Olympic Waterseal on Sub-floor

[stowaways]

Hello all. We've officially busted open our first can of restoration blood, sweat and tears! Our 31' Sovereign International Land Yacht is getting the floor, frame and remodel/restoration that she deserves after 42 years. I'm sure that we'll have too many questions, wrong turns and newbie mistakes, so we'll ask for forgiveness now and let the mayhem begin!

First question... We are pre treating the 3/4" CDX plywood subfloor with Olympic Waterseal before our handy "Airstream Guru" installs it for us this week. Should we treat one or both sides? Also, does it matter that we are installing a pergo, floating floor as well with laminate? We've read some posts which imply that we will be trapping the moisture which we are trying to ward against?

[Wsmith]

Not sure about Olympic water based sealer. It breaks down in a few years out in the UV world. Not sure that the high temperatures when not in use may also affect it.

When I was young I had a home made Go Cart that had 3/4 plywood on it. My dad heated linseed oil and painted it on both sides of that plywood and it was still good ten or so years later when I sold it. The oil will penetrate deep into the wood grain and repels the water. You need to treat the edges and cut pieces a few times before installing.

Wes

[vinstream]

I would not uses it.... it will off gas into your trailer for a very long time! VOC's as they are now called is nothing to mess around within a contained area! A eco friendly sealer is the way to go!!!!

Todd

[stowaways]

Hmmm...not sure about VOCs. This is a water based sealer. But thanks for the feedback, will certainly do a bit more research.

[BigAl]

Read carefully. There are a lot of "waterborne" products out there that still contain lots of vocs. The product is designed so that it consists of microscopic droplets suspended in water. When applied the water evaporates and the droplets stick to each other and form the film finish.
Al

[Minno]

We used oil based primer on our floor before install. No odor in the trailer now after 1 1/2 years or so. Be sure you prime or seal the edges also since they will be at least as exposed to the elements as the rest of the floor. I would seal both sides since the underside of the floor will get weather somewhat. Our motto is to use something that we are confident of for a long period of time since we only want to do it ONCE! That said, we can't always afford the most expensive option. Olympic Waterseal is good for decks, we've used it, but you do have to renew it periodically (as with everything). I would tend to something more oil based since they last longer than waterbased products, in general. Good luck with your projects. It is definitely a journey we are also on right now! BTW, trailers tend to "breathe" more than houses since they aren't sealed as well. I'm not an expert by any means, but I think VOCs wouldn't be as much of a concern in this situation.

Kay

[Bob Thompson]

In my own trailer, I used Olympic Stain wood preservative. We flooded it from the top until no more would soak in, especially around the perimeter edges, then let it vent in the south Texas heat for about 2 months before covering with sheet vinyl. We didn't have access to the underside. I've never smelled any VOC's or any other indications it was ever treated and if faced with a choice, would do exactly the same thing again. Sure eliminates the potential for rot.