sealing underside of flooring?

[Wingdreamer]

I have a new 07 trailer and have been looking underneath at the bare naked chip board that they use for the floor. It would seem that it is only a matter of time before water from rain and on the road driving takes its toll on the wood. I was thinking of sealing the wood to reduce moisture damage.  I bought several cans of rubberized undercoating and was thinking of spraying it on the underside of the trailer. It would seal the wood from moisture and rain, thus eliminating wood rot from the underside...... Any thoughts on this idea?

[mike4947]

First of all you void the warranty.
Second, they haven't sealed the flooring for 30 years so I think they know something about it.
Third, it's a specific engineered wood product called Structurewood designed to be wet and dry many times without damage.
Attempting to "seal" the flooring will encourage water to enter in the areas you can't get to such as on top of the frame, and migrate to areas under the sealing where it will stay , not evaporate, and cause dry rot.

[sacrawf]

The flooring is likely Structurwood RV Floor Decking from Weyerhaeuser. When considering this question myself two years ago, I did some research and found that they do not advise applying any type of undercoating or sealant.

[wavery]

I have a new 07 trailer and have been looking underneath at the bare naked chip board that they use for the floor. It would seem that it is only a matter of time before water from rain and on the road driving takes its toll on the wood. I was thinking of sealing the wood to reduce moisture damage.  I bought several cans of rubberized undercoating and was thinking of spraying it on the underside of the trailer. It would seal the wood from moisture and rain, thus eliminating wood rot from the underside...... Any thoughts on this idea?

Just one........don't :sombraro:

[eric1514]

As others have stated, don't do it.

On the other hand, next time you're crawling around under your camper, you might think about sealing all the holes in the wood. Every place a pipe or hose or wire goes through the floor needs sealing to keep out rodents or insects.

I used rope caulk. It is pliable, you can mold a piece large or small and it doesn't stick to you and make a mess. Others use silicone sealer from a tube. That works well but sometimes space is limited under there and maneuvering a caulking gun is difficult. You won't have that problem with rope caulk. Just break off a piece and cram it in the hole.

Take Care,
Eric