Repairing rotten wall & floor..

[ethan1]

Ok so I've owned this 2013 Aspin Trail since November 19. Finally getting around to doing a project. The floor was soft in the back right corner when I got it. The seller sold it for a low price. I didn't realize how much work this would be.
Basically found out..

Removed the trimming.. Removed sealant.. Removed the corner molding.. Removed all of the panels.. Removed tons of staples.. Took 5 hours to get all the sealant off both corners. (The stuff would not come off) . Removed all the old black rotten wood. Removed the wet insulation. Cut out all the wet wood. Finally got it clean and free of anything wet.. Cut the wood. Removed more staples. Secured the walls together with new wood. Reinstalled new insulation with a reflective foil. Then covered it with a roofing underlayment to create a stronger seal.. Pretty much now the next step is to reassemble the panels and seal it. I purchased a dicore tape Seal tight to hopefully fix this issue. I'm really curious how everything goes back together.

Looks like everything is coming together smoothly.

[sam-3]

Yes, it is a lot of repair work. So worth it when you see the price of a new RV.

[ethan1]

I couldn't imagine doing a repair to the roof. Amazing how much damage a small amount of water can do to these things. I'm planning on inspecting the front after this to see if it's any worse. I noticed a bit of water damage on the front. Hopefully it's not too bad. Use the Seal tight tape.

[jergle]

Been there, done that. Yes, it's a lot of work. Last summer, replaced about 1/3 of the roof and front corner on my Jayco. Between me, my wife and teenage son, we had about 120 hours worth of labor in it. The end result is worth it though, and it would have cost way more than the trailer was worth to pay someone else to fix it, so really the only other choice would have been to give it away or scrap it.

[charliez]

This is specifically why I will never buy a fiberglass sided TT again. With the metal type, you can do something with it. Fiberglass, your pretty much out of luck. Especially when it starts de laminating. You can even order all new panels and decals online, in just about any color. The idea is to keep up on caulking and maintenance and not let it happen but as in this case, it was already done. This project also gives you a chance to do anything. Add storage or access doors, add windows, remove them. If you bend any of the corner trim parts which is the worst thing about this, you can order new and it's not really that expensive.

[Hit_the_Rhod]

You might want to remove those five clearance lights, inspect and rebed with new bedding compound. Also I would remove that top cap piece that joins the roof to the wall. It's a fair bet that one of those places is the source of the original leak where the water got into the wall in the first place. Just repairing the damage without fixing the root cause will lead to more troubles down the road.

Might also want to do a real thorough inspection of all other joints/seams on the roof at the same time. Some clean up and some Dicor self leveling caulk will prevent any water intrusion. Sounds like you got a good deal! Inexpensive (materials wise) to repair damage like that, but if you had a shop do the work, it would be prohibitively expensive!

[jergle]

Excellent point about checking the roof and recaulking everything. The water entry point on mine was painfully obvious, and we had to put on a new roof membrane, but I still took the time to recaulk EVERYTHING - the windows, doors, slide out, around the lights, corners, etc. Used Eternabond tape on all the corners / seams also. If you're going to put that much work into something, you want to make darn sure you don't have to do it again.

[Jay D.]

Originally Posted by charliez

This is specifically why I will never buy a fiberglass sided TT again. With the metal type, you can do something with it. Fiberglass, your pretty much out of luck. Especially when it starts de laminating. You can even order all new panels and decals online, in just about any color. The idea is to keep up on caulking and maintenance and not let it happen but as in this case, it was already done. This project also gives you a chance to do anything. Add storage or access doors, add windows, remove them. If you bend any of the corner trim parts which is the worst thing about this, you can order new and it's not really that expensive.

I just replaced the fiberglass or filon on my slide it had delaminated. it was an easy job I did buy a new section of fiberglass 14x7 and glued it on. the hardest part was taking all the trim pieces off and reinstalling them.
Jay D.

[kennyb79]

I only use my RV afew times a year. my old class C I rebuilt the bunk area, and my TT I'm in the process of rebuilding a weak floor . its a labor of love, and I'll have a lot of time into it when I'm done...but I don't have a monthly payment and i didnt pay a lot for it. I've known to many people that ended up with a leaky TT way before they had it paid off...good job rebuilding it, at least you know its got some real wood in it now, not just luan and styrofoam

[bddadles]

You have done nice work. Now enjoy the fruits of your labors and go camping.

[astrnmrtom]

It's amazing how wood can turn to a soft crumbly soggy mess after being fed a steady diet of water for a period of time.

Years ago we had a class C that had a leaky window in the front of the overcab bed area. One day I was off work and decided to pull the window and repair any bad wood and reseal the window. I ended up gutting the whole over cab area and was astounded that it still could hold the weight of people sleeping up there. Urns out there had been long term leaks at the side windows too. My wife knew I was going to work on the leak but she was horrified when she arrived home to a wet pile of black rotten wood and insulation piled on the ground outside the RV. I eventually rebuilt the area and it was solid as a rock after because I used thicker material, added bracing and used glue and screws instead of staples. Looked great when finished. My wife was surprised, admitting she thought it would be unrepairable when she saw all the damage that day.

It's good that you have the skill to do the repair. The materials aren't that expensive, but the labor sure would be if you had to pay to have it done. Looks good.

[000brunswick]

Mind if I am what you used to glue the fiberglass back on?

[ethan1]

Originally Posted by 000brunswick

Mind if I am what you used to glue the fiberglass back on?

No glue was used for the fiberglass insulation. Just overlapped and stapled it to the wood frame. I was considering glue but stapling was much easier and quicker. I wish I could put the reflective insulation in the entire TT. Really happy how everything turned out.

I'm considering taking apart the fron side soon to reseal the corners. The sealtite stuff worked amazing. Super easy to apply. Creates a perfect seal. I'm surprised it wasnt done by the manufacturer. Would truly prevent a ton of leaks...

[ethan1]

Recently redid the front of the RV to check for leaks and reseal everything. Took about 2 days to complete this project. Installed an extra layer of 1" reflective Styrofoam insulation this time. Purchased 2 foam boards for $30 at lowes. Got a perfect fit. Added a 2nd layer with a reflective Batt insulation. Sealed it with spray foam. Used stainless steel screws.

Curious what the R value might be for this wall.

Hardest part was removing all the rock solid silicone. Took a few hours to get off with mineral spirits and a knife. Eventually got everything clean to install the panels.

Only mistake I made in this project was when removing the staples. When removing the staples out of the panel I dented it. Installing was easy. Applied the sealtite tape. Used dicor lap sealant. Then used a white silicone. I'm wondering how this silicone will hold up. It looks clean. Curious about the durability for preventing leaks.


Removing the front panels was much easier than the rear. Mainly because the hot water heater was fixated in front of the panels.

Would be nice to replace the front panels because the paint job is worn.

Curious if this would impact the resell value too.
Prior owner did a sloppy job on applying silicone on the trailer.






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