Trillium window wood, dry out or replace - Fiberglass RV
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Old 08-20-2016, 07:04 AM   #1
buk
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Trillium window wood, dry out or replace

First project to tackle, make her water tight!

I pulled the rear window to find a little bead of cheap clear caulking...geez

The interior wood backing is solid and damp. Should I whip out the hair dryer or cut some new wood? I noticed the screws came out pretty easy...too easy?

Was planning on adding a few #8 1" ss screws for added bite...stock is slightly smaller.


Btw, the factory guys must have been drunk while cutting out the window holes.
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Old 08-20-2016, 09:40 AM   #2
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I would replace the wood now you've gone this far.
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Old 08-20-2016, 09:48 AM   #3
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I removed and replaced all of our windows. Most of the lower pieces of wood were wet and only a few were starting to rot. I dried the wet pieces and replaced the rotten ones. The problem is that the original pieces are 7/8" plywood and for me, that was hard to find. I ended up using 1" plywood and that worked OK.
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Old 08-20-2016, 01:13 PM   #4
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I removed and replaced all of our windows. Most of the lower pieces of wood were wet and only a few were starting to rot. I dried the wet pieces and replaced the rotten ones. The problem is that the original pieces are 7/8" plywood and for me, that was hard to find. I ended up using 1" plywood and that worked OK.
I would go with solid wood strips instead of plywood as a replacement. Plywood has a tendency to delaminate when it is wet for any length of time.
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Old 08-20-2016, 03:03 PM   #5
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Nowadays you can get PVC lumber, it does not rot.
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Old 08-20-2016, 03:15 PM   #6
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First project to tackle, make her water tight!

Btw, the factory guys must have been drunk while cutting out the window holes.
They likely used a lot of minimally skilled laborers on such tasks to save cost.

The window and door cutouts on my Campster were very badly done. The doorway was cut out so oversized that only a few screws went into the shell.
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Old 08-21-2016, 06:41 PM   #7
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Sure... My left top corner has only a hair of space between the cut and screw hole
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Old 08-21-2016, 06:44 PM   #8
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Right, but most solid grain would warp if exposed to consistent water.
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Old 08-21-2016, 06:47 PM   #9
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Check out my solution. Works good and looks better than factory IMHO. The grey you see is hardwood mounted on top of the wall covering and stainless screws are screwed from out side. Had to go around the window several days in a row to tighten the screws until they finally squeezed the wall covering. ps I removed the old wood.
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Old 08-21-2016, 06:51 PM   #10
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Unfortunately I cannot expand the pic, but am assuming you made an outer frame? Not a bad idea...
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Old 08-21-2016, 06:52 PM   #11
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Probably does look more homey
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Old 08-21-2016, 07:01 PM   #12
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Try this , it might work. Fiberglass RV - Glen_'s Album: Restoring my trillium - Picture
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Old 08-21-2016, 07:04 PM   #13
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Look good!
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Old 08-27-2016, 11:38 AM   #14
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Butyl tape + FL heat = : (

Stuff is like melted bubblegum...sticky and saggy
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Old 05-21-2018, 12:26 AM   #15
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Check out my solution. Works good and looks better than factory IMHO. The grey you see is hardwood mounted on top of the wall covering and stainless screws are screwed from out side. Had to go around the window several days in a row to tighten the screws until they finally squeezed the wall covering. ps I removed the old wood.


Hi Glen,

Just curious how your interior window framing is doing? I'm considering doing something similar to avoid putting wood inside the ensolite, and having that nice framed look. Considering Cedar for the smell

Any updates or tips are appreciated!

Duke
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Old 05-21-2018, 05:10 AM   #16
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I agree with k corbin, if you are going to replace the plywood, use pvc exterior trim material instead of wood. These campers are constantly exposed to dampness (condensation, etc). Re-sealing won't stop this problem. Use double layer of butyl tape to re-seal.

Since you mentioned that the window was sealed with a clear sealant, I would guess the window has already been pulled once and re-installed. The original sealant was very likely putty or butyl tape. Also, your photo shows that the belly band has been repaired/sealed.
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Old 05-23-2018, 10:57 PM   #17
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Drawings of Window Interior Frame

Part way to a front gaucho install drawing.
Two different profiles. One that is 1" thick, the other 3/4" thick. I did the 3/4" version.
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Old 05-24-2018, 04:48 AM   #18
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Note that if the trailer has the aluminium-framed shelves and you change the thickness of the wood around the windows, you may have issues putting the shelves back in. You may have to trim or shim the wood frame.
Less of an issue with the FG shelf as the edges can flex a bit to accommodate.

And David, I just did the front/back windows on a T1300 last week, I would have to go and measure them but if I remember right the horizontal wood pieces were actually 54 in.
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Old 05-24-2018, 08:11 AM   #19
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What thickness of wood did you use?
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Old 05-24-2018, 11:59 AM   #20
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I think the original plywood is 3/4, but when replacing it is often wet and had swollen to 7/8 or so. All my windows are framed with cedar. I can only get it in 5/8 planks, so that's what I used. Thinner wood won't prevent the shelves to fit in place, but too thick will. However I had to shim with thin strips of 1/8 plywood (not visible behind the Ensolite) in places where thinner wood had an impact on shelves position (ex: side shelves at the rear of the 1300, if the wood on top of the rear window is 1/8" thinner, the shelves end up farther toward the rear of the trailer by 1/8" and will not reach the side of the cupboard/cabinets where they are riveted). This issue didn't come up on the front one-piece FG shelf, as it can flex somewhat.

The wood frames don't need to be super accurately cut to size. If someone has a bench saw, thats perfect, however a simple circular saw with a saw guide will do just fine. Once under the Ensolite, any irregularities in the cuts will not be visible. I think one could be a good 1/4" off and it would never show!

In my own trailer, the Ensolite around the windows had damage from the PO's efforts to remove it, I had to hide this, so I put some aluminium flat bar over the Ensolite, screwed in the wood frame. I didn't not glue the Ensolite back on the wood.
In the T1330 I'm currently working on, the windows had never been resealed, taking them off was super easy as there was no silicone to remove, only old dry butyl. I took great care when ungluing the Ensolite, and once the windows were back in, the Ensolite was just tucked behind the aluminium frame edge, over the wood but not glued. It looks like it's holding there, and every thing looks like original.
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