LiteHouse Trailer-4-Two Rebuild - Page 2 - Fiberglass RV
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 02-28-2016, 12:28 PM   #21
Senior Member
 
Davie B's Avatar
 
Trailer: Lite House
Posts: 282
Registry
A new one was only 20$s. My time is worth more than that to me. OTOH, I now have spares in case I encounter a helper.


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV
Davie B is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-28-2016, 12:39 PM   #22
Senior Member
 
Kai in Seattle's Avatar
 
Name: Kathleen (Kai: ai as in wait)
Trailer: Amerigo FG-16 1973 "Peanut"
Greater Seattle Metropolitan Area, Washington
Posts: 2,566
Registry
Quote:
Originally Posted by Davie B View Post
Attachment 92724 As part of my LiteHouse rebuild, I am redoing the cushions. The upholstery guy said that except for some mold, the foam is in good shape. At his suggestion, I'm treating the mold with. 30% bleach solution.


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV
Paul has asked me to post his suggestion that you throw those cushions away; our foam guy said you cannot ever get all the mold out, and some mold is extremely toxic.

HOWEVER, that said, others here have cleaned cushions, and bleach is about your best bet. If you have sunshine, try to get them out in it to dry some; UV helps kill a lot of nasty things.

We really feel for you. We ended up throwing out our cushions (bought our amerigo last September) when our foam guy here said no way...and we've bought a foam mattress to cut up, like you've mentioned. (IKEA, on clearance).

I'm just extra nervous about mold, since I'm terribly allergic. Funny I didn't really notice it when we bought the trailer...(I think he'd sprayed and aired it out with the fan before we arrived) but I sure became aware of it once I spent time in it there. I gagged all night long in the house, and was sick for two days. So...

Anyway, what a cute trailer. Rear end looks a lot like the amerigo.
Good photos!

BEST.
__________________
Semper ubi sub ubi.
Kai in Seattle is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2016, 12:37 PM   #23
Senior Member
 
Davie B's Avatar
 
Trailer: Lite House
Posts: 282
Registry
Click image for larger version

Name:	ImageUploadedByFiberglass RV1457202759.774558.jpg
Views:	17
Size:	46.1 KB
ID:	93032 Closing in on the demo of the old floor. I hope to finish most of that today and start figuring out the plywood next. I'm planning on epoxying in marine plywood. A few folks have recommended 3/4" but the original floor was 1/2" and I want the cabinets and benches to fit.

Click image for larger version

Name:	ImageUploadedByFiberglass RV1457202974.586692.jpg
Views:	15
Size:	44.7 KB
ID:	93033 I haven't decided about the rat fur yet. Once I get the floor in, I'll start thinking about the rest of it.


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV
Davie B is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2016, 01:55 PM   #24
Senior Member
 
Davie B's Avatar
 
Trailer: Lite House
Posts: 282
Registry
I'm still on the fence. I hit it 30% bleach which got most of it. A little bit has come back. I still have bleach left so I'm going to put the whites back on and try again.

The upholstery guy I talked to, suggested cutting a mattress is a bad idea and wants to sell me $300 of foam to replace what I have. I assume I need giant scissors to cut foam?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kai in Seattle View Post
Paul has asked me to post his suggestion that you throw those cushions away; our foam guy said you cannot ever get all the mold out, and some mold is extremely toxic.

HOWEVER, that said, others here have cleaned cushions, and bleach is about your best bet. If you have sunshine, try to get them out in it to dry some; UV helps kill a lot of nasty things.

We really feel for you. We ended up throwing out our cushions (bought our amerigo last September) when our foam guy here said no way...and we've bought a foam mattress to cut up, like you've mentioned. (IKEA, on clearance).

I'm just extra nervous about mold, since I'm terribly allergic. Funny I didn't really notice it when we bought the trailer...(I think he'd sprayed and aired it out with the fan before we arrived) but I sure became aware of it once I spent time in it there. I gagged all night long in the house, and was sick for two days. So...

Anyway, what a cute trailer. Rear end looks a lot like the amerigo.
Good photos!

BEST.




Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV
Davie B is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2016, 02:22 PM   #25
Senior Member
 
Glenn Baglo's Avatar
 
Trailer: Escape 17 ft
Posts: 8,317
Electric carving knife works well cutting foam.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
Glenn Baglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2016, 03:13 PM   #26
Senior Member
 
Kai in Seattle's Avatar
 
Name: Kathleen (Kai: ai as in wait)
Trailer: Amerigo FG-16 1973 "Peanut"
Greater Seattle Metropolitan Area, Washington
Posts: 2,566
Registry
You can cut foam with a serrated bread knife, too. It's surprisingly easy, just go slow and be careful. Mark both sides and check often to see you're on the line. It's not "a bad idea." And there are a lot of foam mattresses that can be had for much less than $300.

