Delamination

[craftsven]

We own a 1997 Winnebago Vectra that have lived a hard life in Northern Canada, she have since new been stored outside in snow and rain.

She now have a bad case of delamination that I have started to repair, the method I've used is as follows:

1. Park the motorhome close to a wall that will be used to apply pressure to the repaired area, by using a 4 x 4, bottle jack, and a piece of 3/4" plywood large enough to cover the delaminated area.

2. Drill a few holes through the laminate only.

3.Inject the adhesive ( I used Loctite PL Premium, it's a Urethane based adhesive)

4. Put the 4 x 4 , bottle jack and the plywood sheet against the damage between the wall and the motorhome side, and apply pressure with the bottle jack.

4. Leave pressure on for 24 hours

5. Close the holes used to inject adhesive with epoxy. I used Epoxy mixed with Micro balloons. ( Microspheres).

6. Prime, sand and paint.


Good Luck
Craftsven

[BFlinn181]

Good luck, hope it works. You might try using a large inner tube or other inflatable to apply the pressure between the house and RV siding. It's lighter and you could eliminate the 4x4 and the bottle jack. A lot lighter and the pressure gets distributed more evenly than a bottle jack. Just a thought.

[bbeane]

I guess it all depends on if the wood backing under the delaminated area is still in good shape, otherwise there is nothing for the glue to hold on to.

[mport68]

Did this work for you? Do you have any before & after photo's you can share?

I have an area under the bedroom window that I'm considering doing this to. The window seal leaked for years (prior owner). I fixed the leak but I'm considering pouring an viscous epoxy down the wall through the window opening (Delamination Repair, RV's, boats, wood). The luan appears to be intact, just delaminated from the fiberglass well.

I've seen several posts from folks saying that someone they know did this but can't seem to find anyone that has actually done it themselves.

[roady]

Originally Posted by mport68

Did this work for you? Do you have any before & after photo's you can share?

I have an area under the bedroom window that I'm considering doing this to. The window seal leaked for years (prior owner). I fixed the leak but I'm considering pouring an viscous epoxy down the wall through the window opening (Delamination Repair, RV's, boats, wood). The luan appears to be intact, just delaminated from the fiberglass well.

I've seen several posts from folks saying that someone they know did this but can't seem to find anyone that has actually done it themselves.

Good point!
I have done a few delamination repairs on my rigs.

In the worst case I had to remove a large section of 2x2 wood framing around a window, as well as a section of luan/foam/paneling below the window. I left the Filon intact. After removing the bad material I worked the flowable epoxy from Composet into the edges and the bottom where the original materials remained. Then I added new luan, foam, framing, and paneling layer-by-layer bonding it together with PL Supreme urethane adhesive, and epoxy.

Under 2 other windows, where the framing was good and the delamination was smaller, I just used the flowable epoxy to bond the deteriorated luan back together, as well as bond the luan to the foam board. This worked well with the exception of getting some debris (probably luan particles) trapped in the area and resulted in small bumps in the Filon surface.

Figuring out my plan of attack took some effort, then finding the materials took multiple trips to the shed and Home Depot, finally you will have to rig up clamps and jigs.

Unfortunately, once damage is done, it will never be the same as it came from the factory. For me budget was a key factor. Having a shop tear it apart and rebuild it was out of the question. If you are handy with tools, have access to various materials, and understand a few things about glue, then DIY may be the answer.