undercoating FLOOR of scamp

[lenny247]

Hi All,

I searched through the forums and found that it is NOT recommended to use tremclad undercoat on the bottom of the floor as it can trap water. The suggestion was to brush polyester resin instead onto the wood instead of using tremclad.

I have recently replaced sections of floor in front of my 16' scamp and was planning to undercoat first with “Verathane”, then with EPOXY resin, then I was going to coat with tar-based roof repair product.

Based on the suggestion not to undercoat FLOOR with tremclad, I'm fairly certain tar-based roof repair would do the same, perhaps worse.

What is the best way to accomplish this?

Secondly, I wanted to apply some more "water-proofing" to bottom of existing floor. Any suggestions? Is RESIN the way to go? Is poly resin better than epoxy resin for this?

Thanks for your help.

[Normand Choiniere]

I searched through the forums and found that it is NOT recommended to use tremclad undercoat on the bottom of the floor as it can trap water. The suggestion was to brush polyester resin instead onto the wood instead of using tremclad.

In a Trillium the plywood floor is simply covered on both sides with fiberglass resin. There is no use to put anything else. The idea is to make it waterproof as possible.

[gillian s]

polyester resin is more flexible than epoxy and alot less expensive, it should seal the wood for you forever. i'd use throwaway brushes; try to pull some of the loose bristles out before you use them. the hardest part is not mixing up too much of the stuff in one batch. it will kick before you can apply it, so its best to mix it fresh as you go in smaller increments, using new plastic containers and stirrers each time as the residue will transfer catalyst that's already hot, (i use plastic picnic knives and cottage cheese containers or plastic dixie cups). you can mix a big batch and put the container on ice while you work, i've never tried it, but i've seen it done in the tropics. epoxy is more brittle, and while it won't crack or anything, i think resin would be more suited for the floor. white vinegar will clean up any spills or your hands, (though you should wear gloves), it doesn't have the health implications of acetone.

[Byron Kinnaman]

I believe that Scamp purposely leaves the bottom unsealed to allow the material to breath a bit. Most, if not all, problems from floors that I've read about come from leaks inside the trailer not underside exposure.

My 2006 is not sealed on the bottom.

[lenny247]

I believe that Scamp purposely leaves the bottom unsealed to allow the material to breath a bit. Most, if not all, problems from floors that I've read about come from leaks inside the trailer not underside exposure.

My 2006 is not sealed on the bottom.

Really? I thought scamp did "treat" the underside of the floor and I always assumed that it was resin they used. Based on what my eyeballs are seeing, this is the case with the 1985 I have. The underside looks to be coated with resin and is totally intact and fine, except for the parts that were ruined from the inside.



thanks for the replies . . .

[Darwin Maring]

Lenny,

The same applies to our 2002 Scamp 5th Wheel. Resen coated underside and that includes the upstairs part also.

[Donna D.]

I think the rub, is folks are expecting the underside of the floor to look shiny or some other "look" to indicate a sealer. I expect Scamp has sealed the floor with penetrating resin for years. The floor of my 88 is sealed, but you wouldn't know it to just look at it.

[D Shubel]

We did a complete floor replacement for our Burro. This was a huge undertaking and after owning it for two years just completed it enough to squeeze in our first camping trip Labor Day week.

Different eggs have different floor construction. The Burro has plywood sandwiched between fiberglass (top and bottom). The problem with this is...if you are not careful of the holes on either side, you can potentially trap moisture and the wood will begin to decay. When we pulled out the floor in our 20 year old Burro, 50% of the floor consisted of 1/16" or so of fiberglass on both sides holding wood chips in the center.

Our new floor is 3 layers of polyester fiberglass on top, marine grade plywood in middle, 3 layers of polyester fiberglass on bottom, 2 coats of black gel coat, various spots of floor grade polyurethane. We had a professional fiberglass company create the flooring sandwich and they suggested that any fiberglass patching be coated with some sort of sealant...especially underneath and in wheel wells. They said that although fiberglass is hard it is somewhat porous and should be sealed. Tubs, shower stalls, other fiberglass vessels, used where water is present is sealed with gel coat.

When attaching the egg to frame through the floor, we predrilled through the floor, filled the hole with marine grade sealant, used stainless steel bolts, and covered the bottom and wheel wells with polyurethane...just to be sure. On the drain hole, we cut a much larger hole, closed it up again with polyester resin. Redrilled for exact size and inserted drain. Sealed that with polyurethane as well. We make sure all holes (screws, bolts, drain) are sealed properly because we want this floor to outlast us.

[DianeP]

Hi Lenny,

We have done both of these things, replaced floor sections and sealed the floor above and below.

First though, last spring ('05) we were told by the Scamp salesman at the factory that the underside of the scamp is sealed with polyester resin. That said, I don't know if there is a big difference between Epoxy and poly resin in term of getting the seal protection you want. We coated the new OSB we installed with two coats of resin on all surfaces before we installed it.

On the floor sections that we did not replace we scrubbed and rough sanded the surface as best we could given the limited space and interferring frame members. Wearing old clothes, vinyl gloves, and goggles the polyester resin was applied using our patented smear method of application. We found the brush method of working with the resin to be totally useless since the brush becomes a board in about 15 minutes and a new brush must be sacrificed. We did almost all our resin and fiberglass work with flexible plastic spreaders available in any body shop supply store. (they can be cleaned and reused)

For the application of the resin to the underside of the floor get the trailer up as high as you can and safely support it. We cut several squares (1' to 1.5') of heavy duty construction plastic. I got in position on my back under the trailer with a square of plastic on the palms of my hands. When I was all comfy I'd give my loyal assistant the call to mix the resin. Diane mixed the resin in unwaxed paper cups in 2-3 oz batches. She would then pour some resin onto the plastic sheet and I applied it immediately to the area being coated. The plastic kept the resin where I wanted it and I found it could easily be worked through the plastic sheet with my hands or with the plastic spreader tool. Using this method I felt I actually could work the resin into the irregular surface of the floor boards. By working quickly, we were generally able to apply the 2-3 oz batch Diane had mixed before it set up.

It is really not all that bad a job. Long sleeves, old coveralls and HAIR COVERING are recommended. The difficult part is getting the resin worked in around the frame members.

Team Work

Dave and Diane

[lenny247]

D Shubel - wow!!

sounds like you went all out!

Dianne - sounds like a good system! I'm thinking balaclava for my adventure.

Donna and Darwin - mine fits into this category - tho resin is visible if you compare with non-treated wood

thanks for the replies