Posted 2008-11-14 12:08 PM (#94886) Subject: Preserving an Aluminum floor
Member
Posts: 10
Location: PSJ, FL
i just bought a 96 sooner all alum. 3H GN trailer. the lady who owned it before me was the original owner. she had plywood under the rubber mats and was told that this would preserve the aluminum by absorbing moisture. hubby and i pulled the mats and plywood out to clean and check the floor, which is still in decent shape (some minor pitting in a few spots, but nothing major). but the question i have is has anyone else heard of or done this before? it seems to me that the wood would hold moisture more than just having the mats over the alum. floor. the boards were kinda damp when we pulled them out, which makes me doubt this theory. also, does anyone use shavings in their trailer when hauling? i see this often too, but would think you would risk eye and respritory problems with shavings blowing around. would it absorb moisture and keep it off the floor, or just hold it in more. help! =]
Posted 2008-11-14 12:49 PM (#94889 - in reply to #94886) Subject: RE: Preserving an Aluminum floor
Veteran
Posts: 252 Location: Hunting Valley, Ohio
If you sprinkle baking soda between the floor and the mats, it will not only control odor but it will also protect your floor by neutralizing the corrosive acids in urine and manure.
Posted 2008-11-14 1:13 PM (#94890 - in reply to #94886) Subject: RE: Preserving an Aluminum floor
Member
Posts: 10
Location: PSJ, FL
baking soda sounds like a good idea! thanks for the tip! i have been watching these boards for a while before purchasing a trailer and they have been very helpful! now i actually have questions to post, kinda exciting! lol!
Posted 2008-11-14 4:25 PM (#94896 - in reply to #94886) Subject: RE: Preserving an Aluminum floor
Veteran
Posts: 285
We pulled our mats our, did a thorough cleaning with muratic acid and then put several coats of the rubber bedliner stuff. We bought it by the gallon at Wal-Mart. You just have to make sure the floor is clean and rinsed before you apply this. Now we don't have to worry about the floor pitting. I think Gard and several others on here have done this also. Sure beats worrying about your floor and pulling out those heavy mats. Debbie
Posted 2008-11-14 6:09 PM (#94901 - in reply to #94886) Subject: RE: Preserving an Aluminum floor
Veteran
Posts: 241
I've never used wood shaving because I worry about the same thing you do, I don't want the dust and small particles to become air born in transit and get in their eyes and lungs. Some folks will lightly spray the shaving with water to prevent that but it just seems like a big mess to me.
Posted 2008-11-14 6:59 PM (#94904 - in reply to #94896) Subject: RE: Preserving an Aluminum floor
Regular
Posts: 99 Location: New Mexico
I just pulled the mats out of my trailer. I was wondering about the same thing. The floor is in good shape just some pitting. Those mats are heavy and worse to move around when wet. Where in Walmart did you get that rubber bedliner stuff? Around the paint dept or auto? Might be a project for me next weekend while the kids are gone.
Posted 2008-11-14 7:53 PM (#94909 - in reply to #94886) Subject: RE: Preserving an Aluminum floor
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
The pitting will have to be chemically cleaned or mechanically removed before any covering is applied. If it isn't treated, the corrosion will increase just as rust does on steel. Small problems now can turn into larger ones later.
Baking soda will not stop corrosion. It will reduce the acidic affects of urine and make things smell better.
Preserving an Aluminum floor
