Water Sealant

[Joe P]

Howdy....I was thinking about putting Thompsons water seal on the bottom of of my bunks to protect the wood.  Has anyone done this and does it work well?

[wavery]

Sounds like a great idea in theory. The only thing that I would be concerned about is the odor of the stuff. I put it on a closed in patio deck one time and it seems like it smelled for weeks. I can't imagine putting it under my bed :yikes:

Thompson's water seal works well on untreated wood (for about 1 year). It needs to penetrate into the surface. Check to see if your wood hasn't already been sealed with something first. If it has (my guess is that is has), Thompson's probably won't penetrate it.

Seems to me that a good old fashioned primer and paint might do a better job. Just don't make the mistake of applying the primer, then not painting it for a long time. Primer is extremely porous. It must be painted as soon as the primer dries.

[dthurk]

I'm writing this on recollection, which is not always accurate.  I think I remember reading in our owners manual that the underside of the camper panels should be left untreated.  I don't believe the top of those panels are treated, if so, treating one side only would cause all kinds of moisture and warping problems that you don't want.  Maybe some others could jump in with more substantiated information.  At any rate, I'd recommend proceding very cautiously with this.

[tlhdoc]

I know Coleman/Fleetwood say NOT to seal the bottom of the beds/floor of the camper.  You might want to contact the manufacturer of your trailer to see what they have to say.  You might void a warranty if you seal the wood.

[wavery]

Coleman/Fleetwood uses Weyerhaeuser "Structurwood" for their flooring and bed platforms.

You can take a look at what Weyerhaeuser says about the product here:
http://www.weyerhaeuser.com/ourbusinesses/buildingproducts/structurwood/technical/faq.asp
----------------taken from website-----------------------
All wood-based panels may be at risk of fungal decay or rot, which can cause deterioration and loss of strength. Wood-based panels may also support mold growth if exposed to repeated wetting or high moisture environments. For these reasons, construction and design features must ensure that Structurwood is protected from such exposure by finish coverings and wall systems that provide protection.
---------------------------------------------------------
I'm not concerned about mine because I live in SoCal. The humidity is low and rain is almost non-existent. I also store my trailer inside. If you have moisture issues to contend with, you may want to find out what your floor material is and how best to deal with it.

I am sure that materials differ with some manufacturers. Also, the manufacturer may have already treated the material. I would think that they would have given it a coat of epoxy resin or something. After-all that stuff is no more than particle board. However, I just went down and looked at mine and it looks pretty virgin.

You sure got me thinking though. I'm going to email Fleetwood and try to find out if they coated it with anything.

Has anyone had any problems with the floors separating? I'd be more concerned about the floors than the bed platforms.

[tlhdoc]

Coleman/Fleetwood uses Weyerhaeuser "Structurwood" for their flooring and bed platforms.
 
 I'm going to email Fleetwood and try to find out if they coated it with anything.

While you are emailing them, make sure you ask if the "25 year Warranty" will be affected.  Some people have asked in the past and have been told that it will void their warranty.  Fleetwood will use any excuse not to pay for damage that should be covered under warranty.  I am out for damage caused from my faulty ABS roof leaking and for the cost of a Fleetwood accessory that damaged the door handle in my PU after the new roof was put on.

[wavery]

While you are emailing them, make sure you ask if the "25 year Warranty" will be affected.  Some people have asked in the past and have been told that it will void their warranty.  Fleetwood will use any excuse not to pay for damage that should be covered under warranty.  I am out for damage caused from my faulty ABS roof leaking and for the cost of a Fleetwood accessory that damaged the door handle in my PU after the new roof was put on.

I guess, what I hear you saying is that their warranty is not worth much, if they don't honor it or you have to fight for it. That just tells me that I'd better do my best to take precautions on my own, to make sure that I don't have problems.

I'd much rather avoid a problem than to find out that I have a failure and they have skipped a step in production to cut costs then refuse the warranty, for some stupid reason, if the product fails.

I did find a lot of surface rust on the frame of my trailer when I first got it. It never even occurred to me to complain to the manufacturer. I just sanded it all down to the bare metal, primed it with Rustoleum Primer and painted it. I did get some over-spray on the flooring, That may be enough for them to say, "AH-HA!!! you damaged the floor with your over-spray".  :yikes:

[Joe P]

I guess, what I hear you saying is that their warranty is not worth much, if they don't honor it or you have to fight for it. That just tells me that I'd better do my best to take precautions on my own, to make sure that I don't have problems.

I'd much rather avoid a problem than to find out that I have a failure and they have skipped a step in production to cut costs then refuse the warranty, for some stupid reason, if the product fails.

I did find a lot of surface rust on the frame of my trailer when I first got it. It never even occurred to me to complain to the manufacturer. I just sanded it all down to the bare metal, primed it with Rustoleum Primer and painted it. I did get some over-spray on the flooring, That may be enough for them to say, "AH-HA!!! you damaged the floor with your over-spray".  :yikes:

I live in Florida so humidity is a problem.  I looked under my fleetwood and it looked like the wood was untreated.  let me know what Fleetwood comes back and says.

[wavery]

I live in Florida so humidity is a problem.  I looked under my fleetwood and it looked like the wood was untreated.  let me know what Fleetwood comes back and says.

OK, for what it's worth, I just called:

Fleetwood Folding Trailers, Inc. #72
258 Beacon St.
P.O. Box 111
Somerset PA 15501
Phone: (814) 445-9661

I talked to their service dept and the guy that I talked to was very helpful. He's worked there for 10 years and he says that he sees very little floor or bed platform wood deterioration.

According to him, the ONLY time that he has seen wood moisture problems, is when there is a roof leak, flood or some other thing that causes standing water over long periods of time.

According to him, they don't encourage or discourage the coating of the wood. The thing that he did say (and I agree) is to be very careful to completely seal the wood, if that's what you are going to do. He says that the wood seems to perform well if it gets wet and allowed to dry. Coating the wood may trap moisture and increase deterioration, if it is not done thoroughly. Humidity doesn't seem to be an issue. Only standing water.

In my case, I'm not touching it. He says almost "0" problems is good enough for me. However, if I ever do have to replace a peace of that wood, I will use marine plywood and completely coat it with epoxy resin before installing it. It's lighter and stronger but a heck of a lot more expensive. That's why they don't use it in production.

One other point, he says that the 25 year warranty only applies to the original owner. However, I happen to know that may very from state to state. Some states don't put up with that stuff. It's just down right dishonest. They will lose in a court of law 100% of the time in most states, even if it isn't the written law in that state. GM used to try to pull that stuff and they lost in court every single time in every state that it was tried in. That's why most states passed laws against that sort of practice.

[mike4947]

You will lose. The warranty only to original owner is standard across the RV industry and has been since the early 70's when I got my first trailer. Currently only Jayco provides any warranty protection to second owners and they have to pay a fee to get it.