No wonder the Burro floor is rotted

[Creek Conley]

Great pictures, great advice! I have been thinking about 3/4 inch oak or birch for strength... And then, of course, rout the edges. Are you going to fiberglass the whole interior floor? I think I am going to, and then lay down bambood floors. Thought it would be a nice touch.
Thanks!
-Creek

[Andy B]

Originally Posted by Creek Conley

I may have an ignorant question, but here goes; how do you place the four pieces of plywood into the shell while it is off the frame? I just bought my fiberglass kit (3 gal.) and this is my only concern...
Thanks for your help!
I love all of you.
-Creek

Creek,
Jane provided some good advice and pictures, you can also look at earlier posts in this thread to see pictures of when I replaced the floor. The front and back pieces are fully supported on 3 sides when they are pushed into the slot around the perimeter where the old plywood came out. I used thickened epoxy spread inside the slot and spread on the plywood edge when assembling. The center two pieces are each supported on one side by the perimeter slot from the old plywood. I did not use jacks the way Jane did, instead I used drywall screws through the ship laps to temporarily fasten the ship laps together until the epoxy hardened. That method uses the front and back plywood pieces to support the middle pieces and also tightly pulls the ship laps together while the epoxy sets. After the epoxy was hard I then removed the screws and filled the holes with epoxy. The shiplap plywood edges were buttered with thickened epoxy prior to assembly. All the plywood pieces, and especially the edges were coated with multiple coats of epoxy and left to harden prior to assembly to make sure the floor was waterproof. I used 7 ply, 5/8" plywood for the floor. Whatever type of plywood you use, make sure that the glue used in manufacturing the plywood is rated for exterior or waterproof use. Some types of hardwood plywood has glue rated for indoor use and if it gets wet the plys can come apart.
I used fiberglass on the bottom of the plywood including covering the seams (pictures earlier in this thread) but on the top side of the plywood I only coated it with a few coats of epoxy to waterproof, no fiberglass. I could not think of a good reason why a layer of fiberglass was needed on the inside.
Andy

[Creek Conley]

Andy,

Thanks for the advice, and I only have one question for you... What router bit did you use to make your shiplaps?
Thanks!
-Creek

[Jane D.]

Creek,

Andy is who I stole many of my ideas from so listen to what he's telling you. I too did the epoxy coating on the wood edges and in the slot. The wood is exterior rated, not treated, and has waterproof glues in the plys. I am a fan of spar urethane and all the pieces have 3 coats and epoxy will go over that. I guess you could say that I have no intention of the wood ever getting wet.

The idea of using the jack to hold the wood came about due to the fact that I couldn't hold it up there and measure stuff by myself! No help on this project for me. Putting screws in the joints temporarily is a great method too. Should hold it all nice and flush.

I went into this with no experience in the fiberglass trailer arena and am basically learning as I go. I had only done a small epoxy job once before and was a bit concerned about getting it right but the first batch I mixed I used to fix an 18" vertical crack where the front inner shell pieces come together and it turned out great. Now I'm anxious to get everything else done so I can bond the floor to the shell.

Waiting on your photos!!!! Even though the Burros basically all look alike it's interesting to see what everyone else got themselves into.

J D.

[Andy B]

Originally Posted by Creek Conley

Andy,

Thanks for the advice, and I only have one question for you... What router bit did you use to make your shiplaps?
Thanks!
-Creek

Creek, I used a 3/4" bit that is flat on the top. It took multiple passes around the perimeter because the slots were about 2" or more deep. The ship laps only took 1 pass because they overlap about 3/4".

[Andy B]

Originally Posted by Jane D.

I am a fan of spar urethane and all the pieces have 3 coats and epoxy will go over that. I guess you could say that I have no intention of the wood ever getting wet.

J D.

Jane, if you have not already used the urethane, I would recommend skipping that step. If you urethane before using epoxy, then the epoxy will only be attached to the urethane and not the wood. I would guess the the bond between the urethane and the wood is the weak link, or maybe the bond between the epoxy and urethane, but not as good a bond as if it was all epoxy.

I coated the wood with epoxy mixed with acetone to thin it so it would soak into the wood deeply. After that coat hardened there was nothing on the surface, it all soaked in. Then I put on additional coats of epoxy to build up the surface, I put each coat on when the previous coat was still tacky to get the best adhesion between coats.

[Jane D.]

Thanks for the tip Andy. I'll skip the urethane and do all the epoxy bonding first.

[Creek Conley]

Thanks, Andy. I am finishing up my finals this week so I will be starting my Burro project this coming weekend. I CANNOT WAIT!
I will post MANY pictures as well.
-Creek

[Creek Conley]

Okay, guys, I just took my Burro off the frame and its shell is now on blocks. Also, the frame is at a welding shop for some extra angle (i'm stealing your frame design). I'm currently scraping out the lip around the inside where the new wood will fit into. My question is: How clean did you get the parts that you fiberglassed (like the lip and the inside edge)? And, what did you use to clean it? I'm concerned about the new fiberglass not adhering to the old...
Thanks, Andy and Jane!
-Creek

[Jane D.]

