Wood under mattress replacement?

[gager2002]

Has any one had to replace the plywood under the mattress yet??  One of my upcomming projects.  Any suggestions on type of wood?  I thought marine grade or treated, but then the moisture from the treatment might get into the mattress.  Or the smell of the wood might cause a sickness after being shut up for while then going camping - the trailer might have a bad odor.  What about regular plywood and a sealant painted on?  Any negatives there - if let out to cure properly before installing???
Thanks in advance.

[garym053]

I wouldn't do treated. Marine Grade would probably be okay, but not sure if you really need to go to the expense. It isn't really exposed to that much weather. I bet a cheaper grade and sealer would fare just as well. IMHO, of course!

[gager2002]

Thanks.

I need to replace due the the fact that when I bought it, I noticed it gettign stuck when trying to push back in.  I looked real hard and found the the screws holding the wood to the aluminum chanel have torn thru the meat of the wood.  And of coarse a little water damage too.  

This brings me to something in addition to the wood replacement...  The 'elasticord' that hold the bottom of the canvas to the wood is pretty much gone.. What are some of the alternatives any have used, ie tent shock cord, or anything??  Thanks

[wavery]

Thanks.

I need to replace due the the fact that when I bought it, I noticed it gettign stuck when trying to push back in.  I looked real hard and found the the screws holding the wood to the aluminum chanel have torn thru the meat of the wood.  And of coarse a little water damage too.  

This brings me to something in addition to the wood replacement...  The 'elasticord' that hold the bottom of the canvas to the wood is pretty much gone.. What are some of the alternatives any have used, ie tent shock cord, or anything??  Thanks

You can buy shock cord by the foot in most marine stores and probably a lot of other places
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/10001/-1/10001/5208/10001/428/0/0

An of course: :p
http://cgi.ebay.com/Elastic-Nylon-Bungee-Shock-Cord-1-4-x-50-Feet-100_W0QQitemZ7220592496QQcategoryZ50816QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[tlhdoc]

You can get bulk bungi cord at Lowe's and maybe Home Depot.

[brainpause]

I wouldn't do treated either. Not only is it not exposed to the weather much, you are also putting yourself in close proximity of possible carcinogens for hours at a time.

I haven't measured mine, but I would guess that it is 1/2" or thicker plywood.

Larry

[Old Goat]

Here's the difference between marine grade and  exterior grade AC plywood...Marine plywood has two or more plys than AC depending on the thickness and there are no voids or knots in these  plys. Voids are open cracks with air space which will affect strength of the ply. Both sides are clear wood with no knots. AC plywood doesn't have the stress factor needed in marine ply so has voids in it's core plys and on it's back side. Front side is clear with punch outs where knots have been removed  for appearance. Both grades are water proof and put together with the same glue. A lot of AC plywood  is used for interior flooring and bulkheads in boat and yacht construction because of it's durability and much lower price..

My 01 niagara has 1/2" OSB  board in it's bunk bottoms  and I would not hesitate to use it again if it should ever need replacing. To use marine plywood in this application would be a big waste of money...AC plywood or even BC plywood will work well too. What ever I used , I would give it a coat or two of a sealer or varnish before installing......

[gager2002]

Thanks everyone.

[wavery]

Thanks.

I need to replace due the the fact that when I bought it, I noticed it gettign stuck when trying to push back in.  I looked real hard and found the the screws holding the wood to the aluminum chanel have torn thru the meat of the wood.  And of coarse a little water damage too.  

This brings me to something in addition to the wood replacement...  The 'elasticord' that hold the bottom of the canvas to the wood is pretty much gone.. What are some of the alternatives any have used, ie tent shock cord, or anything??  Thanks

Boy, I sure wouldn't replace my bed boards just because the screws were pulling out. There are all kinds of inserts that you could put in the wood to hold the screws. Now, if you are replacing it because of water damage, that's a different story but your post says, "a little water damage too".

[gager2002]

The edges of the wood as they are inserted in the channel are breaking apart, mainly where the screws are.  The wood is a cheap press board.  Plywood would be a better wood for the application.  Also as you push the front slide in, it has to cross the doorway, since the wood is not attached to the channel in that area the channel doesn't line up with the receiving female end on the other side of the door.  It's just better to do it now while I have the time...

[Brantime]

I just went through this type repacement last fall. The previous owner had replaced the bed with 3/8" OSB...The arm bracing started to wear through to the top unnoticed, then one night at two am, my wife and I both almost rolled out the end of the bed when the brace plate popped through.

I came back and laid 3/4", AC, tounge and groove, plywood down on top of the 3/8" OSB. I broke the groove of the tounge and groove right ontop of the center channel under the OSB. I fastened it down with the following: self tapping screws for the channel bracing around the edges and down the center, drywall screws over the rest of the sheet of plywood.

This added a few pounds to the total weight of the bed, but it was worth the added weight, for a sense of security to my wife and myself, lol!

We have used the the beds on several trips since the replacement and are really pleased with how well this has turned out.

Just one way of doing this particular job...

[gager2002]

Thanks, I just bought 3/4" AC and used my router to cut down the top side of the edges to fit the aluminum track frame.  I hope to install by the 25th.  The weather  and kids b-days are keeping me busy for now.

[VaporTrails]

I think I would go with osb. Stronger and less likely to warp at equal thickness to plywood (so the guy a Lowes told me, anyway).

[dthurk]

Be careful of the advice you receive from a Lowe's or Home Depot employee.  Many times, you will know more than they do.  Those businesses have things set up such that someone who doesn't know anything of the building industry and practices follows a set of scripts, almost an FAQ of sorts for employees, to be able to answer customer's questions.  If I have a real question, or need advice, I go to one of the local building companies that employ people who have worked the trade in the past.

[garym053]

GREAT reply, DTHURK!! (Coming from a Controller/IT guy for 3 LOCALLY owned Ace Lumberyard/Hardware stores!)

In therory OSB IS supposed to be less likely to warp, in practice expose it to a heavy MIST and it will start to delaminate and every time you touch it you'll end up with splinters or cuts!

IF I had to use OSB in this case I'd use Advantech, but then you are spending almost as much as plywood!