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.
Airstream flooring replacement 7 8.
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.
It was easy to.
The existing vinyl flooring was worn and didn t match the retro trailer.
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But in the end we settled on vinyl flooring for our airstream and never regretted it.
Very little was holding the shell to the floor or the floor to the frame.
The airstream definitely needed new flooring.
From our research there are two ways to preform the shell removal.
Before installing the actual laminate let it acclimate to the airstream for a day or so it really does contract and expand with temperature.
So here s a step by step explanation of how we removed the floor before replacing it.
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.
Yes it can be either a frame off replacement or an in place replacement.
Do we go with a vinyl laminate bamboo hardwood engineered or cork.
Find an airstream with a rotten floor.
The removed front floor sections hardly even usable as a template.
The options were endless.
In our first airstream we chose a vinyl interlocking plank flooring.
We spent a while sanding the sticky floor with 3 sanders and removed all the nails.
Floor repair replacement.
Build an inner frame and jack the shell up or build a large pulley system and lift the shell off.
Time to get the full monty underway.
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.
Airstream renovation task 2 lift shell off frame.
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.
This pick came after many weeks of research.
Read more best flooring for an airstream or travel trailer.
This step isn t too hard.