Sequoia underside floor paint

[ibornagain]

I have been looking around here for a few days now...really great site with lots of info to help the newbie...we recently puchased our 1st popup the other day...2005 fleetwood sequoia...i think we will get many years out of this...what i would like to know is would it be a good idea to paint, water treat the under side of the camper wood floor? I see nothng wrong now was just wanting to spray i with some thomason water seal or something like that...got any ideas?

thanks
-hugh

[Tim5055]

This question comes up often enough that I have it listed on my Pop Up Camping  Frequently Asked Questions Web Page


Here it is:

Should I undercoat my pop up?

YOU DON'T WANT TO UNDERCOAT or PAINT IT!

It's not a Coleman thing, it is a Weyerhaeuser thing! Weyerhaeuser is the manufacturer of the Structurwood.

Before I found my niche in geotechnical engineering, I was a structural engineer that specialized in wood. Trusses, laminated veneer lumber (LVL), glulam, trusses, etc... To put it as simply as I can, Structurwood needs to breath and equally expand and contract on BOTH faces... As much as you are concerned with it absorbing water from splashing while on the road, it is not as much of a problems as moisture trapping in the internal matrix of the composite, which sealing one side would promote... The "glues" used in making the product are very water resilient and wicking action usually just isn't there so splash contact is a negligible problem. Sealing is a problem because you can treat only one side of this product. This seriously impacts how the material can adapt to it's environment and exposure. Note, you can treat it if BOTH sides are done the same way, but you obviously can't do the topside in a pop up... Don't be fooled either, your vinyl floor is not glued down (i.e., sealing the top), it's a floater. Also, the flooring incorporates a cushion layer (i.e., this is why they're called laminate flooring) that allows the subfloor to breath...  

Answer thanks to:  Bob Scott, P.E. - Geotechnical Engineer


Now, obviously opinions are going to differ. So, you can believe what Bob says or not. It's your trailer so do what you think is best. I for one never touched mine on the Santa Fe and towed through some nasty storms, rain, sleet & snow. I looked at the bottom before I traded it and the wood looked the same as the day I bought it.

[Tim5055]

And, forgive me, I forgot...

Welcome to PUT!!!! :-()

[ibornagain]

Thanks I figured it was a reason not to...Thanks for the info...btw, you have a really nice site...thanks for the welcome...

hugh

[tlhdoc]

Welcome to PUT!  Tim told you right.  His website has a lot of great information.

[Duckv]

I looked at a 2008 Starcraft Centennial this weekend that had been sprayed black underneath.  The salesman said they come that way from the factory.

I believe the Fleetwood brochure specifically says that the floor is not undercoated, and why.

[tlhdoc]

I looked at a 2008 Starcraft Centennial this weekend that had been sprayed black underneath. The salesman said they come that way from the factory.
 
I believe the Fleetwood brochure specifically says that the floor is not undercoated, and why.

You are correct.  The Fleetwood brochure does say that the flooring should not be undercoated, and that is what Weyerhaeuser the manufacturer says.

[Duckv]

All I know is that when I heard the salesman start talking about undercoating, I thought "Here We Go," and for the next minute or two everything he said sounded like an adult in a Peanuts cartoon.

[PattieAM]

Welcome!!!

No, please do not paint, treat the underside of your trailer.  It is made of "Structurewood", which is a 'breathable' flooring.