New joists installed and new biscuit-joined floor cut from the template I'd made earlier.
I was pleasantly surprised that the new floor was as stiff as it was with nothing but butt-joint biscuits holding it together- the temporary braces I'd planned on installing turned out to be completely unnecessary. I'd originally planned on installing the floor as one big biscuited piece, but out of concern for the muscleworthiness of my help I decided to join the last 24" piece in place on the trailer frame, since it can slide straight in from the back.
Test fit for new floor. I assumed I'd have some trimming to do, but it fit perfectly the first time.
New floor back out and on the work platform, Marmoleum relaxing overnight prior to trimming. Cutting this with shears outside the trailer is a breeze compared to trying to trim it in place. Pattern is #3423 Painter's Palette, pretty wild period pattern which should be a champ for hiding camp dirt. It's actually a more vivid version of the linoleum that was originally installed in this trailer. The 79" roll width is a perfect fit for the 77" wide trailer.
I was pleasantly surprised that the new floor was as stiff as it was with nothing but butt-joint biscuits holding it together- the temporary braces I'd planned on installing turned out to be completely unnecessary. I'd originally planned on installing the floor as one big biscuited piece, but out of concern for the muscleworthiness of my help I decided to join the last 24" piece in place on the trailer frame, since it can slide straight in from the back.
Test fit for new floor. I assumed I'd have some trimming to do, but it fit perfectly the first time.
New floor back out and on the work platform, Marmoleum relaxing overnight prior to trimming. Cutting this with shears outside the trailer is a breeze compared to trying to trim it in place. Pattern is #3423 Painter's Palette, pretty wild period pattern which should be a champ for hiding camp dirt. It's actually a more vivid version of the linoleum that was originally installed in this trailer. The 79" roll width is a perfect fit for the 77" wide trailer.
New floor back in (after a last minute decision to insulate the floor
with 1" rigid foam, seen here floating between the joists and frame
rails- it'll get it screwed to the underside of the floor later). Zero flop or bow carrying
the giant piece of joined floor in, and it feels like walking on a
concrete slab compared to the 1/2" ply and 1/4" celotex that the
new 3/4" MDO is replacing. All that and it's considerably lighter and water
resistant, it's a win-win-win.
Bolting the new floor in takes a few steps. First, I drill an 1/8" pilot
from the underside through the sill/joist and floor, centered on the
old 1/4" bolt hole in the frame by an aluminum spacer. Then I
counterbore the bolt heads from the top with a Forstener bit, then drill
the final 1/4" hole from the top with a cobalt bit, just in case I'm
off by a hair on the hole on the frame side. Tap the bolt in, and you're
good. I start from the joists and work my way out, out of general
paranoia. I used elevator bolts, reasoning that the reduced depth of the
countersink and the greater resistance to punch-through would more
than outweigh the reduced head strenghth vs. traditional carriage
bolts. Moisture stain
on poplar framing in last shot may be due to airborne Big Gulp.
Rear floor section biscuited in, nearly done with frame bolts. I'm a big
fan of Spax screws- zero splitting of lumber (even hardwood!), no
predrilling necessary, they even cleanly countersink themselves. I
screwed all of the sills and joists at 6" centers. This is one stiff
floor, which is good, 'cuz I'm a big guy.
Bondo'd all of the joints and screw holes in the new floor, and after
letting that cure, finally laid the Marmoleum. A rented 100lb roller is the right tool for the job. Now I get to cover my nice new floor with Ram board to
keep it safe until the rest of the interior work is done.
Wheel tubs and associated underfloor framing installed and wheel tubs insulated. I've never seen anyone insulate these, which given the surface area seems like an obvious oversight.
...and, the new skin arrived from Hemet Valley. It'll be a bit before I need it, but I was concerned about prices spiking with the aluminum tariffs in effect, so I get to trip over the rolls for a while. Amazingly speedy service, I placed the order on Thursday and it was delivered here in Oregon on Monday.
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