B190 Enthusiasts

We need to replace the floor protectors on the bottom of our bunk ladder. they are broken a brittle. Does anyone have an idea where to get new ones, or how to make something to protect the ends from being sharp?

I also lost one of my "Feet" or "Foots" on my ladder. I went to Loew's and bought some of that plastic black liquid insulator in a can in the paint dept. It's used to dip tool handles in and as it dries, it forms a film (the more you dip the thicker the film) . Works great and almost looks original. Just dip your "Feets."

Hey thanks...that is a great idea...!!! Sure beats trying to find rubber feet from a more than 10 year old bunk ladder!! It also gives me ideas about other things I have around that need covering!!

I've been doing this with mine, too. For others that might be considering it:

1. Get the dip. The spray version just isn't thick enough - you'd need a hundred coats.
2. The ladder's legs WILL fit in the can. It's close, but they do fit. So it's basically just dip them in and let them dry.

I hung the ladder on my shelving unit in the garage, so the legs are suspended in mid-air. I put some cardboard underneath to catch drips, and I move the can instead of the ladder. Seems to be working well.

I am concerned that the rubber won't be thick enough to keep from damaging the new vinyl tile floor I just installed. But it's definitely getting more and more thick, so my concern might not be justified. I'll check it later this week.

The rubber dip is a good ideal but I would recommend that before you dip, you cut a piece of wood to fill in between the vertical spaces of the bottom so that you have a good flat surface, that way, you lessen the chances that the dip will wear off of one side or the other which would leave a sharp edge that could cut into the carpet or other type of flooring.

craigmar wrote:The rubber dip is a good ideal but I would recommend that before you dip, you cut a piece of wood to fill in between the vertical spaces of the bottom so that you have a good flat surface, that way, you lessen the chances that the dip will wear off of one side or the other which would leave a sharp edge that could cut into the carpet or other type of flooring.

That's a good idea. Keep in mind that the ladder is angled, not sitting flat, so the wood would have to be angled.

skater wrote:

craigmar wrote:The rubber dip is a good ideal but I would recommend that before you dip, you cut a piece of wood to fill in between the vertical spaces of the bottom so that you have a good flat surface, that way, you lessen the chances that the dip will wear off of one side or the other which would leave a sharp edge that could cut into the carpet or other type of flooring.

That's a good idea. Keep in mind that the ladder is angled, not sitting flat, so the wood would have to be angled.

On second thought, I'm not sure this is necessary. I put a number of coats on the bottom of the metal legs using the dip and it's pretty thick. To test it, we put two scrap pieces of vinyl tile down on a concrete floor, then stood on the ladder. A close inspection of the tile revealed no damage to the tile, so we think it's fine, especially since it's plywood (i.e., something a bit flexible) under the tile.

skater,

How did your Plasti Dip feet hold up over time? I've applied several dip coats to the feet on the ladder an it has made a reasonably thick (1/8" - 3/16") layer of protection all around the C channel.

I'm considering adding a small block of wood too and then dip that a few times. I don't think it's necessary to cut the wood at an angle - I'm simply trying to prevent the Plasti Dip from cutting through the aluminum when force is exerted on the ladder. I think the block of wood will help distribute the load.

nvestysly wrote:skater,

How did your Plasti Dip feet hold up over time? I've applied several dip coats to the feet on the ladder an it has made a reasonably thick (1/8" - 3/16") layer of protection all around the C channel.

We never had a problem. It worked well until we sold the camper - no signs of any sort of failure or damage to the floor.

My feet hurt every time I climbed up or down the ladder so I got some foam pipe insulation and slipped it over the ladder treads. Wrapped a piece of tape around each side to secure the foam. Happy feet!


Cliff

lido14co wrote:My feet hurt every time I climbed up or down the ladder so I got some foam pipe insulation and slipped it over the ladder treads. Wrapped a piece of tape around each side to secure the foam. Happy feet!


Cliff

We found the same thing to be true regarding climbing up and down the ladder. I guess my feet are more tender than I thought. We also used pipe insulation and fixed it on each end using cable-ties.

Back to the Plasti-Dip. It has worked well for us but we found it rubbed off when it touched the adjacent curtain. The Plasti-Dip is completely dry but it seems to have a slight powerdery / chalky residue and when it touches the curtains it makes a black mark. So when the ladder is stowed (horizontally on the edge of the bunk) we put quart zip lip bags over the Plasti-Dip feet to protect the curtains.