How to secure new floor

[TitanTn]

I think I've read most stringer/floor threads on this forum, but I'm unclear as to the best method for attaching the floor to the stringers. The original floor was attached with staples obviously, but should I go back with screws, or adhesive? Screws and adhesive? And don't be afraid to hit me with any additional tips!

One more thing - what type of glue did you use for putting down the carpet?

[cadunkle]

Since your stringers checked out to be in decent condition, I'd be concerned about screwing into the stringers. This will allow water to seep into them. My suggestion would be adhesive and tab/glass them in whereever you ahve access. Disclaimer... I've never done a floor or stringers, so take it with a gran of salt.

[DAFF]

I did a partial floor repair on the old TS6M... Cut the old floor out osing a circular saw at 45deg leaving a lip so the new floor could be laid overlapping the old. While I did this I used 5" strips of plywood under both surfaces screwing them both together using deck screws and lots of construction adhesive. On the other side I used a nice thick bead of construction adhisive and re srewed into the stringers. Once dried and hardened I sanded the whole floor surface and used long hair glass filler to seal up the gaps and to cover the deck screws.

If I was to do it over I would use the staple method again. The screws worked great but you need to be carefull not to over tighten and strip them in the stringer.

[TitanTn]

I was wondering if glueing and tabbing the edges would be the way to go. I don't anticipate any moisture getting under the floor and affecting screws in the stringers, but you never know. If 5200, or something like it, will hold long enough, it would seem to be a safer way to go.

[viking]

If re-doing your floors......why carpet them? Why not use seadek or hydroturf? If I pull up my carpet I'm going with something that's more durable!

[wotan2525]

Believe me... no matter what precautions you take, water is going to get under the floor. Keep your stringers as intact as possible. I was going into new stringers so i used deck screws and construction adhesive. For carpet I used outdoor carpet glue -- troweled it on and it worked really well. Easy to apply and has stuck.....

[TitanTn]

If re-doing your floors......why carpet them? Why not use seadek or hydroturf? If I pull up my carpet I'm going with something that's more durable!

Because I like the look and feel of carpet. There's no question for me, it's going to be carpet.

wotan - thanks for the confirmation. I really think the less I put holes into the stringers the better. So unless there's any additional advice, I'm going to glue down the floor, tab the edges with glass, and use outdoor carpet glue on the carpet.

[Okie Boarder]

Definitely the less holes the better. You could use thickened epoxy as the "adhesive". You need to scuff the surface of the top part of the stringers first. Are you only doing the floor where you can get to it and not removing the top cap? If so, make sure you seal up the wood along the edges of the inner walls of the upper hull where the floor is when you put everything back.

You could relocate the batteries further forward of the observer seat, depending on your configuration. What year is yours again?

[sybrmike]

I talked to one shop that didn't like penetrating the stringers with fasteners, so they lay down a layer of mat saturated with resin on top of the stringers, then place the floor (pre-glassed on the both sides) on top of the stringers and then weight the floor down with old batteries (they had a whole pallet stacked up in the corner) while the resin cures.

The last one my buddies & I did 20 years ago, just used construction adhesive and screws, then covered the screws when we glassed the top of the floor. Was still solid when we sold it 10 years later.

I combined methods on my current project. Glassed the bottom of the floor, laid wetted mat down on top of the stringers, placed the floor down, drilled screw holes, filled them with resin before running the screws in, then glassed over the top of the floor.

Getting ready to lay carpet in the next few weeks once the trailer's done. At the recommendation of another shop, I'm gonna use a cheap spray gun to apply DAP HHR contact cement. Gotta be careful to line the carpet up just right cause once the surfaces touch, they're stuck. It's what the pro's use on auto landeau and convertible tops. Good luck with whatever methods you use.

[Salty87]

for adhesive, check out PL premium construction adhesive. it comes in the double-sized tubes too.

http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/public/BqwFHheeXaf3ggVRO5LLoyCnsvdJ1ANvQbtQdTggOX4SCnXl5B xpeTCifCjUQeHmdkpJPgCvO0_MOmwTeRN2LdfCKrbF2yubf_IR 0DRomVHwbucj5P_if1M7YwTyQLnC10Wb5iSEhVVOP6ws1aokHf X9utXrp1MFKK8gmZQvBunw=s90

[TitanTn]

Thanks guys. I think I'm going to go the non-screw route. I dislike putting holes in the stringers. Thanks for confirming that others have done it this way.

Okie - I am not pulling the cap. I left some of the original wood and glass along the edges and will epoxy and glass the new floor into the old. The floor just north of the seating area is in good shape. My Saltare is a 1986. I haven't looked closely at it, but I don't think moving the battery forward of the observer seats will be a straight-forward task. So far the idea I like the best is sinking the battery box in the floor under the observer's seat.

Sybermike - thanks for those tips. Is that contact cement water resistant? I like the idea of spraying it.

Salty - thanks for the tip. I'll look into that adhesive. I assume it is a orange or blue box item.

[Okie Boarder]

I don't know enough about the '86 to say for sure, but the '89 has a wall between the observer seat and storage that is in front of it. Also, that storage has floor in it that is about the same height as the cooler. Cut them both out and there is dead space under that floor that is open through to the observer seat area.

What kind of shape is the wood along those edges? You might see about getting some CPES on the wood and let it soak some of it up to help slow down any further rot. Tying it all back together will help. Are you going to tape the seams of the old wood to new wood?

[TitanTn]

Yeah, the wall between the observer's seat and the storage area is solid, and the floor in the storage area is the same height as the icebox. I hadn't thought about space being under that floor. I guess I could cut the wall behind the observer's seat and have access to that area under the storage floor. Good idea. I'm going to think about that one.

I actually have been doing a lot of reading about CPES and drying out wood. From what I've been reading, the best tool for drying wood and killing all the micro-orgamisms is glycol, or anti-freeze. Supposedly nothing works better. I'm still studying this one.

Tape the seams? I'm not sure exactly what you mean. I do plan to epoxy the wood together and then glass the old and new together. You're suggesting a possible third step?

[sybrmike]

Yeah, check out that space under the glovebox for the battery/ies. I haven't looked at that detail in awhile, but thought I remembered 10" clear below the port storage floor - just enough to slide a battery through a new hole behind the observer's seat base. I also think I have a glassed-in support under the playpen that cuts the entry height from that direction down a few inches?

DAP High Heat Resistant - label says it's solvent based, spray grade, and suitable for marine interiors.

[TitanTn]

Cool. I'm starting to like this idea under the glovebox. I'm thinking about cutting an access panel in the floor of the glovebox to place the battery. This way all I have to cut are some holes for the cables to go through the fiberglass.

[Okie Boarder]

Titan,

I was referring to the seam of the old wood/glass to the new. Most times people will use a narrow fiberglass tap of some sort on the seam, then glass the whole floor from there.

[wotan2525]

That space is perfect for batteries! At some point in the future, my batteries will be relocated there so I can actually have some storage space. ;)