In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :
You aren't as lazy as I am. "Anywhere at anytime" generally means not having to bother with sticking a bucket under the van... and then remembering to dump it somewhere.
In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :
You aren't as lazy as I am. "Anywhere at anytime" generally means not having to bother with sticking a bucket under the van... and then remembering to dump it somewhere.
I don't think there are many places where the water hitting the ground would be a problem. However, if I ever want to use it in the winter, it'll have to be sealed from the outside somehow. Hmmm.
My girlfriend works at Lowe's and this week was employee appreciation week so we get 20% off instead of the usual 10%. There were some extra discounts on top of that for certain items too, like our new Nest E thermostat. Sooooo, I bought all the supplies for my flooring project.
A layer of this on the bottom
Flooring by Petrolburner, on Flickr
I'll paint all the sides and edges with a gallon of Sherwin Williams Weather Shield paint.
Untitled by Petrolburner, on Flickr
Then I have to go to Home Depot to get 4 sheets of Owen Corning Foamular rigid insulation. I'll do an inch of that stuff. It's got a pretty high density so it won't compress under the next layer...
Flooring by Petrolburner, on Flickr
Then on top, one big sheet of wood looking vinyl
Flooring by Petrolburner, on Flickr
Flooring by Petrolburner, on Flickr
That should be plenty stiff to compensate for the 2 foot spread between the beams. I can alternate where the seams are between the 3 layers of 4x8 sheets since the box is 8' wide. This way there won't be seams lined up on seams. I'll use bedliner in the wheel wells to protect from gravel and stuff. It's not so thick that I can't drill through it and run bolts through if I need to. I'll use the flush mount wheel chocks for bikes, and then a bunch of flush mount L-track for tie downs. The top sheet of plywood will be fine for anchoring the cabinets and stuff into. I hope the vinyl flooring isn't too slippery when wet, it had the best texture of all the wood look vinyl.
AC for subfloor? Hmm... Haven't seen that.
In reply to SVreX :
What's AC?
AC is the grade of plywood you bought. It's a rating for the quality of the finished surfaces of each side. "A" on one side, "C" on the other. Very smooth on one side, knots on the other.
It's a finished material, not usually used for subfloor. It's usually used for "pretty" painted surfaces, like porch ceilings. It can have voids in it. Structural panels are typically used for floors.
"Exterior" means the GLUE is rated for exterior use. It doesn't mean the wood itself is resistant to rot. Fir is generally not highly resistant to rot. Pressure treated, or other rot resistant materials are more typical.
Also, AC Fir is not approved as a vinyl floor underlayment. It should work fine, but the vinyl manufacturers would deny any claim that used it. Of course, they won't like you using it in a vehicle anyway...
I really like the "sandwich" process you are considering, but if it's not too late, I would reconsider the AC Fir on the underside of the vehicle. I would use Advantech, or at least pressure treated plywood.
In reply to SVreX :
Well I guess my thinking was that this floor is probably going to outlast the rest of the vehicle if I go nuts using the best materials available, so don't needlessly spend money. I was going to paint the plywood anyway to help seal it, so saving $20 a sheet over pressure treated plywood seemed reasonable.
Today's price on Lowes.com for Advantech is $30.98. Compared to the $35.98 you paid. Severe weather Pressure treated Pine is $18.99. Severe weather pressure treated Southern Yellow Pine is $37.61.
Not sure where you found a $20 difference.
Regardless, it's a false economy. Even if it was $100 cheaper I would never consider using a material on the underside of a vehicle that was prone to rot.
This isn't a job you want to do again, right?
I would use the best material available for the underside- Advantech. Then use whatever stuff you can get a bargain on for the upper layer of your "sandwich panel". Don't worry about warranties for the vinyl- they won't cover you anyway.
as a halfway point, plastic sheeting under the floor as the first layer. Maybe even paint the wood then let the plastic stick to it. Should remove 90% of the water concerns leaving only where bolts go through.
In reply to Mad_Ratel :
That might not work if he uses a heating unit of any kind inside. It will act like a vapor barrier, and may trap water against the wood.
Plus, I really wouldn't want the bottom of my vehicle relying on polyethylene to protect it against slush, salt, etc.
SVreX said:Today's price on Lowes.com for Advantech is $30.98. Compared to the $35.98 you paid. Severe weather Pressure treated Pine is $18.99. Severe weather pressure treated Southern Yellow Pine is $37.61.
Not sure where you found a $20 difference.
Regardless, it's a false economy. Even if it was $100 cheaper I would never consider using a material on the underside of a vehicle that was prone to rot.
This isn't a job you want to do again, right?
For a 4' by 8' sheet? Pressure treated plywood was $55 a sheet.
