How to Repair the Floor of a Horse Trailer

Caring for the wooden floor of your horse trailer will prolong its life and prevent you paying for an expensive replacement any sooner than you have to. Most horse trailers have a wooden floor covered by rubber mats. Manure and urine can seep between the gaps in the rubber mats and cause rot in the wooden floor, which weakens it. Regular maintenance can help you catch rotten spots early and deal with them before they become dangerous.

Things You'll Need

  • Stiff bristled brush
  • Hose with spray nozzle
  • Wire brush
  • Putty knife
  • Turpentine
  • Linseed oil
  • Paint brush
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Instructions

    • 1

      Open all the trailer doors and slide the windows and all the vents open. You need as much ventilation as possible.

    • 2

      Remove the rubber mats covering your trailer floor, also pull up the carpet in your tack room or living area. Briskly sweep the floorboard with a stiff bristled brush to remove any loose debris. Wash the floorboards with a hose with a spray nozzle and use a wire brush to remove manure stains.

    • 3

      Probe the floorboards with a screwdriver to check for areas of wood rot. Closely examine areas where water was pooling when you washed it with the hose as these areas may be sagging. Slide the putty knife into any gaps between the wood and metal fastenings to check for rot. If the soft areas are small you may be able to repair them.

    • 4

      Use the putty knife to dig out any soft spots you found. Remove all of the soft wood without removing the hard wood. If you have trouble digging out the soft spots then leave them. If they don't some out then the wood is still sound. If you find a large area of rot then replace the board. Some horse trailers use interlocking floor boards, so you may have to pull up boards all the way from one end to replace it.

    • 5

      Mix the wood conditioning mixture. Mix one part turpentine to two parts linseed oil. Most two-horse trailers take a 3 quart mix, so you would mix 1 quart of turpentine with 2 quarts of linseed oil. Make sure the mixture is well mixed.

    • 6

      Paint the mixture on to the wood floor of your horse trailer. Work from the front to the back and pay special attention to any fasteners and along the wall and next to the door where water is likely to penetrate the wood. Keep putting coats on until the woods will no longer absorb the mixture.

    • 7

      Replace the floor mats once the floor has completely dried and the trailer is ready to use.