Elroy the Burro: a flooring question

[mmzeiner]

Thank to the input I got on my "tall people in tiny trailers" thread I recently snagged a 1986 17' wide body Burro that I've named Elroy. I'm not sure of the proper protocol here on the forums, but I was thinking I'd confine the bulk of my posts about my updates to this thread, and just update the title as I come up with new questions.

To start, here are a few photos. The trailer is in very nice shape inside (once it got a deep cleaning). The cushion covers gross me out so they are my first project! I've already got a good start on the new covers. There might be a few minor structural issues (the gentleman I bought it from purchased it with a salvage title, so it's been in an accident at some point) that I'll need to deal with down the road. Right now we aren't 100% sure we're going to keep it (my husband is tall and isn't quite sold on a tiny trailer) so I'm starting out with some cosmetic upgrades to make it comfortable for a couple of trial trips. If we decide to keep it I'll dive in a little deeper to structural upgrades.

[mmzeiner]

So my first project (aside from new covers for the cushions) is to replace the gross old carpet. And that leads to my first question - under the carpet there is a very thin layer of foam. Not like the foam you'd find under carpeting in your house. It's maybe 1/4" thick, and reminds me of the non-slip liners you can get to put underneath area rugs. I would like to leave it for extra insulation, but I wonder if it's too squishy to remain underneath Allure vinyl planks. Does anyone have any experience with a foamy underlayment like this? The planks that I've ordered have the adhesive overlapping tabs, so I'm thinking that with the overlap even if it "gives" a bit on the foam, it won't pull apart.

[Jeff T H]

In my opinion, forget the foam.

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by mmzeiner

So my first project (aside from new covers for the cushions) is to replace the gross old carpet. And that leads to my first question - under the carpet there is a very thin layer of foam. Not like the foam you'd find under carpeting in your house. It's maybe 1/4" thick, and reminds me of the non-slip liners you can get to put underneath area rugs. I would like to leave it for extra insulation, but I wonder if it's too squishy to remain underneath Allure vinyl planks. Does anyone have any experience with a foamy underlayment like this? The planks that I've ordered have the adhesive overlapping tabs, so I'm thinking that with the overlap even if it "gives" a bit on the foam, it won't pull apart.

Check the installation info. You need a solid under surface for this to ride on. That 1/4" pad will break the flooring with each step even as you are installing it.

[Tote-n-Tarry No.2]

Platinum Underlayment 100sft - BELLAWOOD | Lumber Liquidators
Bella Platinum underlayment has great insulating properties as well as softening the surface and evening it out. It's highly rated. I was even considering it as wall insulation.

[Borrego Dave]

Suz, this looks pretty good and I think better than the plastic type used under most laminents but I see no R values stated other than kind of a blanket statement to being better. I don't know of or heard of any insulation material that is used in any type of RV that has much of an R value. Most of the heat loss and gain comes from the windows. A number of folks here use a carpet runner for extra insulation on the floor.
If you should end up using this, please take some pics of your install and let us know how it works out as you may be onto something that others can use. One of the fine points of FGRV.....info

[MyronL]

Check the hidden floor areas very carefully for rot before laying down a new floor.

[mmzeiner]

After hemming and hawwing for a few days, I decided the best course of action would likely be to remove the unidentified foam in favor of a proper underlayment material. I'll admit to being a bit confused about the concerns over rot, as I could tell from the outset that the exposed floor near the edges is fiberglass. I've gathered from a conversation with another FGRVer that this is not generally a standard option on many of these trailers. So the good news is that my floor seems to be quite sound. The bad news is that the foam was glued down and so I spent the bulk of my weekend scraping and scraping and scraping.

I'll stick a couple of photos here just for posterity.

Next on my to-do list is a new table top for the front dinette, and finish the new cushion covers. Hopefully in the next week or so I'll get it into the shop for a professional propane system inspection and a good hard look at the axle.

[CentralCa]

hey Meaghan!

can you share any further progress on your flooring? i am almost ready to do mine and thought you may have some pointers and update

[MyronL]

Quick side question: Can you confirm if that's a 17 or a 19 footer back there on the right?

[AshlandEd]

I appreciate your taking the time to post your progress. I'm interested in the Burro wide body trailer. Can you answer a couple of questions? How long is the interior of the trailer from the front to the rear windows? How tall is the ceiling in the walk area? How long is the bed? Thanks in advance for any information.