Creek,

I dug out the bottom channel with a straight slot screwdriver and used a small paint brush to wipe out the small bits and dust that was left behind. Just used a wet rag and regular ole spray household/kitchen countertop cleaner to wash the top inner shell lip where you will bond the floor. All the resin and cloth that I have put in so far cured hard as a rock and adhered as it should, no problems at all.

Nothing fancy, just smells a whole lot better and is much cleaner.

Congrats on getting if off the frame and diving in!!

[Creek Conley]

Thanks, Jane! Time to clean!
-Creek

[Andy B]

Originally Posted by Creek Conley

Okay, guys, I just took my Burro off the frame and its shell is now on blocks. Also, the frame is at a welding shop for some extra angle (i'm stealing your frame design). I'm currently scraping out the lip around the inside where the new wood will fit into. My question is: How clean did you get the parts that you fiberglassed (like the lip and the inside edge)? And, what did you use to clean it? I'm concerned about the new fiberglass not adhering to the old...
Thanks, Andy and Jane!
-Creek

Creek,
I cleaned out the slot around the Burro perimeter with a chisel and the Harbor Freight version of the vibrating multi tool. After fitting the floor pieces they were coated with several coats of epoxy, each coat added when the previous one was still tacky for best adhesion. When the final coat had hardened I sanded the areas to be bonded with very very coarse sandpaper, both the floor pieces and inside the slot around the perimeter. The only cleaning was blowing it with compressed air prior to assembling. I coated all surfaces inside the slot and the floor surfaces that fit in the slot with thickened epoxy, enough so it oozed out at assembly and left no air spaces in the slot

I would not recommend cleaning it with a household cleaner since they usually contain soap that would be left on the surface and could cause bond failure at some future time. If you want to wipe it down, acetone will not leave a residue. Coarse sanding will leave a rough surface and significantly increase bond strength. Blowing or brushing off the sanding particles is all the cleaning needed.
Andy

[Jane D.]

Originally Posted by Andy B

Creek,
I would not recommend cleaning it with a household cleaner since they usually contain soap that would be left on the surface and could cause bond failure at some future time. If you want to wipe it down, acetone will not leave a residue. Coarse sanding will leave a rough surface and significantly increase bond strength. Blowing or brushing off the sanding particles is all the cleaning needed.
Andy

Guess it's a good thing that after the initial cleaning I used another rag with clean water and rinsed all the area that I had just washed.
jd

[Creek Conley]

This floor is a NIGHTMARE! Especially since I am now concerned about the door fitting correctly... I have the rear section in, and also the front. I measured for the two middle pieces (8 times) and the I cut them and placed them into the shell, AND, I am an inch off. So, tomorrow I will be heading to the lumber yard to buy another sheet of plywood. I CANNOT WAIT to be finished with the floor fitting. UGH!
Any suggestions of the door fitting correctly? Thanks!

-Creek

[Jane D.]

Creek,

I know your pain!! When I did the 2 center pieces of my floor I cut them a bit big on purpose. Even with that it still took several trimming sessions. In earlier pictures I lifted the pieces with a jack and that is how I did my final fitting. I put in one end of the board and lifted it up to check and mark the other for the fit. Do you have the body braced in some way so it won't flex? That will throw you off quite a bit or it did mine. Everything would change when I slid in the front piece so I put a strap all way around and blocked the door opening.

As for the door, I have problems too but haven't touched it yet. Mine had some kind of weird hinges on it and 2 sets of holes. Plus whatever is back there that holds them is rotten as well. From what I read here I'll have to cut holes in the body and put in something new for them to attach to.

Hang in there and pump up your patience level with fitting that floor. I was ready to set mine on fire for awhile but it will come around. As I said before nothing about these things is square, straight or standard. Go with that theory and I think you'll be fine. JD

[Andy B]

Originally Posted by Jane D.

Creek,
Everything would change when I slid in the front piece so I put a strap all way around and blocked the door opening.
JD

Jane,
Very nice... I like the way you used the struts to hold the doorway open the correct amount and the strap to pull it closed. That will keep the body stable until the floor is installed.

Andy

[Creek Conley]

Thanks, Jane. Great picture by the way! I now have the floor pieces cut (correctly) and the first coat of epoxy resin on them. Next is the fiberglass, then placing the new floor back in the caravan for tape. I should be ready to place the shell on the trailer by the weekend... YES!
I'll try to post pictures by the end of the weekend as well.
Keep up the good work, Jane!
-Creek

[Jane D.]

Creek,

If you get that thing back together that quickly you are doing some serious work! Glad the floor pieces finally worked. I did install the 3rd piece on mine today and plan on doing the last piece tomorrow. Then gotta get all the underneath taping done. No way I'll have mine back on the frame before sometime next week. Can't work on it every day.

Make sure you take your camera with you next time, I'm waiting to see those pictures. I'm one of those people that really "gets it" better if I can see it. I guess I must think everyone is like that, thus I post a picture when it applies.

Best of luck for getting that body back where it belongs by the weekend. That's great. JD

[Jane D.]

Finally, at long last, I got the frame back under the Burro today and started putting in the bolts. What a relief. Next, the poor messed up door.

[Donna D.]

Jane, you really ARE making good progress. GOOD FOR YOU!