Trailer Tales

Decided to strip the rotting OSB from my trailer over the weekend.

The boards sit under the plywood sides and so were a bit difficult to remove. Luckily it was so rotten that I just used a crowbar along the centre and split the boards in two.

It's obvious that the OSB was put down first and the sides erected to lock the 22mm boards in under the side panels in the 25mm gap. The section at the front, however, was in two pieces, probably to use some spare, smaller boards what would otherwise have been wasted. You can just make out the join in the photo below.

The decision now is what to replace it with. OSB lasts for years and years in the vertical position, but not when laid horizontally as a floor.

I could go for OSB again (we are lining my new workshop with OSB), laying it in two halves so I don't have to remove the sides. I could add a layer of polyurethane resin over the top to add some protection and ensure that when not in use it's tipped down at the back end so rain runs off. 

The OSB that was used looked like 22mm, but had swelled to 30mm with the wet.

I would prefer, however, to use wooden boards for longevity. Metal would be too expensive. I'll decide later, after I've cleaned up the chassis and applied some bituminous paint or Waxoyl to offer greater protection against rust.