Flooring

Not sure if this is the right place , or even the right site to ask this question but here goes. I have a 97 Saturn wagon, no kids and two dogs who go with us. The dogs have made a mess of the back seats so they have come out along with everything but he sheetmetal flooring. I would like to cover all the dips, bumps ect from the front seats back but not sure what material to go with. Not wanting to cut anything original out and possibly use factory seat mount and other mount points for the "new floor". Any thoughts on wood vs metal and thickness of either?. Thnaks

Wood has the advantage of being easier to work with, easier to acquire in large sheets (quick, name 3 places to get a 4x8 sheet of plywood.... okay, now name 3 places to get a 4x8 sheet of aluminum), but most importantly, wood is insulative.

wood is also stronger in it's resistance to damage. While metal is ultimatly a stronger material. it can look substantially beaten up in a short about of time, while wood just absorbs the damage and keeps going.

It's also cheaper

+1 on the wood as well, But any ideas how to finish it?

neon4891 wrote: +1 on the wood as well, But any ideas how to finish it?

Marine carpet + staplegun.

Should finish it up to like a truck bed from an older truck.

Cut sheet of plywood to fit the area you want. Drill a few 1/2" holes through it. Remove.

Lay down a sheet of plastic, make sure it comes up to the windows. Doesn't matter if it is smooth, just no holes.

Fill space with expanding foam. Once it comes up to a good level, place wood on top. It will self-level and some will squish through the holes and anchor it. Flat, secure, absorbs impacts.

Whatever method you choose, be sure to carpet the rear area AND provide doggie seat belts for the K9s. My sister almost lost her baby when she slid across a similar flat floor and out the front window into an intersection. (Type 4 VW Wagon)

Varnish it with a brush or at least put some kind of sealant on it before you put on the carpet. Unfinished wood WILL absorb oil, dog wizz, and anything else you spill on it. Don't cheap out and get particle board. Once that stuff gets wet, it turns into consistency of oatmeal.

Luckily weve not had a dog pee in the car. Rolling around in a dead deer carcass is just as bad. Finishing it in either marine carpet (glued, which should take care of liquid seeping thru) or brush in truck liner. Looked at some pages of people doing false floors for speakers in 3/4 MDF, sounds like way to much weight. Thinking 5/8 (at the most) ply with spacers like floor joists every half foot.

Agreed - flat wood deck, cut to fit around the edges. Cover it in a matching carpet.

I like the expanding foam idea idea.. may have to use that in my bimmer

just try flooring industry to fix your problem on your flooring.http://www.silikalamerica.com/

canoe

In reply to jmendez25:

I just bought a Volvo 850 turbo wagon. Last owner had dogs that ate the rear carpet. Wood floor covered in Rhino lining is what I did in cargo area. Looks great & useable!

I was gonna say, wood+rhinoliner.

I did the back of my wagon once with 3/4" pink styrofoam from Home Depot covered with a piece of Luan (glued) covered with outdoor carpeting. It was perfect for pets, firewood, dead bodies, etc. I also thought it would be neat to skip the luan and cover it with linoleum.

Both the styrofoam and the luan were very rigid, very cheap, and very good at holding up, but they wouldn't be good for heavier, denser things. The first time you hit a speed bump with a transmission in the back, it would dent the luan and foam, but if the main purpose is pets, you could dance a jig on it all day and not damage it.

This idea would add a little more weight, but you could use a floor leveling compound like you would use to smooth out your kitchen subfloor before laying tile. Its not cheap like the $15 foam/luan thing I suggested, but (depending on how funky the floor is) you could level it with compound and glue down some carpet.

Oooh.... they used to make doormats from strips of recycled tires. what if you made (or had someone make) a big rubber mat. That way your could take it out and hose it off.

Like this:

Key wrote: Not sure if this is the right place , or even the right site to ask this question but here goes.

You can ask about "grassroots market investments" here and get an intelligent answer. We rock.... by that I mean, the people here rock... not necessarily me.... but I'm part of the whole.