Floor repairs? What have others done?

[ruckman101]

I managed to get Bertha cleaned out and the floor removed. Two bad spots rusted through, a lot of bubbled rust, but it could be much worse. It hasn't rained for a week or so, yet the plywood flooring was soaking. Dry-rot, spongy floppy mess of what was originally plywood.

Was the plywood 1/2 inch originally? Where do I find a sheet five feet wide? POR15 has a dandy kit. Should I do the entire floor? Do I need to be to bare metal? What has worked for others? Marine grade plywood has been suggested as a good replacement.




I appreciate all input, ideas and experiences, thanks,


neal

[Amskeptic]

Neal, I would not layer your floor with anything. That is what causes rust traps. I would scrape, patch a bit, primer and paint. If you have serious structural issues, that's different. I have one patch job on my floor behind the driver's partition from when I first bought it as a East Coast Rust Bucket. Most floor damage seems to come from leaking vent windows. . .
Colin

[covelo]

Here are some pictures of my repair. I had a big rust hole under the Westy sink (probably a leak some time in the past). Fixed it with POR, put some Home Depot insulation, and finished with bamboo flooring. It's holding up pretty well. Worst part was getting all the Westy furniture back in. With the floor being thicker nothing quite fit.

[ruckman101]

My kit should be here Monday, 5/21. Thanks Colin, that's what I wanted to hear, patch, not resurface. Structurally, no worries, only a couple spots were eaten entirely through the metal.

I was going to replace with two sheets of plywood, marine grade plywood on the bottom layer if not both. Although, the aesthetics of linoleum escape me, the practicality doesn't and was thinking to keep it simple and lay down new linoleum, although marloleum is kinda cool, and a hardwood approach just seems to vulnerable to keeping it looking nice.

Covelo, did you finish the bamboo flooring? And with the insulation under, does the center of the panels flex and bow as you walk on it? Is there a mondo indestructable finish I could put on a pretty faced sheet of plywood?


thanks
neal

[covelo]

My kit should be here Monday, 5/21. Thanks Colin, that's what I wanted to hear, patch, not resurface. Structurally, no worries, only a couple spots were eaten entirely through the metal.

I was going to replace with two sheets of plywood, marine grade plywood on the bottom layer if not both. Although, the aesthetics of linoleum escape me, the practicality doesn't and was thinking to keep it simple and lay down new linoleum, although marloleum is kinda cool, and a hardwood approach just seems to vulnerable to keeping it looking nice.

Covelo, did you finish the bamboo flooring? And with the insulation under, does the center of the panels flex and bow as you walk on it? Is there a mondo indestructable finish I could put on a pretty faced sheet of plywood?


thanks
neal

The flooring came pre-finished with polyurethane and it is quite thick so does not flex. We have a dog with sharp nails sliding around there all the time and the scratches aren't really noticeable. It's quite a hard surface. The nice thing about the bus is that you don't need much flooring. This was a single box left over by someone that went for like $5 on craigslist.

[ruckman101]

Has anyone tried cork flooring?


neal

[77_Bus_Girl]

Has anyone tried cork flooring?

neal

Beautiful stuff, but I'd think not too durable. Imagine what the claws of a dog would do to that! I thought of putting it in my kitchen, but was worried about durability. (and sustainability)

[ruckman101]

Has anyone tried cork flooring?

neal

Beautiful stuff, but I'd think not too durable. Imagine what the claws of a dog would do to that! I thought of putting it in my kitchen, but was worried about durability. (and sustainability)

Cork probably can't be beat for sustainability. The bark grows back after being harvested and the tree isn't killed. A harvest every six years or so.
One of the selling points is it's cushiony, low impact properties. I'll definitely seek some of the product out in local stores, checking the hardness. Online research has brought about conflicting claims from different manufacturers. Some have 25 year claims, and commercial applications. But yes, I do worry about tearing it.

All the other looks good though, naturally water and fire resistant, mold, fungi, mildew resistant, bug resistant and such. Now if it's durable enough,....

Not the glue on tiles, but the planks. My partner was luke-warm to the idea, leaning towards hardwood. Even a quality wood finished plywood I could finish myself. Did I mention cork's superior sound and heat insulative qualities?

I'm hoping.



neal

[ruckman101]

Finished the POR 15 application on the floor tonight.

Monday, scrubbed the floor with degreaser, rinsed heavily thouroughly and dried. Applied the metal conditioning compound with a spray bottle but probably should have used a brush, it was a very small bottle. Let that work a good 50 minutes and rinsed heavily thouroughly and dried, overnight as Monday was over.

Tuesday broke out the pint of silver POR 15 and set to. The conditioner had indeed turned rusty looking metal into darker less rusty looking metal. The bad spots sucked up the paint and the fiberglass mesh stuff to patch holes was stiff and uncooperative. First time I've dealt with this kind of thing. Let dry. Still tacky, but a finger drag slightly resisting, six hours later dusk finds me putting on the second coat, on tiptoe between painted patches.

Wednesday morning it was dry enough I was able to load the floor which was a concern the night before. That afternoon a third coat put on with the luxury of sitting on the floor instead of teetering on tiptoes between recently painted spots.

Thursday evening a top coat of chassis black dusk and beyond, painting with Bertha's interior light as I finished. Photos maybe by Monday. I should have taken more time to learn to work with the fiberglass hole repair stuff, form fitting it a bit better to the ridges of the floor.

Time will tell I suppose.

Bailed on the cork for a left-over free box of 8" vinyl coated (faux hardwood) flooring that was just enough, in the barn, and just the right height. Picking up a sheet of pressure treated 1/2 inch plywood for under the floor Saturday and hope to have floor and interior back in by Wednesday, including a new curtain behind the closet.



neal

[ruckman101]

Well, it's all back together, at least for the most part. We will see how this stuff wears. Price was right. On to the curtains to show off at Maupin.




After three coats of POR15 and a finishing coat of Chassis Black.



Putting in the floor.



Coming together. And to think, it was all over the screws holding the back seat/bed down that rusted away.


neal

[NWbuspilot]

I just got done doing some more work on my floor. I'm always a bit paranoid with rust, so I put the wire wheel on my drill and brushed the rust spots down to bare metal, hit them with etching primer and some rustoleum auto primer.

I decided that I'm going to primer the whole floor as a precaution, then paint it white again. As for floor coverings I think I'm just going to treat my OG rubber mat to a day at the car wash, and a bottle or 2 of "Son of a Gun" protectant/cleaner.

[Hippopotabus]

[Amskeptic]

What the hell is going on around here?
The neighborhood is gentrifying right in front of my eyes!
ColinofCheesyRMMWCrapCarpeting

[ruckman101]

What the hell is going on around here?
The neighborhood is gentrifying right in front of my eyes!
ColinofCheesyRMMWCrapCarpeting

LOL, well, Bertha has her original dull oxidized patina still, and hey, I didn't invest in the cork, just used some plastic laminated fiber board stuff I found in the barn left over from a kitchen flooring project. A gentle gentrification. Bertha still isn't driving up property values. Now a new paint job...woof.



neal

[gmag69]

Here are some pictures of my repair. I had a big rust hole under the Westy sink (probably a leak some time in the past). Fixed it with POR, put some Home Depot insulation, and finished with bamboo flooring. It's holding up pretty well. Worst part was getting all the Westy furniture back in. With the floor being thicker nothing quite fit.

Do you remember what kind of flooring it was you used? Pergo Armstrong? It is laminate flooring right? You didn't put a subfloor just the the bamboo flooring down? Sorry for all the questions but I'm getting ready to do my floor and I may go this way if all goes well.

Thanks for any help.