1976 Frolic Camper: Floor Repair: Part 1

Since we had to support the roof and walls while replacing the floor, the removal and replacement of the floor is an evolving project. This post will cover our strategy and some photos of the progress up to this weekend.

The original floor structure consisted of untreated 2x2s glued and stapled from the bottom, up into the plywood flooring. A technique obviously only possible during initial assembly in a factory. The perimeter of the camper was framed in 2x2s, liberally spaced apart, with ridged foam board insulation filling the spaces between.

Being as I am, I was not about to repeat their design. Instead, and bearing in mind a few worse-case scenarios, I framed the floor with treated 2x4s lying on their side. The boards are glued to the aluminum belly skin, attached to the frame with stainless steel bolts, and connected to each other as needed with galvanized brackets and screws. In areas where structural integrity was not paramount, I used plain 2x2s to help distribute the floor load a little and in the unlikely event of foam-failure. I feel the weight addition as compared to just using 2x2s is well justified and worth it to maximize the life of the camper.

"Hey, what were the worse-case scenarios you mentioned?"

Ah, yes... The first is water intrusion. Should the flooring ever get exposed to water again, I didn't want the framing to rot away. Hence using treated lumber.

The second, is insects, and best shown in the below photo.

After fitting the floor boards and insulation, I swept insect poison all over the floor and into the cracks between the boards. I figure any bugs that do get in, will enjoy a nice first last meal on the house. :-) this is then covered by the plywood flooring. Overkill or genius? I prefer the later. Keep in mind we have a Shop Vac full of bug carcasses from the demolition. :-)

Here are some various photos taken during the floor repair process:

This was the "good" corner with very minimal rot. If you look closely, you can also see one of the stainless bolts on the right edge 2x4.

Framing the rest of the rear floor. It was tricky to keep the roof jack in place while being out of the way. Here you can see that the wall corner boards have been rebuilt and fit into place.

Measuring for the foam insulation boards. We had to leave a catwalk of the old floor in place to allow us to walk in there as needed for the installation.