# Floor and walls in a food truck... Skip the plywood to save weight?



## KevinEF7 (Sep 12, 2015)

Pictures didn't load up sorry, I also forgot to mention the downside of the easy way of simply adding aluminum sheet to the floor over the existing. I live in Canada. It's cold. I've never worked or been in a food truck in the winter so I don't know if insulation is a must or not for both heat and cold. If the truck does well financially during the summer I will take winters off to be with the family. See my dilemma. I could also be working 350 days a year and struggling I am not sure. Cheers


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

> *The easy button way is to simply cut and glue the new aluminum to the old floor.*


Ayuh,.... So why don't ya just that,..??..??

Ya don't need structure, the existin' floor is the support,...

Glued, 'n screwed,....... or riveted,.....


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## KevinEF7 (Sep 12, 2015)

Thought insulation might be needed, maybe something thin even to create a barrier? Or nothing. Or maybe 2" thick is needed. Just looking for advice I suppose


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Checker plate, do you really mean diamond plate?
How would you ever keep that clean?
If your going to be cooking in there your going to be trying to get rid of heat not keeping the cold out.
Think you need to do a whole lot more research on what's working for other food trucks in you area before moving forward.
Mark my words, my guess is you would make out better buying a used cook wagon already set up then trying to build one.


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## KevinEF7 (Sep 12, 2015)

I have talked to other owners, and yes they all either use the diamond plate or quilted stainless and say it wipes fine. I wanted to use vinyl but I'm unsure of its longevity in a truck that will see below freezing temperatures when parked. 

I actually won't be cooking anything at all on the truck, all food is prepared at a separate location. The truck will only have refrigeration for drinks and a steam table, for hot dogs, so I don't anticipate much dirt other than what me and the employee create

I thought this was the DIY chatroom?


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

Campers and trailers sit all winter every winter with sheet vinyl glued to plywood.


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

> I thought this was the DIY chatroom?


Ayuh,... It is,.... Trouble I see is,....

Yer usin' home buildin' techniques to build a Truck,....

Same with yer door thread,....
You refuse to look at known Truck doors to build barn doors,...


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## KevinEF7 (Sep 12, 2015)

I didnt refuse, we just don't have any truck yards within 500km of me. I ended up using nice exterior steel slab doors for that project, ripped to size and finished with nice weatherstrip moulding. I hope you don't think I'm just asking useless questions, I work on this truck every moment I can find since I bought it a month ago. Came out pretty nice I think, under $150 spent total not that cost really bothers me here.

Is there an issue with my idea? Info on food truck construction is scarce, people make good money building these things so I can see why I guess. 

As of now I'm thinking of putting 1.5" rigid foam on top of the existing aluminum floor, aswell as the wheel tubs pictured, gluing it down sparingly, and then top layer it with . 095 diamond plate aluminum. And trimming all edges with simple aluminum angle stock. Am I crazy?


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## dd57chevy (Jun 21, 2015)

KevinEF7 said:


> The easy button way is to simply cut and glue the new aluminum to the old floor. I'm thinking the right way is to lay a rigid foam base, tongue and groove plywood subfloor, then screw aluminum sheets to plywood.


I'm not sure why the "easy way" isn't the "right way" . Why _not_ simply screw aluminum D-plate to the old floor ? With or _WITHOUT_ insulation board ?
If that's what it takes to get the H-Dept off your back .........:vs_worry:


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

> Am I crazy?


Ayuh,..... Maybe,.... Maybe not,... but yer definitely _waayyy_ over thinkin' the project,....


> I didnt refuse, we just don't have any truck yards within 500km of me.


Yer obviously on the internet, so you can have 'bout _Anything_ in the world at yer backdoor in a week or so,....

Why do you think you need a wood sub-floor or foam board under the new deckin',..??

If the original floor wasn't a cleanin' issue with the health dept,....
Wouldn't you use the floor that's in there now,..??


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## KevinEF7 (Sep 12, 2015)

I would use the original floor yes only because it would get me out in the truck making money faster. But if there going to require I reskin it, guess I just wanted some advice from more experienced people on a good solution and whether insulation would be worth it or not, I'm second guessing it now. I admit I am overthinking


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## Snickerdoodle85 (Feb 27, 2020)

This kind of nay-saying makes me mad. We're supposed to be a country of 'get er done', can-do attitude. Please STOP spreading unfounded fears and doubt. If everyone followed the 'don't overthink it' model then we'd never achieve anything but Junior High School shop projects, which is what 99% of food trucks are honestly. 

The vast majority of even professionally built food trucks are crap builds with literally tons of un-necessary wood (really stupid in a food truck--think about how a food truck gets used and just how woefully awful wood is in nearly every respect). This is because the community eschews proper engineering analysis and deep thinking, and so many people bash you if you dare to think outside of the dogmatic 'just add more plywood and 12" on center (wood) studs' mentality.

I previewed a professional food truck builder's 'factory' here in the southwest, and he was so proud of his 3/4" marine grade (A grade) plywood decking on 12" center studs made of Fir.

!

THAT's $2000 of over-thunk wood. Wrong solution to the wrong problem.

Kevin, you've probably already built this truck. I'm just replying because this negative online bashing really ticks me off. People are just way against innovation; or rather they're likely already profiting off of making ****e products and don't want to compete.


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## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

The thread is over two years old but welcome to the forum anyway. If you're expecting a unity of thoughts, ideas and approaches, you may be disappointed.


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## 3onthetree (Dec 7, 2018)

Snickerdoodle85 said:


> This kind of nay-saying makes me mad. We're supposed to be a country of 'get er done', can-do attitude.
> 
> The vast majority of even professionally built food trucks are crap builds with literally tons of un-necessary wood (really stupid in a food truck--think about how a food truck gets used and just how woefully awful wood is in nearly every respect).
> 
> ...


I'm very confused, commenters were basically saying not to use wood as you would in a house subfloor, and just "get er done" with the metal floor that's already there, and you chastise them by providing examples that wood is the wrong thing to use? (snicker)

But thanks for bumping this thread, it sounds like a cool project I wouldn't have come across. Kev, if you are still listening, I would love to see your finished product!


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## MajorCoffeeFix (Dec 28, 2021)

3onthetree said:


> I'm very confused, commenters were basically saying not to use wood as you would in a house subfloor, and just "get er done" with the metal floor that's already there, and you chastise them by providing examples that wood is the wrong thing to use? (snicker)
> 
> But thanks for bumping this thread, it sounds like a cool project I wouldn't have come across. Kev, if you are still listening, I would love to see your finished product!


Ditto! I'd love to see the finished product & hear how it's going!


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