Am I crazy, or is this not 5/8" plywood flooring?

[Yillbs]

My RV is supposed to have 5/8" flooring, I noticed lately ( it's a new unit ) that the floor was a bit spongy. So, I measured the plywood... Am I missing something here or did I get duped.

 

[Knobs]

My RV is supposed to have 5/8" flooring, I noticed lately ( it's a new unit ) that the floor was a bit spongy. So, I measured the plywood... Am I missing something here or did I get duped.

Actual Plywood Thickness and Size

The actual thickness of plywood is often thinner than the nominal thickness shown at the lumber yard. 3/4" plywood is usually 21/32" thick.

www.inchcalculator.com

 

[Yillbs]

Actual Plywood Thickness and Size

The actual thickness of plywood is often thinner than the nominal thickness shown at the lumber yard. 3/4" plywood is usually 21/32" thick.

www.inchcalculator.com

You think 5/8" plywood should be smaller than half an inch? I don't understand your response.

 

[Knobs]

You think 5/8" plywood should be smaller than half an inch? I don't understand your response.

I was just giving you the standard sizes, all of which are smaller than nominal.

Also, it appears to me that your tape measure may not actually be at the bottom of the plywood, but it's hard to tell for sure from the photo.

So, I just replied with the standard sizes and you can see if you were given less than promised.

 

[Yillbs]

I was just giving you the standard sizes, all of which are smaller than nominal.

Also, it appears to me that your tape measure may not actually be at the bottom of the plywood, but it's hard to tell for sure from the photo.

So, I just replied with the standard sizes and you can see if you were given less than promised.

I've attached a mil tool that measures considerably more accurately than my tape measurer. Their are two images. One is the floor thickness with the laminate on top, the second is the thickness of the laminate by itself. The entire thing is 0.56 inches, the floor is 0.049 inches thick, this means the actual size of the floor is 0.49 inches, which would be in line with 1/2 in thick plywood. I have tons of it at my house, and when I measure it, it's between 0.48 inches, and 0.51 inches, so I'm confident this is just half inch thick plywood. I guess my question is, is this normal to market something and then you get this. Surely the variation in sizes isn't THIS much?

 

[Bigblockyeti]

Seems a bit thin to me. The more I shop, the more I'm disappointed with the available quality seemingly from all makes. The quality of the dealers isn't so great either in my experience so far.

 

[Yillbs]

Seems a bit thin to me. The more I shop, the more I'm disappointed with the available quality seemingly from all makes. The quality of the dealers isn't so great either in my experience so far.

The easy solution to this is going to be for them to place braces between the joists, so I'm confident that'll do it, it's just about how hard I push forest river now I guess. I've actually been really happy with the overall quality of this particular RV thus far!

 

[Bigblockyeti]

Braces should help for sure. I know Forest River has a brand or two under their massive umbrella, I may just be looking at too cheap of campers to have seen anything of significant quality yet.

 

[Yillbs]

Braces should help for sure. I know Forest River has a brand or two under their massive umbrella, I may just be looking at too cheap of campers to have seen anything of significant quality yet.

I went into this purchase knowing it was an entry level 5th wheel. I paid 51k OTD on a trailer that was 65k everywhere else, so I got a good deal during covid. It's the cheapest 43 foot camper that's a mid bunk I think you can buy, but if you go into it knowing it's not made like a tank, it should be fine I would think. Me, my wife, and my two kids love it, it's huge.

 

[AbdRahim]

I was surprised to find a 2x is really less than 2x4. It is all marketing.

 

[Yillbs]

I was surprised to find a 2x is really less than 2x4. It is all marketing.

5/8 inch plywood is not less than 1/2 and inch thick.

 

[Bob K4TAX]

The standard thicknesses for plywood are 1 ¼, 1 1/8, ¾, 5/8, ½, 3/8, ¼, and 1/8 inches. The corresponding actual thicknesses are 1 ¼, 1 1/8, 23/32, 19/32, 15/32, 11/32, 1/4, and ⅛, respectively.

 

[Yillbs]

The standard thicknesses for plywood are 1 ¼, 1 1/8, ¾, 5/8, ½, 3/8, ¼, and 1/8 inches. The corresponding actual thicknesses are 1 ¼, 1 1/8, 23/32, 19/32, 15/32, 11/32, 1/4, and ⅛, respectively.

So the short answer is yes, I was duped. It's not 5/8 inch thick plywood

 

[Bob K4TAX]

Is the 5/8" issue publicized in the documentation or something a salesperson said? If it is what the salesperson said, that is as reliable as a hole in the bottom of a coffee cup. Won't hold coffee or water.

Sorry if I offend any salesperson here in the group. Just having to lump it all into one pot. I'm sure there are some knowledgeable and reliable salespersons. Hooray for you. But then I regress...........

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Let's look at this a different way!
You like the rig?
You know the floor gives.
You investigate for an over abundance of caution.
A little investigation shows the frame work is less than desirable, but you now know that the builder used 7 ply plywood for the floor. You are elated to find they didn't use the cheapest stuff on the market. They aimed to offer something light enough that you don't need a troop carrier to move, by simply installing less wood of a higher quality.