Put your foam up on a big table and cut near the table edge, to keep the foam stable. You can even use a bungee or something to strap the foam so it holds still.

That said, you CAN go ahead and buy the foam set; it's easier. OUR foam guy wanted $2000. Now really!?!?

YMMV
__________________
Semper ubi sub ubi.
Kai in Seattle is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2016, 03:19 PM   #27
Senior Member
 
Kai in Seattle's Avatar
 
Name: Kathleen (Kai: ai as in wait)
Trailer: Amerigo FG-16 1973 "Peanut"
Greater Seattle Metropolitan Area, Washington
Posts: 2,566
Registry
Quote:
Originally Posted by Davie B View Post
Attachment 93032 Closing in on the demo of the old floor. I hope to finish most of that today and start figuring out the plywood next. I'm planning on epoxying in marine plywood. A few folks have recommended 3/4" but the original floor was 1/2" and I want the cabinets and benches to fit.

Attachment 93033 I haven't decided about the rat fur yet. Once I get the floor in, I'll start thinking about the rest of it.


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV
3/4" vs 1/2" ply:

I agree with you, that you should probably use the same thickness of ply that you took out.

Our floor was 5/8, so we got 5/8 marine ply. We borrowed some OLD ply from a neighbor to make temporary flooring while we took apart the belly band and windows because the trailer is outside, it rains a lot here, and we don't want the lovely new marine ply to get wet, prima donna plywood that it is.

We may use a scrap of the marine ply for the countertop...they sell "counter sealant" paint that's food-safe, and the edge of the ply looks like a chocolate necco wafer. It's really lovely plywood!

Took months to "fume off" in the living room.
__________________
Semper ubi sub ubi.
Kai in Seattle is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-06-2016, 06:28 AM   #28
Senior Member
 
Davie B's Avatar
 
Trailer: Lite House
Posts: 282
Registry
Was your marine plywood BC birch?


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV
Davie B is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-06-2016, 07:20 AM   #29
Member
 
Name: RandyB
Trailer: The BIG "O"
New Hampshire
Posts: 70
When I was looking to redo a floor, I was considering something along these lines, rather than anything containing wood. I don't believe the weight difference is that great and only works toward a lower center of gravity.

3m Reinforced Polyurethane Foam : Noahsmarine.com

Water Resistant, Fiberglass Reinforced Composites | Stringers and Transoms | RV Repair | Boat | Flooring | Plywood Replacement | Marine Bulkheads
RandyNH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-06-2016, 09:14 AM   #30
Senior Member
 
Name: Matthew
Trailer: Trillium
Texas
Posts: 129
When I redid my floor I went with the grind down to flat rather than use filler to raise up... I think it was the right way to go, however i wanted to share a little.

First off I used a 24 grit flat wheel on an angle grinder to do most of the heavy removal. worked well, was a dust cloud nightmare. Don’t try this in a suburban front yard or anywhere up wind of anything that you don’t want covered in dust. Buy the shop-vac filter that is waterproof and can be hosed off.

The dust and the trailer are staticly attracted to each other, the dust worked its way into unimaginable places... if you can, tape off everything, cover it in plastic or something... I had mold issues as well and had assumed I would be scrubbing every surface anyway so I hadn’t worried about the dust. Keep as much as you can covered and dust excluded, its not worth biologically contaminated areas that also will make you itchy for a week.

The regular bondo filler is fine, it is so much easier to work with than the fiber re-enforced kind... The truth is if you need the extra strength, build up the strength with mat and use the bondo to make the shape. Whenever I could, I used glass under and above anywhere I used filler
Ironhinge is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-06-2016, 09:23 AM   #31
Senior Member
 
Name: Matthew
Trailer: Trillium
Texas
Posts: 129
oh yea... The shape of you trailer is probably like mine, very plastic... with the floor rotten and or removed the walls and rest of the trailer responds dynamically... It is a bit of trial and error to determine the shape the trailer wants to be... start experimenting and figure out a clamping plan for when you want to glue the floor back in... check the walls against a template from the cabinets and door to be sure they are in the right shape... if you put a straight edge along the fiberglass floor it might be humping in the middle and letting the walls sag down. think about how you will support all of this weight to allow the plywood to resin-in flat.
Ironhinge is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-06-2016, 09:26 AM   #32
Senior Member
 
