are known for thicker ply. #2- you may be surprised to find more problems than you think if you pull yhe floor/ or at least the belly. Especially if you say the carper was wet. My bet is some frame issues. I had outriggers weak and deflecting, and even found 2 cracks in my main frame rails. You will be surprused to see how thin the frame metal is and minimal welds. Good luck.

[perryg114]

Deflection is normal between supports. It probably has 1/2" plywood in it. You won't go through the floor unless it is rotten. They are trying to keep the weight down. The rear of the trailer is where there are the most structural and rot issues resulting from the bumper plate and other leaks.

Perry

[blickcd]

I replaced some rotted flooring under the front window in my 1979. The plywood was 1/2", which is nearly impossible to find, forcing me to go with expensive furniture grade 1/2" plywood.

Despite the fact that water had been leaking in for years, there was only light surface rust on the frame, which I treated.

Christopher

[DanB]

Yesterday I did almost the exact floor repairs you are speaking of! My "subject" was a 1986 31' SOV with 5/8" flakeboard floor.

The previous owner pulled (and threw away) everything foward of the kitchen. The floor had moderate water damage mostly from an improperly installed vent. He became overwelmed by the project, and left it sit for a couple of years.

I cut out a 16" square of the worst area. I could stick my finger through it! This happen to fall directly above a cross frame and the main beam. Afer cleaning up the mess, I fould the only rust was the screws. These had to be ground down. I put in a couple of joiner plates and put the patche in. Total repair time was about 1 1/2 hours.

I also had some "crispy" surface damage further foward. This really wasn't that bad, and was out of the main traffic area. In fact, it will be under the gaucho. I simply scrapped it down, soaked it in fiberglass resin, added some cloth, and let it dry. This will be plenty strong.

I also plan on adding a layer of 1/4" ply just to give the floor a little more stability. The floor just gives more than I like. It's probably fine, but it will just feel more solid. Mine will have carpet. If I was doing Pergo, I would probably skip the plywood.