# Removed wall mats- what next?



## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

So i finally managed to yank the wall mats from my trailer. I did not realize it was going to be an all day event- the corners by the dressing room wall where the mats were attached was unreachable by screwdriver. Doing that by hand was difficult.

My knuckles are very bruised but the mats are out! 

I took silicone sealant and sealed the holes. Tomorrow, if i can move, i will wash everything down and scrub the walls. 

The next decision is on what to replace the mats with? It definitely appears as if the mats trapped moisture. There's more rust on the inside of the trailer, then on the outside. Mostly, the rust is in circles around each screw hole. I'm guessing that is where the mats rubbed off the paint? 

I will be using rust converter and painting the rust spots. Not sure it is bad enough to need sanding, although i may go ahead and sand/paint the bottom of the backdoor. 

As for replacing the mats, i could put in plywood- that would certainly be easiest. ABS plastic is another option, but i would need to find a place that sells it. If i applied ABS plastic, should i seal it to the wall with silicone sealant? As that should keep the moisture out of the wall. I want to at least reinforce the back doors. Not so worried about the sidewalls...

I will be adding lexan windows which should prevent further water damage. 

I pulled the floormats as well. Sort of thinking about replacing the mats with thinner ones. Would 3/8 inch thick mats be too thin?


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## ksbowman (Oct 30, 2018)

I spray my sidewalls with auto undercoating. It comes in spray cans if you don't have an air compressor and spray gun. The spray cans are very easy to use, it won't let moisture in, and is very easy to touch up if you need to. As far as the floor I have used both 3/8 and 1/2" mats. I prefer the 1/2" but they are heavier. I always anchor mine in with 3-4 hex head screws so they won't vibrate out. Put them next to the wall close enough that your horse won't step on them. They are easy to pull when you want to deep clean or feel moisture is caught under them and you want to air dry under them.


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## Diazwoman61 (Sep 25, 2017)

That’s funny, I just repainted the interior of my old aluminum horse trailer and hung mats on all the walls instead of the cheap replacement vinyl padding on cardboard they had....I used a total of three 4x6 mats, cut and hung, so adds about 300 lbs but I think walls and horses will be well protected..why did you not want the mats?


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