07 Surveyor Soft Floor Replacement Advice

[woodya]

Hello

My girlfriend and I found a good deal on a 2007 surveyor m291. Everything looks good except the floor. There is a 2 foot long soft spot in the floor. I was thinking of fixing it by cutting the floor open and using 1/4 or 1/2 inch pretreated plywood. Any advice? What should I expect? I've not worked on a camper before. I have some handy skills tho. The dealer said cutting the soft spot out would be easier then dropping the tanks and going from below. I looked at the roof, looks good. I'm 250lbs will it support my weight to walk on? Is there some type of sealer I can paint on the roof? I just want to make sure it water tight.

[Livin the Life]

That good price ???? is because of that floor and it better be a VERY good price. To properly fix, the entire floor must be replaced and is a VERY expensive job. The floor is a "laminated" floor of foam sandwiched between two very thin pieces of plywood and the whole floor is one piece front to back, side to side. Cutting into it to repair is NOT advised by Forest River. That dealer should know better than to advise you of that. He's trying to move that RV out of his lot. Unless of course it's a "REALLY GOOD PRICE". Search this forum on "soft floors" and you will find a few ways owners have "fixed" this problem with some good results. Some ideas are easier than others and you need to decide if it's worth your time and effort to fix. This problem does not get better, only worse.
You also don't know if this situation was only the flooring issue or an even worse situation caused by water intrusion somewhere that may or may not have been fixed.
Spend more time researching this issue so you know what you are getting into.
Just my opinion on reading up on this to try to fix my soft floor issue.

[wraenking]

I personally stay away from dealers at least here in jersey. I got a great condition 2007 roo 21ss for half yes half what the dealer wanted on one with water damage on the bunk ends. I say keep looking

[NoviBill]

I had a similar issue with a Trail-lite, my first advice matches Livin the Life - RUN!

If you want a guess as to what a repair would entail take a look here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cdrdwd...57627084950665

The floor is an integral part of the entire camper structure and needs to be done with care. Also you will need to root cause the problem, if it's water you will need to look for mold and remove it.

[woodya]

They want $5000 for it. I see them selling for 9k. Is there a manual or schematic available? So I can get an idea of what needs to be done properly.

[vinmaker]

I agree. A soft floor usually totals a trailer. the cost to fix properly costs more than the unit. The seller most likely got paid ACV for the unit and then bought it for about $2,000 salvage price then put it up for sale to hopefully get more than the $2,000 they paid.

You bought it and can easily fix it from above if you do not care too much about the tile matching. Most people cut out the bad wood and replace with new wood. Then use stick on tiles to re-tile the floor. It will function as a floor.

Good luck.

Vin.

[Livin the Life]

Yes, you can make cosmetic "fixes" but it would not be done properly. NoviBill is correct that the floor is an integral part of the entire camper structure. It cannot be taken up in a piecemeal fashion and repaired as in a home flooring structure. My local dealer, nor any dealer for that fact, has the equipment to properly fix the soft floor issue. Any soft floor issue, under warranty, is sent back to the factory and taken apart and the whole floor is removed and a new whole floor is put in. They have the equipment to do this and it is cheaper for them to do this, under warranty, than to, of course, replace the whole unit. To do this on your own, without the benefit of warranty, would require you paying for getting your unit to the factory, parts and labor for removing the old floor, cost of the new floor, plus other parts needed, labor for installing the new floor and putting the whole thing back together. Now it can be done this way properly as you say. A few thousand dollars later with a new floor and you still don't know the actual cause and maybe it was a water leak somewhere and then your back in the same boat. Not a job for a do it yourself-er.
Except........as I said above, there are other older discussions on this forum where people have welded bracing underneath the frame and or put down thin, (3/8 in if I remember correctly), laminate flooring to spread the walking load and found some success in their cases. You would have to judge for yourself if that would help in your situation. I will look for these older discussions and post when I find them to help you decide. I don't mean to run on but I wish I heard of this forum BEFORE I made my purchase as there is a treasure trove of sad/bad luck stories as well as great stories about the RV life.

[Livin the Life]

Here are a few discussions on the subject, give them a look and there are many more out there with pictures as well.


http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...oor-29420.html

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...oor-55239.html

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...oor-57244.html

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ors-30025.html

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ent-24285.html

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by woodya

Is there a manual or schematic available? So I can get an idea of what needs to be done properly.

No

[simonsays]

Hello i have a 2000 Forest River Flagstaff with the same foam "waferboard" floor construction and im a larger guy so the floor started getting soft and i successfully repaired the floor 4 years ago using 1/2 inch Birch Plywood with the plywood glued down directly on top of existing floor lengthwise front to back of trailer glued down with PL Premium (Birch plywood is lighter and is sturdier with more layers) make sure all edges are tight fit and make seams on crossmembers away from main traffic spots and i removed and re-installed a new ceramic RV toilet on top of the plywood and had to add a new rubber seal. I then glued down some Laminate flooring again lengthwise front to back and glued down with Pl Premium with all edges tight as possible. I then had to trim the bottom edge of the bathroom door and bottom of drawers under the dinette as well as straighten the aluminum trim by the outside door and re-install. Then i added new wall trim on top of the floor all around the edges where possible. This floor is now quite sturdy and im sure will last

[Ford Idaho]

If you have not signed anything yet my suggestion is to not walk away but run away, and do it as quick as you can!

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by woodya

Hello

My girlfriend and I found a good deal on a 2007 surveyor m291. Everything looks good except the floor. There is a 2 foot long soft spot in the floor. I was thinking of fixing it by cutting the floor open and using 1/4 or 1/2 inch pretreated plywood. Any advice? What should I expect? I've not worked on a camper before. I have some handy skills tho. The dealer said cutting the soft spot out would be easier then dropping the tanks and going from below. I looked at the roof, looks good. I'm 250lbs will it support my weight to walk on? Is there some type of sealer I can paint on the roof? I just want to make sure it water tight.

Floors are tricky, if you can drop the bottom and see what the floor joists look like and the distance between. A lot of soft areas happen because they cut a register in and do not frame it. It could be simple but could also be a nightmare. I wouldn't walk until I seen what was under it.....

[hillsdaletc]

Most, not all laminated floors are caused by the bead style styrofoam like styrofoam cups, breaking down and getting soft. Usually breaks down in high traffic area. Mfrs. should use polystyrene , it is much more durable and or put floor joists closer than 48" apart.

[woodya]

Thank you for all the advice. I appreciate everyone's opinion.

[brownie289]

Is the floor soft from water damage? There must be a reason for it.
How soft is it? They don't feel rock hard anyway.