Community Forums

aviation1972 · 03-02-2017, 08:27 AM

I've seen some YouTube videos showing an epoxy resin and hardener combination, injected under the filon skin with syringes and tubes, then the filon side of the motorhomes are pressed overnight, ( or for 24 hours or so ), with large clamps and boards of wood to rejoin, and fuse the internal layers back together again, thereby, ( supposedly ), eliminating, or greatly reducing the prior delamination. This method requires no wholesale cutting of sidewalls, and no replacement of structural sections of the delaminated area. Just epoxy injections under the filon skin, and pressure applied over time. Does anyone have any experience with delamination repair, ( this method )? Does it work? Has anyone tried this? What results were you able to achieve? I'm asking, because I've found a motorhome for sale that had a leak in its past, that was professionally repaired, but as often happens, only the leak was repaired. The delamination that resulted from the leak was ignored. So the bubble is still there. It's above and below the kitchen window, ( because the leak began up high, near the awning mount ), on the passenger side. No more leak, and no sign of any damage indoors. That was repaired professionally too. Just the delamination was ignored. So, I'm asking about the epoxy repair method, to help me determine whether this motorhome is a good deal, or not. And, yes, I realize that the best "delam." is "delam." you can avoid, ( which would be very easy for me ), because I haven't bought this motorhome yet. And, maybe I won't. But, in the meantime, I'm asking for answers? Please folks? Thank you all..

farmboss · 03-02-2017, 09:48 AM

I would be interested in anyone's experience with this fix. I have some delam on my 2001 Winnebago Brave on the passenger side and am considering this approach

louieyoder1 · 03-02-2017, 10:28 AM

I'm interested in more information on this fix also.

znt1186 · 03-02-2017, 10:53 AM

I have employed this method of repair in the past on another rv I owned. It was not perfect, but it worked to suit me. I did go with an epoxy manufacturer who specialized in the repair of rotted or deteriorated wood since the filon is typically bonded to a layer of luan. There are low viscosity and high viscosity epoxies, and one does not always fit the bill. I experimented combining both to find the viscosity I wanted to be injectable and not free flowing all over the place. Before using them on the rv, I tested the blends to ensure they developed the bond strength I wanted. What I ended up with pulled the surface off the wood blocks I used for testing without failing the bond line between the wood and the epoxy.

My current rv has some delamination of the fiberglass roof and I can hear the wood below the fiberglass crunching underfoot, so I know it has deteriorated to some degree. I plan on using this same method to bond it back together this spring.

As noted, you may not get the surface back perfect, but you can stop future delamination and restore the bond in most cases. Good luck!

aviation1972 · 03-02-2017, 11:43 AM

My biggest concern with the epoxy method is the clamping and applying pressure after the application of the epoxy. It seems to me the perfect way of doing this is to park next to a building, and using your braces, from one side to the RV, and from the other side, to a building that you've parked immediately next to, as close as possible. All this in an effort to get maximum pressure against the RV, once the epoxy has been applied. I've seen people do bracing from the ground as well, but it seems to me, that the way to get maximum sidewall pressure is to park next to a building. My dilemma, at present, is figuring out the logistics of getting that accomplished... I may have no choice, but to brace my clamps from the ground, and I think it's pretty clear, that insufficient pressure on the RV, following the epoxy application, will probably lead to less than ideal results... Russell

znt1186 · 03-03-2017, 07:10 AM

I braced mine off the supports for my rv port cover. You could use some long 2 x 4's and ratchet straps over the top and bottom of the rv to apply pressure to the repair area. You will need an extra set of hands or three to do it.

aviation1972 · 03-03-2017, 10:26 AM

Thanks so much for the helpful advice.

aviation1972 · 03-03-2017, 10:37 AM

So, please tell me, how large was the area that you repaired? What part of your coach is it on? And, you said, the area has held up well over time? How long has it been? How many other folks did you have helping you, if the area was large enough to require assistance? Would you be willing to send me a photograph or two, just of the area that you repaired? Thanks... Russell

aviation1972 · 03-03-2017, 01:03 PM

This gentleman did a a great job with his delam repair and a very thorough job of detailing it with photos and helpful hints...he also shared some of his 'DONT'S'

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...2RTLWqr9CA/pub

RVLover357 · 03-07-2017, 07:37 PM

I had really good results from using Composet Products (delamrepair.com). I called the guy up and he walked me through everything. He also has some youtube videos that are really helpful.

