2015 Kodiak Soft Floor/Rot

[Lemon Twist]

My 2015 33' Kodiak was not used for over a year because of winter, surgery, and COVID but we finally got out last week.

I noticed a soft spot on the bedroom floor (very soft) and decided to open up the vinyl to see what was going on.

Very bad 2 foot spot in bedroom that I traced to the front door. When I looked at the door frame it appears that about an inch of rubber seal is missing at both ends on the bottom. We never saw water on the vinyl so no warning signs. It must have seeped under the vinyl the last year. I live in western Washington so we get plenty of rain. Because of my driveway slope I can't get the trailer completely level front-2-back hence the damage starting at the door and running into the bedroom.

The floor is a sandwich of plywood and foam about 2 inches thick that I will try to find or make my own. If someone knows where I can buy this stuff on line I would appreciate knowing where. I did quite a bit of searching and came up with nothing close.

Before I start ripping things out I decided to come here and ask for information and advice.

1. Do the frame supports run front to back or side to side? Maybe a lattice?
2. How far apart are the frame pieces?
3. Has anyone done this repair and are there any issues or problems I need to be aware of before I start.

Since I have to muck up the bedroom all the way to the door I am going to rip out the vinyl throughout and replace it with glued down vinyl flooring. I think that if the original vinyl had been glued down the water would have appeared on top and we would have had a chance to notice something was going on much earlier.

Any help or insight is appreciated

Chuck

[Krbjmpr]

I have bought insulated sandwhiched panels from a reefer trailer manufacturing company.


For a small area, I have also made repair panels by gluing luan to Styrofoam sheets bought at home depot. Laid everything out on top of plastic sheet, covered with another plastic sheet, glued edges and used shop vacuum to suck air out. Poor Man's Vacuum Forming. If you have the space, use plastic sheets as above, then place plywood on top and weigh it down with paint cans / garden mower / sons workout weights etc. It seems to improve the bond, esp if having to use several layers of foam.

[Lemon Twist]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I can get good quality dense foam from Lowes and trim it to the correct thickness with my CNC machine, but I might try using fiber board instead of luan.

Once the repairs are made and all the existing vinyl is removed I am going to put a water proof sealant over the entire floor then glue vinyl planks to that.

My hope is that if there are any leaks that the water will show itself on top of the floor instead of wicking itself underneath the floor covering.

Don't know why the original vinyl wasn't glued down.

I contacted my insurance company and I am not covered for this kind of situation. Not surprising.

[Krbjmpr]

It isn't glued for a reason. Your coach is always flexing, even when its not being pulled it will still flex from entry / exit / wind / etc.


This movement will eventually cause flooring stretch and wrinkles or rolls will develop. Vinyl planks are a bit different as each blank can give against the others. Tip: by an extra box so you have plenty for future replacements when that color / manufacturer / design / whatever is not available.



Some motorbikes have ceramic tile cemented to floor. The grout is somewhat flexible when cured.


Oh, and be careful about material choice when making a replacement panel. If foam is different, floor will feel different when walk on it. Same goes for top AND bottom layer. TBH though, I think hardest part you will have with fiberboard will keeping it from swelling when you waterproof it and potential height difference compared to original.

[Lemon Twist]

Great suggestions!

I have decided to stick with a luan + foam + luan sandwich. I have found both with the foam being in the correct density.

After ripping into things it isn't as bad as I thought it would be.

There are two frame pieces about two feet into the rv that run length wise and then cross frames every 30 inches or so.

I will replace a section 30" by about 6 feet and another section 60" by two feet that encompasses the front door.

I will add some cross members between the side-to-side frame pieces made from angle iron bolted into the existing frame pieces for the new floor to sit on. The new pieces will be glued to the existing floor creating a solid connection.

Then I will cover the entire floor (after removing the existing vinyl) with a top grade sealant/water proof coating like what is used in a shower.

On top of that I will add vinyl planks glued to the floor.

Upon further inspection of the rv, I noticed that the awning doesn't cover the back end of the slide offering a great place for water to get on top of the slide or into the seals. I am going to see If I can slide the existing awning cover towards the rear so that this area is protected. There is at least 10" of empty space. I think the awning material could have been a foot longer though and I wouldn't have this problem.


Appreciate the help.