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Old 02-21-2021, 08:08 PM   #1
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Fix and Sell or Just Sell

We have a 2009 24 foot Class C that has a soft bonded floor near the entryway that we are planning to sell. The issue is mainly limited to the high traffic area by the door and a little by the kitchen. Bonded floors can be difficult to fix, but we have a few potential options on the table such as adding a plywood subfloor and/or rebonding the delaminated portion of the floor. Neither of these are super easy.

Is it worth fixing the floor? How much of an impact on price is a soft floor likely to have? The floor is strong enough to walk on, it just sags about a quarter inch underfoot. The rest of the coach is in okay shape and all of the systems work.

As a reference, we would be alright with getting the lower end of NADA for the coach. Is that a reasonable expectation without making the repair?

Please let me know what additional information would be helpful and I look forward to your feedback.
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Old 02-21-2021, 08:14 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by Albatross View Post
We have a 2009 24 foot Class C that has a soft bonded floor near the entryway that we are planning to sell. The issue is mainly limited to the high traffic area by the door and a little by the kitchen. Bonded floors can be difficult to fix, but we have a few potential options on the table such as adding a plywood subfloor and/or rebonding the delaminated portion of the floor. Neither of these are super easy.

Is it worth fixing the floor? How much of an impact on price is a soft floor likely to have? The floor is strong enough to walk on, it just sags about a quarter inch underfoot. The rest of the coach is in okay shape and all of the systems work.

As a reference, we would be alright with getting the lower end of NADA for the coach. Is that a reasonable expectation without making the repair?

Please let me know what additional information would be helpful and I look forward to your feedback.
Soft and sag mean 2 different things to me. Soft to me implies water damage and a spongy sub floor. Sag could be the sub flooring between the frame members because of thin sub flooring or frame members too far apart. Are there any similar models like you have to make comparisons? What you have might be perfectly normal for your model. Some RVs have squeaking floors caused by sections of sub floor that rub together when walking on them. Normal for that build.
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Old 02-21-2021, 08:15 PM   #3
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If I walked in and the floor was soft I walk away. It it was fixed and I wasn't told about it when buying you better have a good attorney. It it was fixed and I was told about it I'd want to have assurance it was done right.
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Old 02-22-2021, 10:22 AM   #4
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I am not totally sure if this is normal for this particular RV. That is a good question that merits further investigation.

The goal is to get the vehicle sold in the most economically efficient way possible. The buyer will know the story with the floor either way.

It sounds like the soft floor is an issue for selling the RV so if it can be done at a reasonable cost in a defensible way, it sounds like it would be best to get it fixed before selling.
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Old 02-22-2021, 08:14 PM   #5
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Those floors are built with joists that are too far apart relying on the foam to add rigidity. In high traffic areas the foam compresses overtime creating the sponginess. The repairs can be extensive and expensive either by removing the floor and adding another joist or adding a top layer over the existing floor. If it’s not due to water damage it shouldn’t get much worse. I’d just sell it as is.
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Old 02-22-2021, 09:25 PM   #6
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If I walked in and the floor was soft I walk away. It it was fixed and I wasn't told about it when buying you better have a good attorney.
Guess you've never bought anything used and signed an "AS-IS-WHERE-IS" purchase document.
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Old 02-22-2021, 10:23 PM   #7
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If you can verify that water once leaked inside and damaged the subfloor but has since been repaired, or if you had a plumbing leak that has been repaired, or otherwise verify your floor was never water-damaged, I would remove all carpet and vinyl flooring, inspect all the subfloor making sure it is dry and not rotted, and then install a thick interlocking Pergo-type of floating floor over the top of your subfloor. That would not cost much if doing it yourself. The thick flooring would eliminate the soft feel of the "NOW DRY" flooring underneath. If the subfloor is rotted, I would replace the sections, then install a thinner/lighter Pergo floor over it.

