Airstream Remodel Episode 4: PIVOT!!!
It’s finally here, the moment we’ve all been waiting for:
REPLACING THE SUBFLOOR!!!
This is the landmark we have been working towards since we tore up the old subfloor in week 1. If you’re unfamiliar with the structure of an Airstream, the subfloor is sandwiched between the frame and the shell, so you can’t just remove the old boards all at once or the shell will warp out of shape and settle down onto the frame and you’ll never be able to get a new board in.
When Jared pulled out the old subfloor, he left about 2” around the edge to act as a shim, connecting the shell to the frame and holding the space.
Now it was time for the delicate process of removing that tiny ridge of old subfloor, one board at a time, and replacing it with new plywood. To make room for the swap, Jared used a 4x4 beam on a car jack and lifted the weight of the shell off the frame.
Using cardboard, he had already traced and cut out the new piece of plywood. Again, our friends came to the rescue and with the combined efforts of Scott, Morgan, Trent, Tim, Jared, and I, we got that first piece into place.
Even with the car jack, the space in which we had to maneuver was TIGHT because the plywood needed to span the exact width of Pauline. Once we had it inside, there was a lot of precision positioning…
Precise, yes, but not delicate. Once the board was lined up, it had to be shoved, hammered, kicked, and slammed into the tiny gap between the frame and the shell. At one point, Jared actually went outside and deadlifted the shell to give us a few more fractions of an inch to work with.
To complicate matters further, we also needed to put down insulation below the subfloor as we went. We are using a combination of reflective foil insulation and Havelock Wool. Ideally, we would have used Havelock Wool throughout the Airstream (great R value, natural fibers so no chemicals leaching into our home, moisture resistant), but for cost and convenience reasons, we went with the polyiso in the walls. Polyiso is still far cleaner than traditional fiberglass insulation, it was easier to install (stiff boards are much easier to glue in place than floppy wool batting) and it did save us a ton of money.
The last two big holes also got filled this week when the wheelwell covers finally went in! They are sandwiched between the frame and the subfloor to protect the wood from any moisture/debris that gets kicked up by the tires. Hopefully this means my days of shepherding half-concussed birds out of the airstream are over.
Once insulation was laid and the new boards were in place, they had to be secured by sending bolts up through the frame, new subfloor, and shell. This required drilling out rivets to release the bellypan so that we could access the underside of the frame from the outside. Though tedious, this process also allowed us to ensure that the bellypan was firmly attached, all the way around, with brand new rivets. Once secured around the edge, the boards were also screwed to the frame from above for added stability.
As we went around the outside, reattaching the bellypan, we ran a thick bead of caulk along the edge and also caulked every rivet. Is this overkill? Maybe. But replacing the floor is a nightmare and I never want to do it again. Shoutout to our Holy Grail product: Lexel Clear Caulk. From replacing the window to sealing the bellypan, we have used this caulk all over Pauline and it has saved us again and again (crisis-averted story in an upcoming post).
Although we were successful in replacing the subfloor using the method above, I think it would be irresponsible of me to recommend this method. It was BRUTAL. There were several points in the process where we honestly weren’t sure we’d be able to complete it. The alternative was a shell-off renovation (the shell is fully removed and lifted off with a gantry/pully system), and at the time, that seemed harder. If we had it to do again, I think we would just go ahead and do the shell-off. It would have simplified frame repair, bellypan removal, and subfloor installation. But now we’ve made the mistake, so you don’t have to! If you do need to do a shell-off renovation, I highly recommend this tutorial from Steady Streamin’ Cashios about building a gantry to get you started.
Replacing the subfloor was the most mammoth challenge we had looming ahead of us, and it is such a relief to finally have it DONE! Let’s just all take a moment to appreciate how much more reasonable it seems that two people might live in this thing now that it has a floor:
Ahhhhhh, yeah. That’s the stuff.
While we are elated to be past this milestone, there’s no time to rest yet. Next, we’re on to wiring and walls!
Materials
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Hand Riveter (We also have a pneumatic riveter, but I wouldn’t recommend the one we got. It’s had…issues.)
Lexel Clear Caulk (truly the MVP)