Hi I'm technomadness and I'm a refugee...

[Snikwahjm]

The black plastic stuff we saw was around 1/2 inch thick. It was a fairly new product. It was in the underlayment area of the store. I don’t know if they were 4x8 sheets or if they were 4x4. I don’t recall what the stuff was called.

Aluminum can corrode - just not as fast as iron. If it is by other metals around it may corrode faster. I have seen aluminum sewing machines corrode. It turns white and flakes.

[Cammalu]

I don’t have a source but there are RV manufacturers using the above products for floors. Some searching should find more info.

[technomadness]

Last fall I was looking at buying a house— after 30 years of working and saving and good investments, this would have been my first house. But I was facing paying a lot of money for a lot that was too small and poor construction... or doing it myself on some land, and then at the end of that I would be beholden to every building commission lackey and tax & spender who saw me as a captive audience to exploit.

I know a couple who wanted to build an earthquake proof house in California. He had a PhD in geology. He wasn’t able to because the 20 year old at the building commission wouldn’t approve the plan. So now their dream house will collapse if there is a serious earthquake at the nearby fault.

Previously I’d found that the treatment of tourists is better than locals in many countries, and it occurred to me that this factor might play well here in the states— tourists bring in money, where as locals are seen as a captive audience (the exodus of people from California is still not having an impact on their fiscal policies, for example.)

So with this build, instead of spending $500k on a house, I’m spending way less than $100k on a van. Hell if somehow I manage to spend $100k, I’m still cheaper than an airstream interstate (new) and it will be closer to what I want. I think I’ll get something much better for much less than even a Winnebago.

Which is not bashing Winnebago— they have economies of scale, but they are addressing a market which is not me.

So I’m not going to think twice if this buildout costs me $20k. That’s what I paid in rent alone last year— so would represent a 2 year breakeven period.

I will care if this build becomes a slog thru the swamp and no fun.

I love making things and after decades of making software my time in combat robotics was a chance to make physical things— and I remember being stumped by a problem early on that a friend solved by saying “oh you just need to buy a bracket”. It was quite a shift into thinking in terms of materials— and robot combat was a crash course in materials science!

So it’s important to me to push my abilities and to also push the state of the art a little bit.

I was the first one ever to use Lithium iron phosphate batteries in ranked robot combat. In those days most builders were using old “tried and true” technology.

Mike Tyson says “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face”.

The robot combat version is: “everything is reliable until it gets hit by a spinning bar of titanium with a several kilojoules!”

But when you operate from first principles you can determine the results you can expect. This is what engineering is. Knowing the bridge will carry the weight of the train despite never in history there being a bridge like that.

I’m going to push myself here, rely on my physics background, and try to achieve my dream result.

But I’m also building pretty modular. So if something doesn’t work out, I can rip it out.

Apologies in advance if I reject tried and true solutions seemingly out of hand. Plywood would be easier, copying everyone else’s choices would be easier. And I’m certainly going to do that on a lot of my decisions. I had planned to use aluminum slotted extrusions already because I worked with them in the past—- but seeing how popular on they are on sprinter builds means I’m not cutting new ground like I thought— which is great, already picked up a bunch of tips from those guys.

So something’s I’ll follow, but sometimes I’m going to try to lead.

[technomadness]

The black plastic stuff we saw was around 1/2 inch thick. It was a fairly new product. It was in the underlayment area of the store. I don’t know if they were 4x8 sheets or if they were 4x4. I don’t recall what the stuff was called.

Aluminum can corrode - just not as fast as iron. If it is by other metals around it may corrode faster. I have seen aluminum sewing machines corrode. It turns white and flakes.

Thanks for the reference- was this in Home Depot, or Lowe’s or another Store? That black plastic stuff may be quite useful.

I agree aluminum will corrode, and this depends on several factors- the alloy of aluminum it is, the environment where it is. Much of the corroded aluminum you see is cheaper alloys that aren’t corrosion resistant.

Worse I will be using steel fasteners (unless I can find aluminum carriage bolts.)

Always there are tradeoffs. I prefer corrosion risk (which I expect to mitigate) over wood anyday.

But the important thing is this is personal choice. My rejection of wood is not a judgement on anyone else’s build. It’s my preference.

I love the look of wood, very much. Will likely go with a vinyl wood floor if I can find some with no wood in it.


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[Cammalu]

You also might find some alternative flooring products on that materia site I sent the other day.

[RepublicOfTXPatriot]

Apologies in advance if I reject tried and true solutions seemingly out of hand.  Plywood would be easier, copying everyone else’s choices would be easier.   And I’m certainly going to do that on a lot of my decisions.  I had planned to use aluminum slotted extrusions already because I worked with them in the past—- but seeing how popular on they are on sprinter builds means I’m not cutting new ground like I thought— which is great, already picked up a bunch of tips from those guys.

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No apologies needed to me. By going away from the "norm" on your build might lead to new and better ways for others future builds...including mine. So as you build your "box" I like it when others like myself in any case think "outside the box". Creativity builds character and innovation. And also causes some of us to be a perfect fit into the YARC. As us rednecks say "Git 'er done" !

[RepublicOfTXPatriot]

Techno...I just thought of something. (Yeah..surprise myself sometimes too).  At Tractor Supply they have these thick rubber mats that are used in horse stalls and trailers. The weight is pretty heavy. But it's not wood. They are not real flexible due their thickness.  You talking about black plastic sheets is what hinted me to it.  They may be available in thinner sheets to reduce weight. Would be a great noise reduction and insulator at the same time....oh and waterproof.

[RepublicOfTXPatriot]

Rubber stall mats from TSC . 4 ft X 6 ft X 3/4 thick
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/produc...-stall-mat

[technomadness]

Rubber stall mats from TSC . 4 ft X 6 ft X 3/4 thick
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/produc...-stall-mat

I might use that or something like it, as my top layer flooring. Especially if I can’t find something like a vinyl version of wood.

One of the challenges is that instead of building a permanent chair, I’m planning to use a rolling executive chair.

In my current layout when sitting I’ll be sitting right at the passthru of the cab to cabin area. A rolling chair lets my not block the passthru.

But these chairs transfer their weight to 6-8 wheels so they can make dimples in softer material.

So something like plywood works to spread that weight out.


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[RepublicOfTXPatriot]

Rubber stall mats from TSC . 4 ft X 6 ft X 3/4 thick
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/produc...-stall-mat

I might use that or something like it, as my top layer flooring.   Especially if I can’t find something like a vinyl version of wood.

One of the challenges is that instead of building a permanent chair, I’m planning to use a rolling executive chair.  

In my current layout when sitting I’ll be sitting right at the passthru of the cab to cabin area.  A rolling chair lets my not block the passthru.

But these chairs transfer their weight to 6-8 wheels so they can make dimples in softer material.

So something like plywood works to spread that weight out.


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The mats are only $30+/- I can tell you from experience they are pretty darn stiff. I've rolled around on creepers with them under a vehicle many times. Used them to protect the driveway from oil etc. . But they were too soft to support a floor jack with a vehicle weight on it. But then that's alot of weight in a small points of contact with mat.