You rest assured, that it would take quite a flood to damage that higher quality plywood. And though you know it wasn't built the way you expected, you have something that can serve you for years with the materials they chose.

Put another way!
You were happy with it when you bought it! Why spoil the joy! Live and be happy!!!

 

[Yillbs]

Let's look at this a different way!
You like the rig?
You know the floor gives.
You investigate for an over abundance of caution.
A little investigation shows the frame work is less than desirable, but you now know that the builder used 7 ply plywood for the floor. You are elated to find they didn't use the cheapest stuff on the market. They aimed to offer something light enough that you don't need a troop carrier to move, by simply installing less wood of a higher quality.

You rest assured, that it would take quite a flood to damage that higher quality plywood. And though you know it wasn't built the way you expected, you have something that can serve you for years with the materials they chose.

Put another way!
You were happy with it when you bought it! Why spoil the joy! Live and be happy!!!

I purchased it sight unseen via video call. However for you and those wondering forest river got back to me.

They are citing Covid 19 supply chain issues and have confirmed their vendor was only able to supply 1/2 inch plywood for all artic wolf models from 2021 and 2022. I asked them to reinforce the floor with additional floor joists and they said , and I quote “forest river reserves the right to change or modify building materials without notice”.

I was then told to request it via warranty and see what happens.

 

[Yillbs]

Let's look at this a different way!
You like the rig?
You know the floor gives.
You investigate for an over abundance of caution.
A little investigation shows the frame work is less than desirable, but you now know that the builder used 7 ply plywood for the floor. You are elated to find they didn't use the cheapest stuff on the market. They aimed to offer something light enough that you don't need a troop carrier to move, by simply installing less wood of a higher quality.

You rest assured, that it would take quite a flood to damage that higher quality plywood. And though you know it wasn't built the way you expected, you have something that can serve you for years with the materials they chose.

Put another way!
You were happy with it when you bought it! Why spoil the joy! Live and

Is the 5/8" issue publicized in the documentation or something a salesperson said? If it is what the salesperson said, that is as reliable as a hole in the bottom of a coffee cup. Won't hold coffee or water.

Sorry if I offend any salesperson here in the group. Just having to lump it all into one pot. I'm sure there are some knowledgeable and reliable salespersons. Hooray for you. But then I regress...........

Please see my response above, but to answer your question, this is publicized actors the dealers website, the dealers email corriepondence, and in the national brochure and literature from forest river.

 

[Knobs]

....
They are citing Covid 19 supply chain issues and have confirmed their vendor was only able to supply 1/2 inch plywood for all artic wolf models from 2021 and 2022. I asked them to reinforce the floor with additional floor joists and they said , and I quote “forest river reserves the right to change or modify building materials without notice”.

I was then told to request it via warranty and see what happens.

So, I checked their brochure:

"All information contained in this brochure is believed to be accurate at the time of publication. However, during the model year, it may be necessary to make revisions and Forest River, Inc., reserves the right to make all such changes without notice, including prices, colors, materials, equipment and specifications as well as the addition of new models and the discontinuance of models shown in this brochure. Therefore, please consult with your Forest River, Inc., dealer and confirm the existence of any materials, design or specifications that are material to your purchase decision."

Note the last sentence. If you have record of you consulting the dealer about this, you may actually get somewhere with them. Good luck.

 

[Yillbs]

So, I checked their brochure:

"All information contained in this brochure is believed to be accurate at the time of publication. However, during the model year, it may be necessary to make revisions and Forest River, Inc., reserves the right to make all such changes without notice, including prices, colors, materials, equipment and specifications as well as the addition of new models and the discontinuance of models shown in this brochure. Therefore, please consult with your Forest River, Inc., dealer and confirm the existence of any materials, design or specifications that are material to your purchase decision."

Note the last sentence. If you have record of you consulting the dealer about this, you may actually get somewhere with them. Good luck.

Unfortunately the dealers emails had the same fine print, and their website also says the same thing.

My argument to them both was that this seems logical, but once the unit is already built and on the lot for sale, they can’t continue to advertise something that’s not there because it’s already been swapped so it’s not like you didn’t know. But they said doesn’t matter our disclaimer makes it okay to do it.

 

[Knobs]

Unfortunately the dealers emails had the same fine print, and their website also says the same thing.

My argument to them both was that this seems logical, but once the unit is already built and on the lot for sale, they can’t continue to advertise something that’s not there because it’s already been swapped so it’s not like you didn’t know. But they said doesn’t matter our disclaimer makes it okay to do it.

Therefore, please consult with your Forest River, Inc., dealer and confirm the existence of any materials, design or specifications that are material to your purchase decision."

So, according to them, even though they tell you to consult with the dealer to confirm the materials, they can still mislead with impunity!

Nice!

It does seem to me, though, that the brochure statement definitely states that the dealer is supposed to tell you of any material changes that are important to you.