Horsebox flooring options please

M

MyBoyChe

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 April 2008
Messages
4,611
Location
N. Bucks
Visit site
Have been advised that my 3.5 can convo needs a new floor. It is ply with heavy rubber mats and yes, I can see that the ply is starting to de laminate. Have been told that it is still safe to use but if left alone will begin to rot further and eventually the floor below will corrode. I have been given a quote to remove it all, underseal underside of van and inside as well before putting down new heavy duty wood and topping it with a granular rubber flooring. The chap had a look underneath and is happy that everything is still structually sound and although 13 years old, the van is in good nick and well worth doing. There are no leaks as such but he said that moisture which you cant really avoid is most likely the cause. Does what Ive been told make sense. is there a better option? What do others do?
 
My OH always double floors my lorries with marine ply. The 'marine' is VERY important! The bottom one is treated on top and on the road side. The top one is sacrificial and can be readily replaced if scraped or rotted. I rough up the surface with a claw hammer for any horse that slips easily, and I have one horse I've put nails in as well as he is so insecure about his feet. Painting with non slip floor/yacht paint is also great, I've done my ramp with it and no longer have the additional weight of a ramp covering to lift.

Hope that helps.
 
Ah will watch this with interest as relevant to me at the moment too :D

I have the granular floor at the moment and mine needs replacing.
I won't be putting the same rubber down - it's a good surface for providing grip and it has basically helped my welshie to learn how to stand up in the box, but it's difficult to keep clean and I want something I can take up to inspect the floor underneath.

I am trying to decide between alu and new wood at the moment, OH doesn't seem to have a preference so I think we will go for whatever is lighter.
I have bought interlocking EVA mats from Equimat to go on top, they do some that are 1m square, thinner and slightly squishier than the stable mats so designed to help the horse keep their footing in the box. They look like they will be brilliant, just need to decide what to put underneath :o
 
Last edited:
MP, I cant decide in my head whether its better to completely seal everything and know/trust that the floor wont rot, or leave it loose so that you can lift things up to check. Both make sense for different reasons.
 
well my granulated floor is going soft in places... though it is an old box, it's probably the original floor :o I have been assured that it's safe to use for now and the original van floor below is in good nick.
I can't cope with the sweeping problem though! I can't get all the poo out and if they wee then it just pools. The mats i've had from Equimat look brilliant, can't wait.
 
Following with interest too. I also have a 13 year van conversion and it has rubber nailed to the floor so I really want to get it lifted and probably look at replacing the floor for piece of mind. I'm leaning towards those interlocking mats too as I think it would be better to be able to remove for cleaning and checking purposes.
Would you mind sending me a PM with how much you've been quoted to replace your floor?
 
We have marine ply with rubber matting on top.

We also had drain holes put in and commit to replacing the floor every three years minimum as Topaz wees in it at least once a journey!

I am debating the softer EVA matting but the current set up is relatively cheap and does the job.
 
Interested in the non slip paint as had my wooden ramp replaced but the carpet was put back on & is bit baggy & going holey so needs replaced. Don't want rubber due to weight, it's a big ramp! What product & how to apply?
 
OP - from your description it sounds like your lorry has a metal floor below the wood (like mine). The planned replacement sounds fine but do make sure they do (as stated) underseal inside before laying new floor. I would also want the wood sealed before the granular rubber is laid. What thickness wood have they specified?
 
Ah PM, Im glad you replied, I remember your build, Im surprised you couldnt feel the lorry envy seeping up from Milton Keynes :) Yes, its a renault master and has a metal floor. They plan to remove everything, seal the underside of the van and the inside of the metal, then lay 2 sheets of wooden flooring, forget what he called it but OH knew and it is a strong sealed ply, then trowel on a granular rubber top layer. They will also put a couple of drain holes in below the wood to allow any moisture to escape. I just cant decide whether rubber matting that can be lifted is more sensible than something that cant!
 
Ask them how thick the wood flooring is. This may surprise some peeps but far too often the floor of horseboxes is way too thick. With a metal floor to the box I would be perfectly happy with one layer of 18mm (iirc) phenol board as the floor. Additional thickness just cuts in to your payload.
For me, what is important is that the screw holes used to secure the wood floor are sealed as this is often where the moisture gets in initially. When replacing a floor I have always laid the floor then taken all the screws back out, sealed the holes then refitted the screws with sealant.
If you think about floor thickness, what is the point of having 24mm or 36mm thick floor with metal below it (metal alone would probably support horses weight) when the sides of the box are generally only 12mm to 18mm glasonite (plywood faced with thin fibreglass sheet). How often do you see a horse manage to kick it's way through the side of a lorry (rare).
Personal preference, I would always have removable mats.
If really being done properly the floor should have narrow drain channels (ali) down either side leading to an outlet hole. No issue with horses having a pee then.
 
