Rubber floor questions

[ChurchBuz]

I’m guessing that the reason people scrape up the rubber off the floor is because they are going to insulate and put down another floor on top. And I’m guessing that there is no reason to leave that rubber under there adding weight and height.

What am I missing, are they taking up the plywood too? I presume that there is wood under there?

Who can tell me what is under my bluebird all American (Airconditioned) ?

Also interested in peoples opinions.

I do plan on insulating the floor from the front of the rear wheel wells forward because that is living area.

[ChurchBuz]

It looks like there is 3/4” plywood on top of steel sheet metal that is reinforced with sheet metal ribs. It is probably really strong.

Would it make sense to pull up the plywood and put wool insulation down between 2x2’s and then OSB with a fishing floor on top of that?

Trying to keep from building up too much height on the floor.

Can I just put a bamboo tongue and groove floating floor over the 2x’s and wool batts?

Maybe 1x2’s up on end.

[TheHubbardBus]

I would not personally install a subfloor in the way you describe, but I would absolutely, positively remove the existing plywood, repair any spots in the underlying metal floor that may require it (if there's any rust at all in/on your bus, this is where it will be, as moisture inevitably gets trapped in & between the plywood and steel), and then prep/paint/seal the metal before moving on from there.

No, you can't add flooring that expects a stable subfloor over loose fill insulation and sleepers. Nor are 2x2s a good option for a sleeper floor (they're almost always warped - 2x3s on their side do much better). Nor are 1x2s suitable at all.

There is a ton of info here on flooring. You really should use the search functionality to research the subject. If you're looking for minimizing floor height a floating floor utilizing foam board insulation is probably a better way to go.

[ChurchBuz]

There is a ton of info here on flooring. You really should use the search functionality to research the subject. If you're looking for minimizing floor height a floating floor utilizing foam board insulation is probably a better way to go.

Thank you! Very helpful. I will search flooring!

[ChurchBuz]

I searched but got discouraged. I must not be using the right key words. I did not find any posts that appeared to be just about flooring. My searches brought up every post and add that mentioned flooring and insulation.

Help with key words please

[TheHubbardBus]

Not really sure what's going wrong with your searches. Flooring is one of the most common topics on this forum. I get relevant and useful results with all of the following...


subfloor
flooring
floor insulation
floors
floating floor
floating floor vs


Make sure the radio box is selected for 'Skoolie', not 'Google', in the search box so all the results come from this site. Hope this helps. Not saying there's an easy answer, but there's tons of info to sift through so you can come to your own educated conclusion.

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

my opinion?
everything needs to come up.
then you can fix any underlying steel floor issues that are there that you cant see without removing the rubber and ply.
fix it clean it paint it and then you know what you have.
hopefully you get a good blowing rain while the flooring is up and you can target the main leaks? mainly windows which cause damage hidden under the existing flooring.
if your not pulling the existing windows then i would reconsinder and pull and re seal all of them.
the flooring and windows are a no brainer and piece of mind for a fresh build.
and you know what you have instead of your floor falling through in a new build in a few years.

[DeMac]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger bus 223

my opinion?
everything needs to come up.
then you can fix any underlying steel floor issues that are there that you cant see without removing the rubber and ply.
fix it clean it paint it and then you know what you have.
hopefully you get a good blowing rain while the flooring is up and you can target the main leaks? mainly windows which cause damage hidden under the existing flooring.
if your not pulling the existing windows then i would reconsinder and pull and re seal all of them.
the flooring and windows are a no brainer and piece of mind for a fresh build.
and you know what you have instead of your floor falling through in a new build in a few years.

Jolly Roger's words are worth re-reading.
Same thing TheHubbardBus described. No framing needed with XPS.

Remove it all & rehab the steel. No need to install (and ruin) new flooring until the building envelope is sealed. ie, windows and roof penetrations.

Some builders go too far on floor demo and continue straight on to finishing the floors.

[ChurchBuz]

Thanks guys!