Fastening plywood in a bus

[putterspitt]

Do the straight nails do ok for fastening finish plywood or does the bouncing and rattling around loosen them up too much.
tks for the replies

[Stuff]

always use screws. nails will squeak and creek and work their way loose on ya.

[RUskoolietailgater]

Sheet Metal Screws 1-2" based on how thick your plywood is. We used 2" with a 1/2" plywood, probably could've used 1.5" but I don't think HD had them.

[putterspitt]

thats what I used on the side walls, was going to try use something better looking
tks for the replies

[Scratchy]

Pura Vida,

I used 3/4 inch plywood and was glad I did. The 1/4 gives you a little more material to work with when your are fastening down other fixtures in your bus to the floor. Just my two cents worth.

Good luck.
Scratchy

[FLHRCI]

As far as sub-flooring goes, does anyone see any need for PT (pressure treated) plywood?

[putterspitt]

pressure treated wood wil dry out and warp imo

[bus-bro]

No, that stuff is poison. Keep it out of the living envelop. I've also heard the chemicals in some of the treatments react with steel, not for the better.

[RevBill]

If moisture is a concern you can use a product like "DryPly" .. it's a tongue and groove sub-flooring designed for humid environments and occasional exposure to moisture .. it is not designed for prolonged or continuous use in "wet" environments (such as outdoors or for a deck) .. great for bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms where you expect to get wet once in a while ..

.. it is also T&G, which makes for much stronger joints that won't "rack" or move horizontally when you step on them ..

.. it is available at most Home Improvement stores .. not much more expensive than regular T&G sub-flooring .. I would stay away from the OSB sub-flooring though, especially if moisture is a concern .. regular old T&G sub-flooring should hold up just fine, especially if you use a low-voc sealer ..

.. hope that helps ..

[RevBill]

Yeah Smitty .. it won't sheen water, it just resists deterioration from exposure to moisture .. won't help you at all with mildew/mold, or even pet odors for that matter ..

[Scratchy]

LuLu,

I had a similiar experience with TEK screws when trying to fasten my plywood to the metal floor. The wings on the screws were causing the screws to strip out. At $8 bucks a box for the small screw count I was a little perturbed. I ended up grinding the wings off each of the screws, pre-drilled all of my holes and used them still to fasten down my plywood. Yes, it defeats the purpose of self tapping, but I will say they did hold tight very well.

Scratchy

[Scratchy]

Its my understanding the whole premise of the 'wings' is to help bore through the wood and in theory break off when they actually hit metal. The screws I was using the wings didn't break off and continued through the metal. Thus when trying to actually tighten down the plywood to the metal floor the screw was stripping through.