Please don't do this to your trailer!

[sarahspins]

Yet another "what on earth were they thinking" discovery today.... I am almost speechless. I knew there was a "patch" of some sort over the previously rotted rear floor, but this is truly not what I expected when I finally removed one of the benches and peeled back the linoleum to take a look.



I really just don't get this... no matter what this was always going to be a half-assed job because of the way the prior owner approached fixing it (which I could feel under the linoleum), but peg board is the absolute last thing I would have expected to uncover.

Granted, I expected to replace most of the rear floor because of water damage visible under the bench (where the OSB had chipped away under the fresh coat of paint it got at some point) and because the old leaks were never really fixed (as you can see by the trails down the ensolite under the rear window), so whatever, but I just don't get it.. if you are going to go through the trouble to pull everything out and put down new linoleum, why not actually take the time to fix the floor better than this? Or better than that, fix the cracked and leaking window seals that led to most of this in the first place... that job took me all of 30 minutes per window, it honestly wasn't that difficult (it was easier than I expected to get the lockstrip in, once I lubed up the channel very well), and I even did one of them in the dark

I should have snapped a shot of what was underneath the soggy rotting peg board, but the OSB has completely disintegrated, there were some holes patched with who knows what that was barely clinging on (might be caulking, might be construction adhesive... I'm honestly not sure).

We won't even get into the wiring.. it's a mess and full of splices wrapped in nothing more than wire nuts and electrical tape, and I can't even imagine how corroded everything is since none of the leaks were ever fixed until just recently, and it's coming out as soon as I get the other bench free (I needed a flashlight to locate the screws attaching it to the closet cabinet, so that seemed like a good place to stop for the evening) so I have easy access to everything all at once. I did "replace" the taillights a while back, but they're not wired in yet since there was no continuity in these wires from the front of the trailer. I have all of my supplies ready to go, but re-wiring has been low on the list of priorities

On tomorrow's agenda is to get the other dinette bench out and start working on removing the rotted floor... should be fun

[War Eagle]

Sarah, Maybe yours can be the first entry of a new "What were they thinking?" contest. I'm sure there are lots of other photos and restoration horror stories out there. Find a way to post them in a photo gallery and eventually let people vote for the "Worst of the Worst (WOW) Award".

[Shields]

Hi, I have recently had almost the same situation in our newly acquired old boler. I am curious as to your steps to replace the floor? I'm to the point of Lino pulled up and now plan on cutting the rotten section out.

[Borrego Dave]

There was a recent post on the strangest thing you've found in your trailer. I think Sarah has the winner so far

[steve dunham]

It appears to be a combination of stupid and cheap A common malady

[papa-t]

Well you just can't fix stupid. Huh

[GMike A]

Perhaps the logic was that the holes would provide proper aeration.

[tractors1]

Originally Posted by GMike A

Perhaps the logic was that the holes would provide proper aeration.

Or improved drainage if there are additional holes drilled to daylight underneath.....

Charlie Y

[Mike Magee]

The PO wanted to cover it up, make it look good quickly & easily as possible, and sell it right away to some unsuspecting person. There are people like that.

[sarahspins]

Originally Posted by Shields

Hi, I have recently had almost the same situation in our newly acquired old boler. I am curious as to your steps to replace the floor? I'm to the point of Lino pulled up and now plan on cutting the rotten section out.

That is pretty much my plan. I don't know if the boler has fiberglass under the floor but the scamp doesn't, the floor is tabbed into the fiberglass shell. I plan on removing the upper layer of fiberglass tabbing (dremel multi-tool will aid in the removal) and then I intend to remove a section of floor about 12" wide across the back of the trailer and fiberglass the replacement floor in place and reinforce it from below so the new section doesn't flex too much.

I have a similar section of rotted floor in the front under the bunk to repair as well, but the "area" the floor covers there is smaller and I plan on replacing the whole front piece on that side.

[sarahspins]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

The PO wanted to cover it up, make it look good quickly & easily as possible, and sell it right away to some unsuspecting person. There are people like that.

They fixed it up for themselves and used it for a couple of years.. this wasn't a repair made immediately before the sale.

[Freerider3815]

I'm in the process of the same thing didn't expect A piece of plywood hiding this, the hardest part was detaching the fiberglass seem to the plywood, I used a feint oil and cut the permitter of the seem, couple of pry bars and the sheet popped out easily! Hardest part B getting the sheet out of the camper to use for template. I'm using 3/4 ac plywood that I will coat with something heavy duty. Do you have any before and after pictures?


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[RogerDat]

Have heard from someone in response to my floor rot repair that putting a coat of fiberglass resin on the underside is the best way to provide heavy duty protection to the wood from elements.

In the thread on my ongoing floor repairs I have a link to someone else that has done it, with pictures. Had some good ideas on how to support shell with floor removed.

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...val-65985.html

Last year I watched a YouTube video of doing a floor patch rather than replace, one thing that stuck in my mind because I have used it for drywall and some other types of repairs. Make the patch first, trace around it to make the cut in the floor. Get an exact match of hole to patch. The other thing I recall was they supported patch with board under floor across the hole with aluminum foil on it to keep the fiberglass from sticking. Did the top with fiberglass, removed the board then did the bottom too.


I bet I know how you ended up with the peg board under the linoleum. PO was doing a replacement of lino, possibly in advance of using it on a trip (I know I always end up doing that stuff when I'm getting ready to use it. Drives my wife nuts.) Discovers the floor rot. The floor repair is a bigger job than they have time for so.... patch with what will fit without being too thick and get the lino in so they can go camping. Planning to come back later to do a "proper" repair. Which never happened.

If PO would have found a piece of Plexiglas in the garage your repair would have been Plexiglas, if they found some sheet metal.... In short whatever was on hand that would let them finish the linoleum job. That would be my guess, why they did not fix the water leaks? No idea. Maybe they did not know how, or never camped in the rain or... are the sort that considered peg board a permanent repair of the leaking window ;-)

[sarahspins]

Roger, I suspect you are right on with how I ended up with the pegboard patch - I'm sure it's just what was handy at the time.

As far as waterproofing repairs, the underside of the original OSB in my camper is definitely coated in fiberglass resin, and it seems to work fine as a waterproofer - personally I suspect part of the reason the damage to my floor is so extensive is that the resin side was very much intact (until I started removing what I could without tools), any time water made it into the camper it just sat there rather than finding a way through and back outside.

I haven't had a chance to really set about removing more of the floor in mine, but I should have more opportunity after the kids are back in school next week.

[Freerider3815]

my new ac plywood 3/4 subfloor with west systems epoxy first coat! Can't wait to put the shiny hardwood floor in!


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[Eddie Longest]

Deleted

[Mike Magee]

Jim Palmer at Eggcamper coats the top of the plywood with resin, but not the bottom. I asked why, and he said that moisture must have a way out and the best way out is down. Almost all damage comes from water sitting on and soaking in from up top, not from occasional road spray.