Choosing the Right Trailer Flooring: A Guide on the Best Flooring Materials

Imagine you buy a trailer, and its flooring crumbles under the cargo pressure. Maybe the floor gets damaged due to extreme weather conditions, or cargo items slide on the floor when loading or unloading. These scary situations can damage your cargo, injure persons who load/unload, or cause unsuccessful transports.

All these possible situations give a glimpse of serious problems that can arise from wrong or bad trailer flooring. If careful with its selection, you can ensure easy loading and unloading and no damage to persons or cargo. This also leads to better performance and increased trailer durability, contributing to a higher resale value.

This blog explores the common enclosed trailer flooring materials used in trailers. We also focus on understanding why trailer flooring matters and how to choose the right one for your business. You can also enjoy an extra dose of information with flooring maintenance tips.

Why Trailer Flooring Matters

Each use of the trailer affects its flooring because it handles heavy loads and large cargo. Either it gets dirty, the surface gets scratched due to loading/unloading, or extreme weather conditions lead to wear and tear. If not taken care of, the damages deteriorate over time, leading to a complete breakdown or usability issues in the future.

Excellent quality trailer flooring also means enhanced payload capacity, indirectly increasing profitability. Another benefit is that you don't need to spend money on regular maintenance if the floor stays strong and corrosion-free for longer. You can carry heavy loads for more transit operations, increasing ROI.

These trailer floorings can belong to general utility trailers, enclosed trailers, car haulers, or others. Depending on your trailer use case, climate, load weight, and budget, you can have diverse floorings in these trailers. Moreover, you must focus on properly maintaining trailer flooring to avoid rotting, corrosion, or wear and tear.

Trailershowroom.com offers various types of trailers with custom strong and non-slippery flooring per your requirements. Explore the best customized trailers of all types here to compare and buy.

Common Trailer Flooring Materials

Pressure-Treated Lumber

Pressure-treated lumber, which means wood, is the most common, versatile, and traditional trailer flooring. It is a durable and cheaper material that is cost-effective in the long run. Generally, birch, maple, pine, or oak wood is used to make such flooring, which is readily available.

Wood flooring is strong and durable, so you can carry heavy loads for many rides. Wood has good traction, which means cargo doesn't shift easily during transit, protecting your cargo from collisions with other cargo. It also looks good as a flooring.

But you must maintain it well by resealing or repainting it to protect it from external road and weather elements. If not treated with suitable chemicals, the lumber can rot or be damaged by insects or moisture, making it redundant. But you can extend its lifespan with replacements and damage repairs that ensure safety.

Douglas Fir

Douglas fir is another type of wood, a high-quality one, again from the pine tree family. Due to its greater strength, density, and durability, it is used for trailers that haul heavy-duty loads, such as utility trailers.

Another interesting feature is its stability. This means it does not twist easily, so you can maintain an even floor surface for longer. It can resist rotting and corrosion naturally, making it an ideal trailer flooring option. It is a hardwood and comparatively more cost-effective than many other options.

Aluminum Flooring

Aluminum is lighter, making aluminum flooring lightweight, contributing to higher loading capacity and augmented fuel efficiency. Corrosion, rusting, and weathering do not affect aluminum flooring. It does not deteriorate or damage from any of these, leading to long-lasting use.

Aluminum flooring has a high upfront cost, but with minimum maintenance requirements and long-lasting performance, the ROI stays high. You just have to be careful when the floor is wet because it becomes slippery. It also conducts heat, a risk you must be aware of.

You don't need to paint, seal, or stain it for protection against weather or moisture, reducing your maintenance expenses. Cleaning with soap and water is enough. Even the appearance and structure stay the same in extreme weather conditions. Its corrosion-resistance, recyclability, and insulating effect make it a preferred enclosed trailer flooring.

Rubber Coin or Rubber Treadplate Flooring (RTP)

Generally, a very popular option for enclosed trailer floorings includes rubber coin or rubber tread plate flooring to allow the hauling of heavy loads, automobiles, and equipment owing to their durability. The rubber material protects your trailer floor from scratches due to heavy equipment, water and dampness, and other dirt. It is also anti-slippery.

Rubber is expensive, so rubber trailer flooring will be expensive for you, but its quality, durability, and long-lasting ability ultimately improve the ROI is worth the extra expenditure. Maintenance and cleanliness of rubber flooring are not significant concerns; just a simple hosing off of the dirt is usually enough. This flooring is eco-friendly, weight-resistant, antimicrobial, and comfortable.

Plywood with Polyvinyl or Resin Coating

This engineered plywood is coated with polyvinyl or resin, commonly used in enclosed trailers. Multiple layers of thin wood are attached, and a non-slippery coating is applied for protection against extreme weather conditions like moisture, snow, or rain when the floor becomes wet and slippery.