I'm in the same position - Renault Master van with wooden floor needing replacement soon, removable EVA mats on top, which I will keep. I have never had a chance to look below the wooden floor to see what the metal floor is like, and how the wood is supported (directly on the metal floor, or by struts, with the metal floor below support struts?). Does the metal floor have drain holes built in? My friend (similar conversion) has two drainage holes in her wooden floor, but I was wondering where the wee would end up underneath! Surely, it would be even worse to have it trapped between wooden and metal floor? I'm not entirely sure what I should ask for with the new floor - sealed, not sealed, with drainage holes?

My moisture problems seem to come primarily from rain drips onto the ramp edge from the two-part door above the ramp. I can't seem to seal it completely.
 
Myloubylou said:
Interested in the non slip paint as had my wooden ramp replaced but the carpet was put back on & is bit baggy & going holey so needs repwlaced. Don't want rubber due to weight, it's a big ramp! What product & how to apply?
Click to expand...



Non slip yacht paint is perfect but expensive. I found a non slip floor paint on eBay that works well. It has to have silica in it, and it basically goes on like sand in paint, dries very rough, and is very non slip even when the ramp is wet.





Regarding sealing, It doesn't matter how much you try to seal a floor or what with. When the horse treads on it, the seal will flex, and over time seals will fail, maybe microscopically, and then you have a floor going rotten underneath and no way of knowing.
 
Last edited:
Hmm a sneaky bump to advertise your stables! ;)

anyway as the thread has popped back up thought I'd add my pics, we did the floor of my box recently and went with wood.

Here's the old floor being removed - it was only 10mm ply :eek3: with that granulated rubber on top, that was a bit of a sod to get up but we managed with a bit of brute force :o
19399660_1607680402576797_7222246360277386492_n.jpg


Put 18mm ply back down with the various bits sealed etc, then my EVA equimats which I'm really pleased with. They fit snugly but we haven't fixed them down so it's easy to inspect/clean the floor underneath.
19396940_1607681505910020_9058319768310848839_n.jpg


the old floor was flexing a bit, while it was still solid it really was a bit too thin. The new floor is super duper and the horses are travelling well. The granulated rubber was surprisingly heavy so I doubt the payload will have changed much for altering the wood, though at some point I'll pop by a weighbridge again out of interest.
 
I went for aluminium planks with rubber mats with pee holes drilled in . More expensive for materials but not for labour. Had chassis wayoiled so hopefully will be maintenance free for a good few years to come
 
I need to replace my trailer floor although not yet. Where can you buy the aluminium planks please?
 
Mines been done! In the end got a 2nd opinion as the original quote was for £1900!! The 2nd place who are a well respected local firm charged me £800 which was a new phenolyc (sp) ply floor with rubber mats. They also did a couple of tiny cosmetic buts and have done a cracking job. I just wasnt happy about the sealed floor and felt that £1900 was a bit on the high side.
 
We have aluminium checker plate, can't remember the thickness but it's thick enough and strong enough for horses and light weight too.
Have rubber mats on over the top.
 
milliepops said:
Ah will watch this with interest as relevant to me at the moment too :D

I have the granular floor at the moment and mine needs replacing.
I won't be putting the same rubber down - it's a good surface for providing grip and it has basically helped my welshie to learn how to stand up in the box, but it's difficult to keep clean and I want something I can take up to inspect the floor underneath.

I am trying to decide between alu and new wood at the moment, OH doesn't seem to have a preference so I think we will go for whatever is lighter.
I have bought interlocking EVA mats from Equimat to go on top, they do some that are 1m square, thinner and slightly squishier than the stable mats so designed to help the horse keep their footing in the box. They look like they will be brilliant, just need to decide what to put underneath :o
Click to expand...

I have EVA in mine currently and I am debating whether to take the hit on the weight and go for rubber. The EVA when it gets warm seems to swell and then you get hills in the floor! I thought it was because it was cheap stuff, so got the proper stuff that I've had in the stables and it does the same :( It does the same in the grooms area too (thinner EVA). Mine is over Aluminium planks.
 
Nugget La Poneh said:
I have EVA in mine currently and I am debating whether to take the hit on the weight and go for rubber. The EVA when it gets warm seems to swell and then you get hills in the floor! I thought it was because it was cheap stuff, so got the proper stuff that I've had in the stables and it does the same :( It does the same in the grooms area too (thinner EVA). Mine is over Aluminium planks.
Click to expand...

that's the other reason why we didn't fix mine down, there is some expansion room and I can also trim it if necessary, hopefully will be OK as there is space for the teeth to knit together a bit more at the moment. So far so good...
 
A 18mm phenolic board would be fine with rubber or eva matting definitely underseal the van floor before hand,
or aluminum planks this option would defiantly last longer.
just make sure you get drain holes with tubes that go from inside floor height to outside many a time ive seen them just drill a hole through the floor then pee can get trapped between layers.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top