Flooring/decking

[Bing M.]

Has anyone tried to use the plastic decking for a floor when removing the original plywood deck. I would think this would eliminate the rotting problem. The decking could be overlaid with underlayment to provide a smooth surface for your choice of flooring. It could be bolted and glued in place
Would the thickness of the decking pose a problem when putting the body back on? I don't know. Anybody want to run with this idea? Just putting it out for discussion.
Happy Trails, Bing

[John in Michigan]

In most molded fiberglass campers, the plywood subfloor serves several purposes:

- provides a subfloor for attaching the flooring
- supports the weight of the flooring and furniture
- supports the weight of the occupants
- supports the weight of the fiberglass body, upper cabinets and items attached to the roof

While plastic decking has many advantages, the challenge would be finding a product has sufficient strength to carry additional weight of the fiberglass body, upper cabinets and items attached to the roof.

[Jon in AZ]

Bing, your profile says you have a 30’ fifth wheel. Are we talking about that trailer or another all-molded trailer?

From what little I know about composite decking materials- Starboard is the one Ive heard of, but there are probably others- they don’t have the same structural properties as traditional wood-based products. In particular I recall they require more frame support (shorter span) to prevent bending when you walk on it.

Be sure to read the product description and installation requirements carefully.