In our first airstream we chose a vinyl interlocking plank flooring.
Airstream flooring replacement 7 8.
Vintage airstream trailers that have been neglected for decades usually have a rotten sub floor which can pose as a health hazard and safety concern.
This step isn t too hard.
Build an inner frame and jack the shell up or build a large pulley system and lift the shell off.
Once we started taking up the vinyl flooring we realized it was not only glued down and super sticky but it was also nailed down.
Leave about 3 16 of an inch around any walls or obstacles to allow for the expansion.
Airstream in the 1950 s built the trailer by stretching the insulation over the frame securing down the plywood floor installing the upper frame and outer skin shell and then installing the belly skin.
Whether you need an entire new sub floor or just a patch to fix a broken section we have you covered here at varr vintage airstream restorations and repairs.
Find an airstream with a rotten floor.
Before installing the actual laminate let it acclimate to the airstream for a day or so it really does contract and expand with temperature.
We spent a while sanding the sticky floor with 3 sanders and removed all the nails.
The airstream definitely needed new flooring.
Airstream renovation task 2 lift shell off frame.
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While a shell off floor replacement makes the labor of removing and replacing the floorboards easier it can be difficult for diy ers with limited space or experience.
Yes it can be either a frame off replacement or an in place replacement.
This flooring just clicks into place and should not be fastened to the sub floor either.
The existing vinyl flooring was worn and didn t match the retro trailer.
New subfloor installation airstream renovation rvliving today we re building the subfloor insulating it with reflectix treating it.
Time to get the full monty underway.
Floor repair replacement.
This pick came after many weeks of research.
Very little was holding the shell to the floor or the floor to the frame.
The removed front floor sections hardly even usable as a template.
The options were endless.
The frame off is exactly that you remove the belly skins and then unbolt the upper skin assembly from the floor and then raise it up and pull the floor and frame from under it replace the plywood floor and then lower the skin back down much the way airstream built.
But in the end we settled on vinyl flooring for our airstream and never regretted it.
So here s a step by step explanation of how we removed the floor before replacing it.
Read more best flooring for an airstream or travel trailer.