Wood A Good Choice For A Camper Floor?

When you think of camper trailers some think of old carpeting in them, like in the 70's, it's got to go, camping and carpets just do mix if you ask me. Some people are going with vinyl, I guess I get it, but really guys, your roughing it, you're going out into the wilderness, unless you are Will Smith with a trailer larger than most of our homes and a gourmet stove and coffee maker, let's face it. Camping is like rejoining nature, and what's more natural than wood. Yes, wood can warp a bit or shrink in trailers, but that's if they are not taken care of. Campers are used for several months through the year then closed up for colder seasons, imagine leaving your home for the duration you leave your camper every year, it would be bound to face problems too wouldn't it?

My first suggestion would be to go with stronger hardwood that is excellent for outdoor elements; campers have a tendency to face wet damp temperatures, or hot and humid ones. Going with a natural weather proof wood like Garapa, one you would use even for outdoor decking will ensure that the floor will be with you as long as your camper is. Also pests, think about it you're in the woods, you spray yourself with spray to protect against mosquitoes and ticks, what other insects are bound to join you in your traveling home?? You want wood that naturally protects against insect infestations, well, there are natural hardwoods that do just that, take Tigerwood for example, and this is a strong, weather and pest proof wood.

How about pets, I'm sure you travel with them, some people are in their campers for just a weekend every here and their others spend the entire summer in them. I don't have any dogs or cats but my friends that do call them their children and I can tell you I wouldn't be leaving my kids behind! Pets have a tendency to cut up vinyl flooring with their claws, telling a pet not to scratch is like telling a kid not to color on the walls yet you leave a box of crayons and no paper for them and walk away. Pets are sometimes stick for long durations in small trailers, they may, especially when stretching, give the floors a scratch or two, how horrible would it be if your vinyl flooring was ripped apart in just a year?? Ipe is an extremely durable hardwood used in outdoor decking that has a natural resistance to pet scratches making it a pet owner's dream wood.

Other bonuses to wood flooring making it an easier choice when replacing old floors is that wood is easy to clean and does not stain easily. Also, hardwood just looks nice, in a home, traveling home, decks, vacation homes, it can look classic, modern, rustic, and it looks good! Other flooring materials can come and go with the times possibly giving your trailer an old look, not the nice historical old but an old 70's look, like it never got modernized over the last 40 years. Brighten it up with a look and feel that never dies, hardwood flooring for your traveling home trailer is the ideal choice if you ask me!

John Christianson is a freelance writer for OHC out of Mobile, Alabama. John shares his knowledge of shiplap flooring and years of life on the road by contributing to OHC's blog. OHC was started in 1967 and focuses on importing and manufacturing the toughest hardwoods available.