A 2009 is not so old that it has lost all it's value, especially if the over-all condition of the rig is great. I would repair the subfloor, finish it off with Pergo or have a professional install nice carpeting, and sell it yourself to recover as much investment as possible. This spring will be an excellent time to sell due to COVID.

The alternative would be to trade in your rig when buying a new one.
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Old 02-22-2021, 11:00 PM   #8
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Trading to a dealer just makes the issue someone else's problem without any hope of looking them in the face and telling them about the problem.

As for fixing the subfloor, if it is not water damage from an active leak, then your easiest route to stiffen up the subfloor will be with a liquid epoxy product. You mix the two halves together in a pail and pour it generously onto the area that needs attention - it soaks in and when it cures.... You have a flooring made of what feels like concrete. Even on spongy wood, this is the way to end up with a VERY strong fiber-filled resin floor that can be covered up with anything you'd like. I had several leak-damaged areas of the subfloor in my coach and with the epoxy now, walking on it is solid as a rock. The leaks have obviously been fixed but to replace those sections of sub-flooring would have been a monumental task.

This epoxy method is used with products like "Git-rot" and in the marine industry to great results, epoxy by itself may not be strong enough to support walking, but when it has fibers in it (wood fibers, even damaged wood) the result is stronger than fiberglass - which is the same concept. Home Depot sells two different products in the wood staining section, Glaze Coat is one and I cannot remember the other. They are warned against using as a flooring, but that is for a TOP layer b/c they end with a gloss coat and would be slippery. But for a subfloor, there is no issue.
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Old 02-23-2021, 07:36 AM   #9
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Trading to a dealer just makes the issue someone else's problem without any hope of looking them in the face and telling them about the problem.

As for fixing the subfloor, if it is not water damage from an active leak, then your easiest route to stiffen up the subfloor will be with a liquid epoxy product. You mix the two halves together in a pail and pour it generously onto the area that needs attention - it soaks in and when it cures.... You have a flooring made of what feels like concrete. Even on spongy wood, this is the way to end up with a VERY strong fiber-filled resin floor that can be covered up with anything you'd like. I had several leak-damaged areas of the subfloor in my coach and with the epoxy now, walking on it is solid as a rock. The leaks have obviously been fixed but to replace those sections of sub-flooring would have been a monumental task.

This epoxy method is used with products like "Git-rot" and in the marine industry to great results, epoxy by itself may not be strong enough to support walking, but when it has fibers in it (wood fibers, even damaged wood) the result is stronger than fiberglass - which is the same concept. Home Depot sells two different products in the wood staining section, Glaze Coat is one and I cannot remember the other. They are warned against using as a flooring, but that is for a TOP layer b/c they end with a gloss coat and would be slippery. But for a subfloor, there is no issue.
I never heard of the product, but it sounds great, ideal for the situation. Thanks for sharing that.
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Old 02-23-2021, 07:44 AM   #10
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If I walked in and the floor was soft I walk away...

That would be me too.


Fix it and be done.
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Old 02-23-2021, 08:16 AM   #11
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i have repaired many delam walls, floors, and ceilings. from a spot, to a whole roof.
there is not an issue as long as the coach is sold as-is, and the coach is over ten years. this is beyond any warranties issued by mfg’s. so its up to both parties to be watchful and the buyer to be diligent in his inspection of the coach.
its up to the seller being honest, and the buyer being savvy when inspecting the coach.
if the repair is done right, and has no issues, it should not deter a buyer from purchasing the coach.
i have been on both sides of this issue. i myself would be please that the problem was repaired instead of concealed, even if the seller is not being transparent behind the as-is-where-is notation on the sale.
this is a matter of integrity. do you fix it, or do you conceal it. the third option is to make the buyer aware of the problem.
this is a sticky subject. both buyers and sellers get offended when either isnt being forthright about defects. the buyer might exaggerate the cost of the prospective repair to drop the price, and the seller says a little duct tape is all that is needed.
the truth may be in the middle.
last word, is that if either doesnt like the price, or results, walk away. there are thousands of coaches for sale. dont let your desire to have a specific coach get in the way of being totally satisfied with your purchase.
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Old 02-23-2021, 02:57 PM   #12
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I never heard of the product, but it sounds great, ideal for the situation. Thanks for sharing that.
I've used Git-Rot on boats to repair bulkheads , decks and transoms . It is amazing stuff .