Name: Matthew
Trailer: Trillium
Texas
Posts: 129
I think I might have had too much coffee this morning but I hope some of this information is helpful... oh yea, I would also advocate for polyester resins over the epoxy, I don’t know what west systems product you had meant
Ironhinge is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-06-2016, 01:27 PM   #33
Senior Member
 
Davie B's Avatar
 
Trailer: Lite House
Posts: 282
Registry
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ironhinge View Post
I think I might have had too much coffee this morning but I hope some of this information is helpful... oh yea, I would also advocate for polyester resins over the epoxy, I don’t know what west systems product you had meant

Why polyester resin? And, yes, very helpful.


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV
Davie B is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-06-2016, 01:31 PM   #34
Senior Member
 
Davie B's Avatar
 
Trailer: Lite House
Posts: 282
Registry
Click image for larger version

Name:	ImageUploadedByFiberglass RV1457292631.774995.jpg
Views:	15
Size:	51.5 KB
ID:	93057 It appears that the original builder used red locktite on the big bolts.


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV
Davie B is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-06-2016, 07:08 PM   #35
Senior Member
 
Name: Matthew
Trailer: Trillium
Texas
Posts: 129
The idea basically is that the trailer, with the exception of the wood, has lasted a very long time with the materials they chose. Epoxy resins stick to anything but polyester only sticks to polyester, once you switch to epoxies you have to stay there... and so do future owners.
That being said I have probably put down 7 gallons of resin, there is a large price difference and so far I have found little lacking in the strength of the polyester
Ironhinge is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-06-2016, 07:27 PM   #36
Senior Member
 
Davie B's Avatar
 
Trailer: Lite House
Posts: 282
Registry
Does polyester resin saturate plywood as well as epoxy?
Davie B is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-07-2016, 06:18 AM   #37
Senior Member
 
Davie B's Avatar
 
Trailer: Lite House
Posts: 282
Registry
It may be too good to be true but I found an alternative to West or System 3 for a much more reasonable price. Has anyone had experience with resins from these guys? http://www.uscomposites.com/epoxy.html


Sent from my iPad using Fiberglass RV
Davie B is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-07-2016, 08:19 AM   #38
Senior Member
 
Kai in Seattle's Avatar
 
Name: Kathleen (Kai: ai as in wait)
Trailer: Amerigo FG-16 1973 "Peanut"
Greater Seattle Metropolitan Area, Washington
Posts: 2,566
Registry
Quote:
Originally Posted by Davie B View Post
Was your marine plywood BC birch?


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV
I don't know. We got it from a local marine yard.
__________________
Semper ubi sub ubi.
Kai in Seattle is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-07-2016, 08:25 AM   #39
Senior Member
 
Kai in Seattle's Avatar
 
Name: Kathleen (Kai: ai as in wait)
Trailer: Amerigo FG-16 1973 "Peanut"
Greater Seattle Metropolitan Area, Washington
Posts: 2,566
Registry
Paul's been getting his epoxy resin at a local auto body shop. The hardener is available even at Lowe's or MacLendon's hardware stores.

He's paying about $40 a gallon for the resin. It requires no special treatment to kick or harden, just add the appropriate amount of hardener for the temperature and it takes about 20 minutes total, maybe less, but he gives it that long.

It's sticking to everything he wants it to stick to very well. So far. But he's also doing a great deal of prep work and later lots of fairing and more prep for priming with Rustoleum Marine (wood and fiberglass) "white" primer.
__________________
Semper ubi sub ubi.
Kai in Seattle is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-08-2016, 11:09 AM   #40
Senior Member
 
Davie B's Avatar
 
Trailer: Lite House
Posts: 282
Registry
Quote:
Originally Posted by Davie B View Post
Attachment 93057 It appears that the original builder used red locktite on the big bolts.
Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

I'm assuming that I should replace the carriage bolts with grade 5?
Davie B is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
LiteHouse for Two Kevin K General Chat 2 04-20-2014 07:53 PM
LiteHouse side windows. Davie B Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 6 03-15-2012 06:13 PM
LiteHouse trailer manual -- help Legacy Posts Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 46 05-26-2007 07:56 AM

» Upcoming Events
No events scheduled in
the next 465 days.
» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:50 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.