You can enjoy an easy installation process by fixing it with fasteners, screws, and adhesives. Such trailer floors can withstand the friction and impact of heavy loads without appreciable wear and tear. Besides the anti-skid property, the coating protects the plywood from deterioration, leading to better performance and higher durability.

Resistant to chemicals, extreme environments, water effects, cracks, and abrasions, makes them a preferred choice in enclosed trailer flooring. The affordability adds to the popularity factor.

Composite Panels or Engineered Flooring

These are engineered trailer floorings made of strong core materials and covered with layers of reinforced materials. It is lightweight but stronger than other floor materials. The structural design makes it resistant to the high impact of heavy loads and weather elements.

Though it is a new-age option with higher durability, it is heavy on your pockets. The biggest advantage of composite panelled flooring is its lightweight and durability. You can engineer them to be waterproof, resistant to impact, and resilient to wear and tear. You also save on maintenance expenses because warping, rot, and corrosion do not affect the composite panels much.

How to Choose the Right Flooring for Your Trailer

Choosing the right trailer flooring for your business's transportation needs is crucial. You just can't select one of the above six and use it. It depends on factors like:

• The purpose for which you are using the trailer
• The load weight of the cargo and dimensions
• Your budget for the purchase, maintenance, and repair/replacement of flooring
• The climate you will travel in, like moisture, hot, or cold weather

If you have a low budget but are ready for extra maintenance effort and future cost, consider pressure-treated lumber flooring. Rubber coin flooring is the best when loading heavy cargo, but the cost is high, though you are saved from regular maintenance expenses.

You can find the best cargo trailers for sale at Trailershowroom.com at competitive rates. We also offer customizable upgrades in accessories, flooring, and other aspects based on your business demands. Share your specifications, and you'll get the perfect trailer options for your needs.

Flooring Maintenance Tips

Whatever material you use in your enclosed trailer flooring, you are supposed to abide by specific maintenance tips and tricks. Some of the standard flooring maintenance best practices include the following:

• Understand the maintenance, repair, and replacement guidelines for the longer life of your flooring.
• Understand the maintenance, repair, and replacement guidelines for the longer life of your flooring.
• Regularly clean the trailer floor to avoid accumulating dirt and road debris; cleaning by air pressure instead of power washing protects the subfloor better.
• Don't forget to use tie-downs to fix the cargo to the floor, avoiding friction and ensuring floor and cargo safety.
• Check the floor spots vulnerable to weather impacts or road abrasions and take extra care.
• Always keep the floor dry; if you mop it or it gets wet by rain, completely dry it before loading cargo.

Why Buy from Trailershowroom.com?

Trailershowroom.com is your number one destination for high-quality, durable custom trailers. You can find different types of trailers for your diverse cargo transportation needs in various sizes, styles, floorings, and other accessories.

We are committed to providing custom-made quality trailers at our manufacturing facility after you place the order. Moreover, you can order with only a small deposit; the rest can be paid at the pick-up time. You also get flexible financing options to make trailer purchases stress-free for you.

Explore our enclosed cargo trailer options to ensure affordable cargo transportation for your business.

Conclusion

Your trailer needs differ based on the cargo type, climate of the place, budget, and many other factors; personalization based on these aspects is possible. Moreover, every trailer and cargo type has a different requirement for trailer flooring; be mindful of this while customizing the floor.

Different trailer floorings like wood, aluminum, composite panels, TPO, RTP, and many others are possible. Your choice must depend on your trailer use, cargo weight, budget, and the climate you will be hauling in. Select the best one based on your needs to ensure its long life with proper maintenance and repairs.

The best way to find the right enclosed trailer flooring for your needs is to get it personalized. Trailershowroom.com is a known name for custom-building cargo trailers for sale. We offer high-performing, secure, and strong trailers that efficiently cater to your transportation needs.

Ready to build your trailer from the ground up for long-lasting journeys?

Feel free to contact us for the best trailer customization options today!

FAQs

• Q1: What is the most durable trailer flooring?

  The trailer floorings with the highest durability are aluminum and engineered composite panels.

• Q2: Can I upgrade the flooring on a standard enclosed trailer?

  Yes, we customize the flooring at Trailershowroom.com. You can mention your requirements at the time of selection and ordering; we'll manage it for you.

• Q3: Is rubber flooring suitable for enclosed trailers?

  Yes, rubber flooring is slip-resistant, protecting your cargo from slipping during the journey. It also allows easy cleaning and maintenance, ideal for enclosed environments.

• Q4: How do I maintain wooden trailer floors?

  The wooden trailer floor needs regular maintenance to protect it from insects, moisture, and dirt. You must reseal or repaint it regularly or treat it with suitable chemicals to prevent damage.