bus floor

[crown]

 ok i want to put in the new plywood floor i have cleaned and painted the frame rails i have marine plywood
 and have ripped it to 16'' x 8' lenths and cut in male & female joints to make it a one piece floor
 now how to install side to side ? first thought  or front to back ?  will also undercoat underside first
 then put a water sealer on top any tips or advice before i jump in thanks john

[zubzub]

Me start at the front perpendicular to the length of the bus  as most of the frame rails/structure is probably running front to back and also as the last board will be a PITA and this way there will only be one board to fit at the back of the bus as opposed to 4 along the side.  Finally if you do install t&G flooring later you can run this parallel to the length of the bus and it is appropriate to run florring at 90 deg to the sub floor planks.  BTW I guess it's too late now but why the 16" strips?

[crown]

hi i cut the plywood in to 16'' strips so i could t&g them john

[cody]

You may want to add some felt stripping between the metal sub structure and the plywood to minimize squeaking on the road, it creates a sound and a thermal break between the 2 different materials.

[crown]

could i use thin carpet glued down on frame rails or what type felt ? thanks

[cody]

Felt works best and is inert, just the 1/8th inch thick type that would be used for the old style weatherstripping would work well.  It doesn't take much but makes a difference, anything you can do at this point will pay dividends later on.

[robertglines1]

Do you leave any gap for the extreme temp variations..plus 100 to sub zero?

[robertglines1]

bob again should have looked up your location before posting...must be nice to not have to worry about drastic temp changes.

[crown]

cody where would i find this type of felt ? thats why i asked about the carpet when i gutted the monico they used 1/8 " carpet
 in all the bays and bed frame and i have lots laying around

[JohnEd]

I have lead a sheltered life.  Never heard of anyone leaving expansion gaps in the plywood floor.  And I ain't arguing, now.  Just never heard of it.  Do you need gaps at the edges against the wall?  Between the 4X8 sheets that are commonly used?  Only at the front of the coach or at the rear also?  I hate it when something slips past me and YES, I hate lots of stuff often and seems more so as time goes by..GRUMPHH!  Seriously though, what about those expansion gaps?  I know the "floating" flooring needs them or you get horrible consequences with the thing heaving and buckling.

John

[robertglines1]

John I know the floor on my bus likes about 1/2 inch on the sides of the coach to the outside framing.Don't know whether it is necessary or not.... it was built in Canada if that makes a difference??

[JohnEd]

Crown,

The felt comes in rolls of any width you might want and also in various thicknesses.  It is durable and mildew proof and serves as a insulator to some small degree.  Worth going for for those reasons alone but the "no squeek" function is justification all by itself.  Carpet does age and then it crumbles and unravels.  Iffy, at gest, and especially so if you are intending on using "old stuff".  

The bays are different.  You car R&R that stuff down the road without any serious hasstle.  The floor....well, you will be building the entire interior on top of that and it is a serious commitment point.

I am not sure that the 16 inch center cuts was a good idea.  The more joints you have the more screw up you MIGHT have.  I have only seem the floors installed with the 4 X 8 sheets laid across the bus and tongue and groove edges and the joints also glued.

You might consider holding the felt in place with a spray of contact cement.  Don't bother with the "wait till it is set before contacting" procedure. Just give both surfaces a good squirt and slip them into place.  if it lifts a slight pressure will re attach it.  You can then concentrate on getting your sheeting down and not worry with the felt staying put while you jockey stuff around on it.

All that stuff you said about treating the underside before installing the material is good.  I would go with the epoxy resin, if it were mine. Blocks moisture, as you pointed out. You are still going to install spray foam under the floor....right?  That stuff will seal your floor to moisture all by itself.  Might save a step and spend the material cost somewhere else.  Even though the epoxy under the foam would be redundant, I think I would do both, but then I am so very RICH that money means absolutely nothing.

Keep us all posted,

John

[JohnEd]

Robert,

Yes!  It does matter...to me.  I think the Frenchey buses are at the top of the heap in terms of construction.  No peer.  I also know that in the quantity of ply that they use they can get it made to any length they so well please.  If there is a half inch gap it isn't by chance or rooted in an economical driven choice.  Thank you for sharing that.  and, is there a gap at the front and back, as well?

What does Pre use to separate the flooring from the metal support structure?  Felt or what and how thick?

John

[cody]

We've always treated floors the same as a roof, most roofers use whats called an "H" clip to secure the panels between the trusses, it serves 2 purposes, it strengths the gap and also gives the needed room for expansion, clips on the floor are not practical but I always used a framing square for a guage and left the thickness of the metal as the gap, if your using a tounge and groove setup I would refrain from glueing the tounge but a bathroom caulk might be a good idea in the groove and embed the toungue in it, that seals out dust and still allows the wood the needed room to move.

[robertglines1]

John there is a gap at the front as far as the back its been awhile since that area has been in my sight.I remembered the sides because when we put the granite down we didn't go all the way to the side because there was no plywood to support it.also used that space to run wire for wall outlets.