Delamination Repair - DIY help

[frogblossum]

The back moulding seal separated from the corner and the air conditioning water has caused delamation of about a foot down the back of the rv. I asked a very helpful rv mechanic what it would take and he told me how to repair it, or I can take it in for the tune of over a thousand dollars ($100 per hour labor).

Has anyone actually repaired their own delamination? How he described it doesn't seem that hard. I figure worse case is that I get it started and can't finish - then I take it it.

Any words of wisdom?

Thanks,

Ellen

[Herk7769]

I would not tackle a job like that.

I would be on the phone to the factory for a repair appointment.

[sherdep]

Am very surprised Herk didnt ask this one - Shameless plug for year and model trailer?

are you the 1st or second owner? Could it be covered under warranty?

how about some pictures of the Delamination

[LadyWindrider]

From the original post, "I asked a very helpful rv mechanic what it would take and he told me how to repair it," What did he prescribe? Might explain the the process he recommended. Inquiring minds want to know.

[padave65]

Something that size...I would not try myself. Talk to a boat repair person...I would guess it would cost around 600

[frogblossum]

Here goes:

It's a '06 5th Wheel Wildcat and our first Rv experience. 2nd owner but we bought it through a crooked dealer and I won't go into detail about all we've learned about what to look for when buying a used trailer!

The mechanic said:
Unscrew and pull caulk off of the moulding pieces surrounding the area of delamination.

*carefully* peal the laminate from the rotted wood making sure not to break the laminate

Take a knife, score and cut out the rotted wood leaving just the foam.

Re-cut more plywood to replace the old rotting plywood

Use the proper adhesive for wood to foam (I can't remember what he
suggested but I was going to get some at his shop when I'm ready)

Clamp it (I'm going to use the building it's parked next to with a carpeted board and some wedge length boards (going to try it out before I start this whole thing to make sure I get proper pressure)

Once that's ready use a contact cement type adhesive to put the laminate back on the wood. Re-clamp.

Screw in the moulding and re-caulk.

Sounds easy, right?

[youroo]

About as easy as , rebuild a V8 engine,remove crankshaft,remove pistons,replace all bearings & seals, easy isnt it! Youroo!!

[Herk7769]

If you do try this, let us know how it turns out. Wear a respirator as that much contact cement will make you goofy. (Fumes are highly flammable and in higher concentrations are explosive too)

You will get ONE shot at bonding that laminate.
Then it is a wall replacement.

[frogblossum]

My neighbor and friend is a Jack of all Trades. He's going to help (do it for) me. We're going to practice on his old junker rv he's converting to a Mardi Gras float!

Will let you know!

[buzzards27]

Originally Posted by frogblossum

Here goes:

It's a '06 5th Wheel Wildcat and our first Rv experience. 2nd owner but we bought it through a crooked dealer and I won't go into detail about all we've learned about what to look for when buying a used trailer!

The mechanic said:
Unscrew and pull caulk off of the moulding pieces surrounding the area of delamination.

*carefully* peal the laminate from the rotted wood making sure not to break the laminate

Take a knife, score and cut out the rotted wood leaving just the foam.

Re-cut more plywood to replace the old rotting plywood

Use the proper adhesive for wood to foam (I can't remember what he
suggested but I was going to get some at his shop when I'm ready)

Clamp it (I'm going to use the building it's parked next to with a carpeted board and some wedge length boards (going to try it out before I start this whole thing to make sure I get proper pressure)

Once that's ready use a contact cement type adhesive to put the laminate back on the wood. Re-clamp.

Screw in the moulding and re-caulk.

Sounds easy, right?

Two things I might suggest, I'd use something like a rubber mat instead of carpet. Imho, carpet might give you a wavy finish. Back that up with plywood, just thick enough to bend to the contour you need.

If you can, I'd dowel the old wood to the new wood pieces, using a good quality exterior wood glue.

Good luck, hope you take plenty of photos.

[frogblossum]

Well, we did it and it looks great! Was not as hard and I thought it would be although at first it was a little daunting. The worst part is the amount of rot there is on the back part of the rv. I'm guessing but it looks like the moisture has dripped nearly every morning from the top of the rv down the back corners and into the screw holes holding the moulding on?

We did mostly just like the mechanic described except that we couldn't find a piece of 1/8" plywood - so I bought a piece of 1/8' paneling and sanded the paper covering off of the one side leaving the porous wood.

The bad news is that we discovered the entire back part is delaminating as well - but if I tackle that job it's gonna have to wait until fall because the Texas sun is tiresome!

Unless you looked hard, you really can't tell where we worked on it. The laminate is a little "stretched" right at the point where we pulled it back as far as we needed but other than that, no bubbles or waves.

Tomorrow I'll re-caulk and hopefully we'll be done with that project for a while!

[backin15]

Pictures?

[sherdep]

Originally Posted by backin15

Pictures?

X2 I wouldnt mind seeing pictures as well - if you had before and after that would be nice too

[frogblossum]

I didn't have my camera and had to use my phone so I only have 3 pics. What we did was the best we could do. I'm very happy with the results - however, I know there are major repairs in the trailers future now that we opened her up. Other than completely replacing the foam and laminate, I think this was a pretty good fix but time will tell. One other thing we had to do was put 3 inch self tapping screws into the frame to get the back laminate to stay put since that board is so rotted at the top and bottom...here are the pics.