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Old 02-23-2015, 11:15 AM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 58
Year: 1971
Coachwork: Gillig
Engine: Cat 3160
Solar Flex as a sealer........

Hi Everyone,

We are beginning to work on the inside of our bus and have a few questions.

We purchased Henry SolarFlex for our roof but have a ton of it left over. We are considering using it on the inside of the exterior skin as noise reducer and thermal barrier and also as a protectant. Any reason we shouldn't do that?

We are also considering putting it on top of our thick plywood floor before adding the insulation and flooring. Do any of you know why we should or shouldn't do that? The bucket says for external use only....why? Would it not work as a sealer and thermal barrier on the inside, as well? We will be laying down a thermal underlayment under our laminate flooring. The laminate flooring will only be in the aisle and bathroom floor. Under cupboards and non-walkways, there will be additional insulation. Our bus will also be insulated underneath as the storage bays and under-carriage are built.

Thanks for your thoughts.....

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Old 02-23-2015, 11:43 AM   #2
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Roswell, NM
Posts: 3,588
Year: 1986
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: 40 ft All American FE
Engine: 8.2LTA Fuel Pincher DD V8
Rated Cap: 89
How much is a "ton" and how many layers did you put on your roof? I put three coats on (entire 4.75 gallon bucket... I rolled until there was none left). Data sheet specs 2 gallons. I have bought another gallon to use as touch up. The park I'm in had some idiot "trim" the trees we are parked under and dropped a tree limb on the bus. Good thing it was the bus and not some flimsy RV. So after they were all done with the trimming of the branches, I climbed up the ladder and touched up the scrapes. Then I hit a few spots that looked "light" while I was climbing around on the ladder and had the stuff out (probably put stuff in places that didn't need it). I like having a partial can on hand. I do need to buy a quart can and pour whats left into it . I also keep a tube of the clear elastomeric roof sealant (Henry 212) on hand as well. I think having a "roof repair kit" on hand is a smart idea.

As for putting the stuff inside, you may want to read the Health Product Declaration as given some of the ingredients may cause cancer. While it's okay on the roof (encapsulated in the material) it's not something I want slowing grinding into dust inside my home. You might want to contact Henry's Customer Support and ask your question there.
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Old 02-23-2015, 11:43 AM   #3
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Stony Plain Alberta Canada
Posts: 2,937
Year: 1992
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC2000 FE
Engine: 190hp 5.9 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
There is much I am concerned about in your post.

What thick plywood floor? The original plywood floor needs to be removed, not covered up.

Laminate flooring in a bus is a bad idea, and laminate in a bathroom is a big no no. We now have vinyl plank flooring that is water proof available at any home depo for a few cents more than the laminate. Laminate get's destroyed by water in a short time.

You need to be careful with exterior paints inside a closed living space. Some continue to out gas all the way through their life expectancy.

Nat
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Old 02-23-2015, 02:28 PM   #4
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Location: Eustis FLORIDA
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I wouldn't go so far as to say the factory plywood floor NEEDS to be removed.
I'd sure as heck rip it out. But I like the demo work, and tend to go overboard with things. If I had a solid, newer bus and could ascertain there were no problems underneath, I'd just as soon leave it. Its marine grade plywood. Better stuff than I can get at lowes.
Mine came with rubber over steel.
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Old 02-23-2015, 04:57 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
I wouldn't go so far as to say the factory plywood floor NEEDS to be removed.
I'd sure as heck rip it out. But I like the demo work, and tend to go overboard with things. If I had a solid, newer bus and could ascertain there were no problems underneath, I'd just as soon leave it. Its marine grade plywood. Better stuff than I can get at lowes.
Mine came with rubber over steel.
I have never seen a bus that didn't need that garbage removed.

Fact is the plywood never should have been installed to start with.

Nat
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Old 02-23-2015, 05:47 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nat_ster View Post
I have never seen a bus that didn't need that garbage removed.

Fact is the plywood never should have been installed to start with.

Nat
There are plywood floors out there older than you or I that are still holding up just fine. In buses even.
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Old 02-25-2015, 11:38 PM   #7
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 58
Year: 1971
Coachwork: Gillig
Engine: Cat 3160
Our 1971 Gillig does not have a steel floor. It has two steel girders running the length of the bus with approximately 5/8" thick plywood in between. The plywood does not have steel under it.
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Old 02-25-2015, 11:47 PM   #8
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 58
Year: 1971
Coachwork: Gillig
Engine: Cat 3160
We are in the process of putting two coats on the roof and may go ahead and put a third. We won't have enough left over to do the floor, but we could put it on the inside of the bus skins.

If we don't use the solar flex on the floor and inside the bus skins for a combination thermal and sound barrier, what would you recommend we use? We will be using insulation in the walls, but a rubber type coating helps with deadening a lot of noise. We also thought it may inhibit rust.

We're not super concerned about the floor because we will be insulating it from underneath the bus, but I would like to seal the wood before laying down underlayment and flooring.
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Old 02-26-2015, 09:25 AM   #9
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Styrofoam insulation need no vapor barrier.

Nat
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Old 02-26-2015, 10:23 AM   #10
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Join Date: Jun 2004
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I had a 1974 Apache Popup. The floor and bed decks were marine grade plywood. We sold the popup in 2005 and there was still no sign of rot in the 31yo plywood.
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Old 02-26-2015, 10:45 AM   #11
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Roswell, NM
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Year: 1986
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: 40 ft All American FE
Engine: 8.2LTA Fuel Pincher DD V8
Rated Cap: 89
I can't tell you about any of the other buses. But I can tell you about mine. David was partially deaf from years of using loud saws, etc in building houses and making cabinets. So he turned up the TV pretty loud. You could not hear the TV going too much from outside. I only heard it once I got up real close (like about 5-6 ft away). Can't hear my residential washing machine from outside either. The road noise is pretty muffled except in the bedroom which is backed up to a busy highway (about 10 ft from roadside curb). We kept the original single pane glass bus windows. I attribute this sound reduction to the way the walls are constructed in our conversion...

Outside to inside:
Original steel siding
2" (nominal) Original fiberglass batt insulation
Original steel interior wall covering
1" R-Tech EPS - Expanded PolyStyrene (R 3.85@75F) (used 1X2 & 1X3 furring strips shimmed out to 1" as a thermal break and as "nailers")
7mm thick Traffic Master Laminate Flooring (attached to the furring strip nailers with screws)
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Fulltime since 2006
The goal of life is living in agreement with nature. Zeno (335BC-264BC)
https://lorndavi.wordpress.com/blog/
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