Community Forums

CORKY · 08-31-2006, 09:01 AM

Being new to this site, this topic may have already been discussed but I would be interested in knowing if any other fulltimers have experienced spongy or soft spots in their flooring and if so how did the correct the problem.
At present, I have had some luck by using a couple of bottle jacks and a board as a joist support. I'll welcome any suggestions.

CORKY · 08-31-2006, 09:01 AM

Being new to this site, this topic may have already been discussed but I would be interested in knowing if any other fulltimers have experienced spongy or soft spots in their flooring and if so how did the correct the problem.
At present, I have had some luck by using a couple of bottle jacks and a board as a joist support. I'll welcome any suggestions.

Kazoo Tom · 08-31-2006, 09:13 AM

Corky, I don't have an answer for you, but you might try posting this down in the Winnebago owners forum lower on the page. I am sure someone there has experienced you problem and my have some suggestions for you. And, welcome to the forum.

ISLAPP · 08-31-2006, 09:23 AM

Corky,
Welcome to irv2

I dont have an answer for you but hopefully someone else will. I will cross post this to the Winnebago forum to help give you more exposure to your question.
Mike

"007" · 08-31-2006, 09:44 AM

Corky, welcome to irv2

In what general area of your coach do you have these soft spots? Are they near bath or kitchen?
With your support is the floor now solid?

CORKY · 08-31-2006, 10:10 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by "007":
Corky, welcome to irv2

In what general area of your coach do you have these soft spots? Are they near bath or kitchen?
With your support is the floor now solid?

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Since this is a mid entry coach, the soft spots are just to the right and left of the stairwell. With the joist support installed the floor is much better but due to the flexing of the basement floor the joist eventually work loose and I have to rework the support.

"007" · 08-31-2006, 11:12 AM

You will have to look under rug to see if floor hasn't been damaged from water and caused plywood to delamiate.

If you can see same area from underneath the floor you may see what damage could be caused to the floor.

Tom N · 08-31-2006, 12:17 PM

Hi Corky;

I had a 1994 Vectra 34RA on a Ford chassis. I'm wondering if you got my old one. I traded it in to Meyers RV in Hamburg, NY. It had 81,000 miles on it and was in great condition but had a soft floor. Vectras are notorious for soft floors. Mine had a soft spot in front of the coach and in the hall in front of the thermostat. Meyers told me they would repair it before selling it and I know they sold it quickly.

If I had kept the coach I was going to slit the carpeting and slide a piece of heavy sheet metal under the carpet.

My soft spots were not caused by a water leak. I think they were caused by the floor rubbing on a steel cross member because I found what looked like saw dust directly below the front soft spot in the basement storage compartment. We had no insect problems.

I loved that 1994 Vectra RA34 and would still have it if my wife had not wanted slides.

Here are a couple a photos.

bflem · 08-31-2006, 04:10 PM

I would ask Winnebago how to repair your floor. I believe there is a layer of foam type board under the plywood and it has broken down. They have had this problem on lots of 80's and 90's.

NeilV · 08-31-2006, 06:18 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by CORKY:
Being new to this site, this topic may have already been discussed but I would be interested in knowing if any other fulltimers have experienced spongy or soft spots in their flooring and if so how did the correct the problem.
At present, I have had some luck by using a couple of bottle jacks and a board as a joist support. I'll welcome any suggestions. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Corky,

I had a 95 Vectra 33RQ and this is a common thing. The floor is a stress skin panel made of a thin sheet of aluminum bonded to a sheet of foam board insulation which is bonded to 1/4" to 5/16" thick plywood. The lamination of the stress skin panel is comming undone.

Some have been able to pull the flooring or carpeting up in the affected area, drill some small holes in the plywood, inject contact cement in the holes, put a sheet of wax paper over the area, put a board over the wax paper and then a weight on the board (sandbag for example). A few days later everything should be all set for you to remove the weights and put the flooring/capeting back in place.

Others remove the flooring/capeting in the affected area, completely cut out the top layer of plywood, route out slots in the foam to glue/screw in strapping, spread contact cement on the area and the plywood that they cut out and then use screws to attach the plywood to the strapping and hold everything in place along with the glue.

Others remove all the carpeting and as much of the flooring as they can and screw down a sheet of 3/8" plywood over the entire subfloor trying to get the screws into the cross members below and then replace the flooring/carpeting.

I decided to wait and see if it got any worse. It stayed pretty static so I just left well enough alone. If I had not lost the coach in a fire I probably would have tried the glue and sand bag approach in the back hallway first and if it turned out Ok then I would have continued on to the other problem areas.

Regards,