Not So Pretty Woodworking Project

[JEBar]

our camper was built during October of '05 .... since then it has bounced down tens of thousands of miles of highways, taking us through all of the continental 48 states .... with any recreational vehicle, ongoing maintenance and repairs are a fact of life .... the more/harder they are used, the more important maintenance becomes .... today's repair effort centered on taking care of water damage to the edge of the camper's bedroom slide floor ... pictures 1 & 2 show the water damage ..... picture 3 shows the separations filled with wood glue to the point it was running out (uses a turkey hypodermic to force the glue deep into the openings) .... the last three pictures show the way I rigged up a way to press the separations back together .... in the last picture a dark section can be seen on the left .... using a different turkey hypodermic, hardener forced into the area in a hope of saturating it .... this is the first time I've used hardener and I must say I've been pleasantly surprised .... it has gone from feeling spongy to very hard .... my plan is to force more hardener into the area several times tomorrow in the hope of not missing any areas with decay ..... once this process is complete, I plan to saturate the exposed edge of the plyboard with a Thompson's Water Seal type product .... sometime during the week after Christmas we hope to spend a good bit of time and effort to ensure that the area is sealed to prevent future water penetration ... pictures will be added as this project continues

[BrokenolMarine]

This is outside my area of expertise, but i'll be watching... I am always interested in new projects.
Good luck.

[JEBar]

the weather forecast for the next week in our area has undergone a major downturn ... rain is now in the forecast on 3 days between now and Christmas .... the picture below is of the other end of the slideout shown in post 1 .... when we finish the repairs it should look something like the one below .... we are going to use some aluminum sealant tape as an added layer of protection from moisture penetration .... as soon as it warms up a bit I plan to go back out today an pump more hardener .... with rain due to move in late this afternoon we will pull the slide in .... our goal is to finish up on Thursday morning

[GFK]

I would probably try some all weather silicone sealant as well. I put some on my used to be waterproof boots were the sole had pulled away from the boot. So far, so good. The boots are about 12 years old. Yes, I could have replaced them. But, they are in fairly good shape. And for a couple of dollars, I can have a set of boots to play in the yard or woods with. If not, I will probably spend the $100 or so to replace them.

[JEBar]

3 coats of Behr white water proofing

[GFK]

Looks nice!

[JEBar]

project completed .... I can't thank forum member and good friend Mike (eldermike) enough for lending his knowledge and support .... step 1 was to dry out the affected area .... step 2 repair separated and deteriorated with with water repellent glue and wood hardener .... step 3 was to put in place as many layers of different water proofing as possible .... those layers include liberal applications of Behr waterproofing, layered applications of aluminizedtape, a fabricated "L" bracket made from chimney flashing, and silicone .... thankfully, no rain due until Saturday so the various adhesives, stain, and silicone will have plenty of time to setup

[GFK]

That should do the trick!

[JEBar]

That should do the trick!

we most certainly hope so ..

[Sir Henry]

The joys of owning an RV. Looks like you mastered the repair.

[JEBar]

The joys of owning an RV. Looks like you mastered the repair.

there is little doubt that mastered might be a bit too strong of a term .. .. we've managed to travel in our camper in all of the lower 48 states .... the vast, vast majority of the miles have been good (fun even) and trouble free .... but, there have been a few times that issues surfaced and had to be taken care of .... rain is due to set in tonight and hang around for most of tomorrow .... if this rain front develops as forecasted, we should have some idea as to if the repair performs as well as we hope

[BrokenolMarine]

It looks good to me, and I'm sure at a lot less than any major rv repair facility would have charged and with more care than most would have taken in the repair. Your turnaround was likely quicker as well.

[JEBar]

you are correct on all points .... my second career was working in an RV Dealership .... no way I will take my camper in for work if there is any way I can avoid it

[BrokenolMarine]

A buddy I worked with was a huge rv'r. Had a 5th wheel with the slide out room on the side nicer than some of the apts I rented when I was first married. Early in his career, he sold RVs. He said that at the shows, the often sold demos, and the prep crews that repaired the damage used mostly super glue behind the scenes. No trim nails, no wood glues, no replacing broken knobs... super glue.

[clovishound]

Well, as a woodturner, I have used a lot of super glue. I've repaired cracked turnings and used it with things like sawdust and coffee grounds to fill voids. Pen turners often use it it glue pen tubes inside blanks. It actually holds up pretty well. Biggest down side is it won't fill gaps well, and the smell.

[JEBar]

A buddy I worked with was a huge rv'r. Had a 5th wheel with the slide out room on the side nicer than some of the apts I rented when I was first married. Early in his career, he sold RVs. He said that at the shows, the often sold demos, and the prep crews that repaired the damage used mostly super glue behind the scenes. No trim nails, no wood glues, no replacing broken knobs... super glue.

one size most certainly doesn't fit all .... when it comes to the degree dealerships go to in making repairs varies widely .... given this isn't true in all cases, my observation/experience has been that the larger the dealership, the sorrier the service .... I wouldn't allow any Camping World to work on my camper unless I literally had no other option .... most smaller (mom and pop) dealerships stay in business through building a loyal following who come back time and again along with sending their friends and neighbors .... to earn that type of loyalty, they have to provide good service .... I also find that mobile techs recommended by a campground's personnel customarily give good service .... granted, that good service usually comes at a premium price ....

[BrokenolMarine]

That's what Fred told me... He had a "guy" that drove around in a Small truck with one of those pickup shells on the back that had drawers and cubbies and and mobile genny, air compressor and the works on it. Truck was as old as the old geezer was, but he KNEW more than most had forgotten, took all the Tech classes when the new models came out and did real Quality work. For David at least, his prices were actually lower than the BIG dealership, because he wasn't trying to pay for the fancy shops and showrooms. Sadly, my friend passed recently from a Brain Tumor, but with no regrets. He had flown in Bombers in the Air Force, Driven for Greyhound and Tour Bus companies all over the US, and then he and his wife saw the us from the Front of the 5th Wheel Dually as they visited the Grandkids and Great-Grandkids all around the country in a continuous loop... coming back to Virginia to relax, recoup, restock, repair, and start all over.

Fred said that the guys old truck was spotless, ran like a top and he knew where EVERYTHING was on the truck, never wasted one second looking for anything.