You do need to be aware it does not have the same viscosity as most epoxies .

Plus -

- The product has the consistency of water .

- This allows it to flow into the fibers of the wood .

- Can be applied to wet wood , no need to dry before application .

- Low odor compared to most epoxies .

Minus -

- The consistency also allows it to leak if it soaks completely through the substrate .

- Need to drill ( 1/4" bit works good ) into the damaged / rotted area but NOT THROUGH THE FLOOR in a grid pattern about 2" on center. This allows better penetration .

- Need to apply in steps . Pour it on and it will soak in . Fill the drill holes to the top and then let it drain into the wood . Refill the holes and let it drain and settle again. Repeat the process until the holes stay full and don't drain down.

It is a bit of work , but the repair is considered structurally sound and is an approved repair in the marine industry and the building industry for repairing architectural wood damaged by rot.
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Old 02-23-2021, 06:15 PM   #13
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I used Glaze Coat (or the other one that I can't remember) rather than Git-rot b/c I didn't want something QUITE so thin as water - the hope I had was that it wouldn't run through and find any gaps to escape from.... In practice that didn't work quite as I had planned and I ended up with some epoxy drips on my front tire (on the tread so that has worn off) and inside one of my bays where it joined the coils of an extension cord together. Oops. At least the stuff didn't really bond well with the cord so I could get it off later.

The Glaze Coat product is about as thick as maple syrup and didn't have any problems saturating through the damaged spongy OSB that my subfloor was made from - no drilling needed.

I ended up using probably around a gallon of it, partly b/c I made the (stupid in hindsight) attempt to extract and remove a sizable section of the damaged subfloor before I got the bright idea to just let the epoxy soak into it and lock it back together. Sometimes me dumb gorilla. It did not attack the foamboard that my sub-subfloor was made from, and gaffer tape made an acceptable edge seal for areas I didn't want the epoxy to flow into. It is self-leveling so DO try to ensure that your coach floor is as level as you can get it before you do this, and the results should come out great.
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Old 02-24-2021, 11:14 AM   #14
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I've used Git-Rot on boats to repair bulkheads , decks and transoms . It is amazing stuff .

You do need to be aware it does not have the same viscosity as most epoxies .

Plus -

- The product has the consistency of water .

- This allows it to flow into the fibers of the wood .

- Can be applied to wet wood , no need to dry before application .

- Low odor compared to most epoxies .

Minus -

- The consistency also allows it to leak if it soaks completely through the substrate .

- Need to drill ( 1/4" bit works good ) into the damaged / rotted area but NOT THROUGH THE FLOOR in a grid pattern about 2" on center. This allows better penetration .

- Need to apply in steps . Pour it on and it will soak in . Fill the drill holes to the top and then let it drain into the wood . Refill the holes and let it drain and settle again. Repeat the process until the holes stay full and don't drain down.

It is a bit of work , but the repair is considered structurally sound and is an approved repair in the marine industry and the building industry for repairing architectural wood damaged by rot.

I forgot to mention one thing .

If you take the Git-Rot and mix it with saw dust and wood shavings it makes the best wood putty . So it you have a section of floor or wall that has completely deteriorated simply scrape out the bad material down to good wood . Brush on the Git-Rot epoxy over the good substrate and then apply the Git-Rot wood putty and fill to flush with the adjacent surfaces.

I've repaired boat transoms where I had to remove the transom plywood all the way down to the backside of the fiberglas skin. Did the repair as described above and many years later has continued to structurally support the transom .

Remember , that to get a structural repair the wood needs to be saturated all the way through in order to achieve the original design strength.
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