Wood is the most common material used in trailer floors, but it isn’t indestructible. Trucks like semi trailers and dry vans are a large investment, so most owners don’t want to spend more on expensive repairs. This is especially true when damage can be prevented from happening in the first place. Today, we’ll go over what can damage your trailer floor, and how to prevent those damages.
Understanding the damages that require floor repair in your truck
One way that your flooring can become damaged is from objects sliding across the flooring. If your cargo is unsecured and slides during transportation, or if cargo is dragged across the flooring while unloading, there is the potential for scratches or gouges to form. This type of damage is especially harmful, since any breaks in the surface of the floor can expedite other damages, namely, water damage.
Water is the absolute worst enemy of your trailer’s floor. Any water on the floor causes mildew to grow, which can lead to wood rot in a matter of days. Covered trailers are especially at risk for rot since the darkness of the enclosed space makes mold spread faster. Even if stopped from spreading, wood rot can cause irreparable structural damage, requiring a total floor replacement. It is imperative to consider a prevention method to avoid a costly fix to your trailer floors.
Why sealant is a better option than oil stains for wood trailer floor protection
Sealant is the best way to protect wood trailer floors from damage. By adding a coating over the wood, you can prevent most types of damages. A sealant will prevent scratches, dents, and other abrasions while keeping moisture away from the wood through a protective barrier.
One option for floor protection comes in the form of wood oil stains. While the oil stain itself may be inexpensive and easy to DIY, there are many costly downsides to using this over a sealant. One significant disadvantage is that, even though they will repel water from the wood, they are oil based, meaning that moisture will cause the surface of your floors to be slick. This can cause your cargo to skid, or worse, for you to slip and injure yourself.
The most troubling downside to oil stains is that they don’t form a protective barrier over the wood like a sealant does. Oil stains will only slow down water damage, not waterproof your wood floor, and it won’t prevent any abrasions to the surface, either. Many users of oil stains find themselves requiring an expensive floor repair almost as often as if they hadn’t used an oil stain.
Something to keep in mind is that, over time, any type of protection on your wood will wear off. Another benefit of using sealant over oil stains is that sealants only need to be reapplied about every 3 years, while an oil stain often needs to be reapplied on a yearly basis. With so many benefits to sealant over oil stains, it’s no wonder that the top choice for trailer owners is sealant.
The advantage of using RadGuard over other sealants
Sealant is a favorite option for wood floor protection, and RadGuard is a popular sealant choice – it’s considered one of the best sealers for wood trailer floors on the market. Radguard is unique as it is a sealant that doubles as an undercoat for trailers. With undercoating, you can prevent rust from forming and damaging the essential parts that lie underneath your truck. Radguard is the best way to protect both the floor and undercarriage of your trailer. If you’d like to protect your investment with a sealant, send us a message and we can help you extend your trailer’s life.
