To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

I have a trailer that is relatively new. Should I or should I not paint the floor?

I was figuring to put some painter's sand into the paint to give it grip. The idea behind painting it would be that any drops of oil or grease would be easier to clean off.

Any input (pros or cons) is appreciated.

Dean

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

I have treated wood in my trailer floors. I never have painted any of them. That being said, one I soaked in diesel for almost a month and then started soaking in motor oil. I done this in the hot part of the summer and got a good penetration. That was 23 years ago and after all these years the floor is just now barely showing signs of rot. All of my trailers set outside. I've only done this to one trailer but if I had it to do over I would do all of them.

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

My trailer I have put a coat of deck stain on it. I am not sure if that is the best thing to do because due to the fact I leave it outside here in raining Oregon, it seems to have to be recoated almost yearly.

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

Dean , this is what i did if you can hold off till French Lick... MINWAX wood Finish , Penetrates Stains and Seals #2750A, Jacobean . and under the car i bought from Tractor Supply [rubber mat] comes in 4 feet wide x and what ever length you need [in my case complete under the car. Used metal washers and screws to hold it down.Jacobean stain to match the wood floors in the "A".....:rolleyes::p:D..See you at the LICK...:eek:

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

You are not telling us in a very suttle way that your very early phaeton is leaking oil are you Dean?:(:confused:

Pluck

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

Mine is finished in marine plywood. I bought one of those thick rubber mats that are used on garage floors. I glued it down but after about a year the rubber started to slip and slide and seemed to expand and contract. NEVER again. The mats work and look great in a garage but they are layed loose.

I painted my previous trailer floor but a woman texting her daughter hit the rear and totaled the trailer before I had it long enough to form an opinion about the paint. I have however, formed an opinion about texting.

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

If you would stain or paint your outside deck on your house, why would you not do the same with your trailer?
wood lasts much longer when sealed.

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

First, the trailer I am talking about is an enclosed trailer. Please specify if your treatment is for an open or enclosed trailer. I do have a wooden top open trailer, too.

No Pluck, I'm not. A495 is a pretty nice car.

I cannot dedicate the trailer to A495. I do haul quite a few different things. For example, this week I will be hauling a 1950 Buick to the Midwest. It is a nice, older restoration but you just never know.

Thanks for all input.

Dean

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

OK Dean, regarding the enclosed trailer- if any cars drip oil, then you will only stain the wood. If you seal the wood, the oil will clean up far more easily. As far as longevity, the sealing would need to be done on the underside with undercoat or a sealer of any sort.
The latex paints that are out today do a wonderful job of sealing most everything. (plastic)
Oil stains and varnishes offer better penetration for the wood. You win with either.
side note....
Before I lay a vinyl floor, I take old house paint, mix it up good and use it as a sealer for the luan underlayment. It works well wo spending extra dough.

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

my enclosed floor is painted without any sand and never had a problem slipping. you will get black marks and paint wear from the tires mostly at the tie down position. the paint does protect the wood from oil leaks and wipes right up. i also lay a few pig mats down here and there

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

I painted my enclosed trailer floor with gray deck paint and added the sand like material to it. oil wipe right off it and when it get real dirty. I scrub it out with soap and water it still looks pretty nice.

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

I don't know about yours, but my trailers wood floor has a 20 year warranty. I don't know that I would want to stain (paint) it or anything for fear of voiding it.

Of course I likely won't have my trailer in 20 years....

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

I painted my enclosed trailer floor with rustoleum red paint,looks nice and washes up easily.

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

I painted my enclosed tr. floor with deck paint and did not use any sand in paint...walked inside with wet shoes....frailed and kicked about 4 feet before I finally hit the floor...hard! Is there a lesson here?

BUT I like painted floors because they look good. wk

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

Epoxy paints is the way to go!Good prep prior will last for ever.Gaco products plus others

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

I have a friend that restores wood boats so I got some boat epoxy from him and sealed the seams in the floor and ramp door. I then painted the entire floor with garage floor epoxy paint. I used the speckles but chose not to add the grit. If I had to do it again I'd probably use commercial grade floor epoxy (more resistant to tire marks and such) and I would add the grit to the slope and the rear door. I got caught having to load in the rain once and had to be very careful walking up and down the ramp.

Unfortunately I still haven't installed white wall panels to match the ceiling.

http://abarnyard.com/temp/Truck/trailer_floor-1.jpg

http://abarnyard.com/temp/Truck/trailer_floor-2.jpg

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

I stained the floor charcoal, so not a very black shade. Put sand in the stain for the ramp door. Painted the walls and ceiling plywood white for reflection as opposed to the optional white finished Masonite which had no strength. I do use steel "trays" in the engine/trans area as well as the rear end. Made removable clamps to keep them in position when used. Like you I use the trailers for my other non-A's.

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

no experience here
but what about applying bed liner?
they sprayed the back of my pickup and its lasted for years,very durable
and it has the texture so its not slippery

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

Pluck: Dean's Phaeton just marks it's territory once in a while. hee hee...

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

Mot, bedliner could be pretty pricey. Also not as easy to wipe up as epoxy or latex.

You are right though, would probably last longer then the trailer.

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

A couple of drops of oil is nothing compared to horse urine and poop that is the byproduct of trailering horses! I used rubber trailer/stall mats from Big R and Tractor Supply. About $50 for 4' X 6' X 3/4'. In fact, I have put them down through my entire shop as they are easy to walk on and impervious to oil.

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

A few yrs back, i was at a car show in midland , mi....the guy has a nice old bujck in an enclosed trailer and the floor was covered with carpet with the buick logos on it... like you might have found in an old dealers showroom many years ago...... very neat....

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

I purchased a used 20' 2012 enclosed trailer this year and the previous owner applied the roll on bed liner.

I works great! - Easy to clean, durable and good traction. I would recommend it.

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

Not a trailer, but when I built my shed for storing lawn mowers and such, I sealed the pressure treated plywood with "Kilz", then 2 coats of acrylic porrch and deck paint. That was over 10 years ago. With some leaking gasoline and motor oil, and who knows what else, it has held up very well. There are black tire marks, but no signs of peeling or lifting of the paint. Granted, it almost never sees any water, but would think the oil and gas would be harder on the finish. I would rather have used a good oil based deck paint, but it just isn't available around here.

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

Dean,

Look into Rustoleum 10X, it comes in a large varieties of colors, it is applied with a roller, it is for horizontal surfaces, is 10 times thicker than paint, has a rough surface when dry, takes 48 hours to dry, must be 50 to 90 degrees when applied, actually made to restore old wood decks.

Ron

They also make a 2X which is for vertical surfaces, can be applied with a brush or roller, twice as thick as paint, needs to be applied at 50 to 90 degrees, comes in the same colors.

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

FWIW, My Cabriolet lives in a pre-fab garage with pressure treated plywood floors. I was concerned about oil and grease too. So I painted the floor with gray deck stain. Grease and oil "droppings" do not soak in as they would on bare treated plywood and is easy to clean up.

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

My 20 footer has three coats of Pollyeurathane, looks great and wipes any oil or tire marks easily.

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

Several years ago I had an enclosed trailer, and a friend suggested using inexpensive self stick vinyl flooring that came in squares. This worked extremely well.....very easy to sweep out or wipe up oil drips.

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

Try Owatrol which is an oldfashion protection for yaught decks. Will do for outside usage.

Re: To paint or not to paint a trailer floor
 

so everyone has an opinion- in the end, doesnt really matter what you treat it with-will be better off
for treating it, rather then not..............