The Vinyl Polymer coating is very durable, but will not stand up to the long term cutting and abrasion of horse shoes. For the best durability, it should be covered with mats.

Because the coating seals the flooring, constant removal of the mats for cleaning is unnecessary. At first we pulled the mats about every month for cleaning. Now we only pull them at the end of the season.

We will be into our fourth year this summer, with one application, and the product still looks like the day I installed it. Our other trailer and utility vehicle start their third year, and still are in excellent shape.

Gard

Our trailers have the roll on bed liner, not the werm. I have never seen this product used on a wooden floor, and would be hesitant to try it without first contacting the manufacturer.

Most wooden floors, if they are maintained, will last a few decades. I don't see any real advantage to coating them. Any coating that becomes damaged will hold moisture into the wood and cause localized rotting. Wood that is allowed to dry out, and flushed of urine and manure, is long lasting.

Gard

Gard, did you have any trouble fitting your mats back in after applying the roll on?  Mine are such a PITA to get the "puzzle fit" of them correct & laying flat on the bare aluminum floor - so wondering what happens w/the coating down.  I am looking into doing this so trying to find answers to all my questions.

In both of our 3H trailers, the mats consist of three pieces as wide as the trailer. The front has the slant wall taper cut, the center one is rectangular and the rear one has cut outs for the moveable tack wall pin and the saddle rack mounting plate. With each one being unique, it's not difficult to recreate their placements. If it were, I would mark each one with a chalk mark before removal.

I have little strength in one arm, and found that by using a hay hook, slid through a hole drilled into the mats' corners, I can move them about. The "T" shaped handle is much easier to grip and pull against, than the handles of pliers or vice grips.

We no longer remove the mats during the year. We rake or sweep the mats and flush them off with a hose after every trip. If there is a particularly bad mess, it's quite easy to lift the butt edges of the mats and pull them towards the head side, exposing the messy part of the flooring. Once again, this will be flushed with a hose, and when dry, the mats ends are just rolled back into place.

Since I've installed the coatings, the original aluminum floors have been completely sealed, have no indications of corrosion, and within the horse stall areas, are now maintenance free. Occasionally I flush the bottom of the trailers, and even though they are uncoated, they too are corrosion free. One trailer is now 8 years old, the other is 9.

Gard

Thanks Gard - I guess I wasn't real clear in what I was asking .. I mean, as in the tight fit of the mats.  There is no spare room when I put mine in - they fit tightly against each side & each other.  So I was wondering if the coating made things any "bulkier" as far as the mats fitting back into place correctly, or if just the same as before.

Thank you!

Yes, the acid will stop any active corrosion. Without a floor coating, I would roll the butt side of the mats onto the head side and flush the floor whenever it becomes saturated with urine. Let the flooring and mats dry completely before they are flopped back down. The underneath areas of the mats on the head side, usually don't get as contaminated. This eliminates the rigours of trying to remove and replace the mats each time.

Three months can be a long time between flushings, if there is a pool of urine trapped underneath the mats. You might want to check your flooring drain holes to see that they are not plugged.

The acid application is the initial and most difficult part of the flooring coating installation. Once that has been accomplished, applying the coating is no more difficult than painting a floor with a roller and paint brush. There is little odor, the materials are about $80 and will last many years with little maintenance.

BOL  Gard

Before a coating of any kind is installed, the present corrosion issue should be first addressed. Corrosion will not go away by hiding it.

Linex, Rhino and most hot sprayed two part coatings will do an excellent job. Of course the cost will be about eight times the cost of a DIY project.

Gard