Laticia1 · 10-30-2019, 05:09 AM

I think that this method will work, because epoxy is a great useful product. I have tried it by myself, and I was amazed how well it's working. I have found an article with a list of the best epoxy - https://toolsspecialist.com/best-epoxy-for-wood which helped me a lot. The main thing is to find a high quality epoxy and everything should be fine.

Guppy · 10-31-2019, 06:59 AM

The epoxy needs to be totally dry on all surfaces or it wont stick. It has to be roughed up as well and very very clean and dry. Try to dribble gorilla glue into the delam area. Gorilla glue needs moisture to cure so a bit of water inside wont hurt. Brace the out side with 1" plywood and if possible the inside as well. I have done this over the years on 4 different rv's and some repairs are over 4 years old and still looks smooth and no bubbles. The gorilla glue expands as it cures so you have to have a way for it to expand out of the wall and then to trim it off. The gorilla glue sticks to everything and is very hard to clean off. So be only try to get it where you want it. This is a very low cost way and it works very well. The moisture from the leaks helps cure the glue so you don't need it very dry. Gorilla glue works on most wood, fiberglass and foam insulation.The leak will have to be fixed first so it wont come back and cause more problems. I have pictures on a job I did but they are very big and hard to post on the very slow network that I have. There may be some on this site that I posted about 3 years ago. It takes time but the repairs look as good as the original walls with no delam.

Sweetbriar · 11-01-2019, 09:22 AM

Last winter I repaired a section after water leaked in at the range hood vent. I didn't want to do anything to the exterior fiberglass such as drilling holes I would have to patch so I went in thru the inside of the coach and deconstructed the interior wall, foam and damaged thin ply down to the inside of the exterior fiberglass. Replace and epoxied new materials to build the wall back up and rather than the wallpaper I painted the interior wall and added a sponge faux finish.

Once I opened the wall up the extent of the water damage was a lot more than the bubble I could feel and see from the outside. The leak was first found in early August and I didn't start the fix until January. I sealed the vant to stop any further water but the wall interior was still wet. I also found additional water damage that was evident from the outside.

Was a bit of work but not overly technical. Used up a good bit of slow set epoxy. Thin ply to fiberglass, foam to thin ply, thin ply to foam. The green filler over the final ply is bondo to smooth the seams.

About a month of work evenings and weekends. This was last January in southeastern Virginia. The slow set epoxy needed extra time to set due to the winter air temps.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/61AGFpf63y2j3gqk9

Kahoona · 11-01-2019, 01:12 PM

Before the Epoxy cure became the main way ti repair delamination I used Medium expansion foam made by DAP. It is water based until it drys then it is waterproof so it sticks well to damp materials. It expands enough to fill and straighten reasonably warped or loose outer body sections. After drying excesses can be cut with a keyhole saw or serrated knife. Clear plastic tubing can be used to get it back into hard to reach areas. The outer body sections need to be clamped in place. I often was able to do that with lumber outside held with clamps in the wheel wells. Braces from the ground also helped but bracing against a structure would be better. I had to repair the entire RV from about 4'. I did it in 6' to 10' foot sections or so. The best part was being able to brace it up and then start blasting the foam in with hoses until I felt some pressure, then walking away overnight. I came back to remove the clamps and wood, cut away the excesses that oozed out then move the bracing to the next section. I used treated wood blocks in the wheel wells and blocks where other screws went in. They were held in place with screws while the foam was applied and set. The same screws held the wheel arches, lights ect. in place afterwards.

I did not get truly invisible results but close it was fast and simple. The old luan was pulled out if it was already falling out otherwise it was left in place and became part of the structure. Only rarely did I have to brace the inside too. It was done ten years ago and still was solid when I sold it recently. Sorry the old post is no longer around. It is no longer at the other site that it was posted at.