In reply to Petrolburner :
Yes, 4x8. I just pulled those prices off Lowes.com today.
Even if it is a $20 per sheet difference, you've only got 4 sheets. $80 difference total. Very risky.
In reply to Petrolburner :
I was incorrect on those lowest prices. They were partial sheets (I forgot they do that)
But the current price on the 3/4" 4x8 PT is $37.61:
In my opinion, using untreated Fir plywood on the underside of a vehicle is the equivalent to using latex house paint on a car. It's just not the right material for the job.
SVreX said:In reply to Petrolburner :
I was incorrect on those lowest prices. They were partial sheets (I forgot they do that)
But the current price on the 3/4" 4x8 PT is $37.61:
That stuff is unavailable in Redmond, 97756. 2nd choice?
This is the treated stuff they have.
I can't help much with the floor conversation, but this looks like a pretty sweet build! Good to see another trials/off road rider here as well, and with an EZ 90 no less!
The AdvanTech OSB is unavailable in either Redmond or Bend. You said regular OSB was not the same. Like this stuff?
Or should I just use the pressure treated plywood I posted above?
gearheadE30 said:I can't help much with the floor conversation, but this looks like a pretty sweet build! Good to see another trials/off road rider here as well, and with an EZ 90 no less!
Thanks!
Check out my Honda barn. I picked up 3 matching Honda XR100Rs so I can battle it out with my friends on my Pit Bike track.
Honda barn by Petrolburner, on Flickr
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Petrolburner said:The AdvanTech OSB is unavailable in either Redmond or Bend. You said regular OSB was not the same. Like this stuff?
Or should I just use the pressure treated plywood I posted above?
Yeah, that's the stuff you don't want.
Technically Advantech is not OSB. It's an engineered, waterproof performance sheathing panel. It looks a little like OSB, but it's a completely different manufacturing process. I'm not surprised Lowes doesn't have it, they frequently do not. They sell cheaper stuff to people who don't know the difference. You should be able to find it in a local lumberyard.
Pressure-treated plywood will do a good job. But it won't lay as flat, and paint may not last on it for very long.
It was a productive painting weekend. I got home from FlightSafety on Thursday afternoon, attended the Smokejumper's Christmas party and a friend of mine drove over from Corvallis to help out. Friday morning we got started with the painting/sealing of the base layer of plywood. This is 3/4" pressure treated plywood using this paint.
Untitled by Petrolburner, on Flickr
Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr
Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr
I used a roller to do the bulk of it and Larry used a brush to fill in the voids. 2 coats on all sides. In between the coats of white paint we did the final prep on the subframe of the box van. Washed and scrubbed all the metal with some Purple Power degreaser. Then we let it dry overnight and taped everything up in the morning. We basically made the box into a spray both with the plastic skirt.
Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr
Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr
Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr
Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr
Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr
Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr
Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr
To everyone who said don't spray that POR-15, use a brush, you were right. This was awful. I immediately couldn't see out of my safety glasses. It was also going to be impossible to get the gun into position to spray everything, so we just switched to the brushes I had on hand as a backup. There were some areas that would have been much better to spray but oh well. It took the two of us until after dark to finish the first coat. We had company coming over for dinner that night. I still thought I was going to go back out there and power through the second coat in the freezing cold anyway, but I was just too tired. POR-15 needs the 2nd coat applied in 2-6 hours while it's still a little tacky. Working by myself it would probably take 8 hours. Applying wet black paint over glossy black paint in the black of night just sounded stupid. I let it cure over night and Kathleen and I went over everything with Scotch-Brite pads in the morning. We ran into town for new brushes and lunch. We got started painting again once we were suited up. You're guaranteed to bump into wet paint at some point, and since this stuff takes 2 weeks to wear off, I wore my spray suit again.
Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr
Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr
Kathleen helped out for a couple hours until she had to go to a previously scheduled event. I finished up by myself. Again, I was done after dark and it was ice cold out. I did find a few areas that had been missed the day before so it was good to be applying a 2nd coat. I also painted the leaf springs since they had so many drips on them it seemed like the best option. They weren't exactly cleaned and prepped like they should have been so we'll see if it just peels off.
Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr
Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr
Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr
Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr
One item crossed off the list!
Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr
Stockpiling parts!
Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr
No matter what, that frame is better than it was before, I'm going to be doing the same thing on the airstream with less sandblasting and more just hitting it with a wire wheel. Not looking forward to it to be honest.
That looks great.
Great progress despite the cold. It's awesome seeing SWMBO out there getting her hands dirty.
I nearly bought an old uhaul to camperize but I wasn't impressed with the wooden walls, this thing is much better.
FYI, you can read the address on that box, if you care about that kind of thing.
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