Soft / spongy floor in doorway and repair ideas...

[eprovenzano]

Purchased the camper in the fall of 2016. Used it several times in 2017. Very happy with the fit an finish. Prior to purchasing camper I researched and saw some potential issues with soft / spongy floors due to water infiltration. The unit I purchased the floors were solid, no water issues. I did see the flooring was slightly bubbled just inside of the door, as if the adhesive had come loose. Its only 3" inside the door and was the length of the door and I assumed it was just from people walking in an out of the door and the floor flexing.

When I uncovered the camper this year, I noticed it was a little spongy in that same area. I started looking into the problem and I think I found the the issue... It's not water getting in from above, but I think it's moisture from below. There's a metal brace that's part of the steps (1" wide strip of steel) that's directly below the flooring that's soft. I think moisture has been wicking up from the the metal brace causing the flooring to get soft in that area.

I've been debating different repairs... but one I'm leaning towards is removing the steps to gain access from below. (I hope I can unbolt them) Carefully cut the fabric so I can reattach after the repair. Cut out a section of the bottom part of the floor sandwich including the foam but leaving the top floor plywood floor intact. I would then fill in the opening with solid wood (treated lumber). Inside the door there's a cabinet on each side which would allow me to use screws to secure the solid wood to the underside of the cabinets and tight to the under side of the floor. I'd also use construction adhesive to permanently secure the repair to the underside of the plywood floor. When I reattach the steps the steel bracing would then be directly under the replacement wood as well. Of course I'd patch / repair the fabric to keep water out.

I'm thinking this repair would be as strong as I can possibly make it without removing the interior flooring and cabinets which I'm trying to avoid. Any thoughts / suggestions...

[youroo]

If this is your 2013 unit with "Sandwich Floor" I think you will find the Plywood is just Luan about 3/16! Working from the bottom will be a challenge! Good luck! Youroo!!

[eprovenzano]

I agree the repair is going to be a pain in the arse. Before I cut into it, I need to make sure the steps can be unbolted. If they can, I'll take a weekend to complete the repair.

I'll make sure to take lots of pics along the way.,

[eprovenzano]

the steps can be unbolted, so that makes it a little easier. A friend that looked at it suggested going in from above. Cutting the floor along the cabinets and peeling it back, then cutting out the soft area, replace with solid wood (screwing it into the cabinet framing), glueing the floor as if nothing was done. I'm still torn as to my method of attack (top or bottom) I'm still leaning working from below so the repair can't be seen from inside the camper.

Again peeling back the protective membrane, cutting out the soft area, replace with solid wood by securing it into the cabinet bases. build out thickness of repair to match existing floor. Repair protective membrane and remount steps.

Simple project...

[NSNewbie]

We bought a hybrid this year and the guy we bought from said the door latch area is also a great spot for water to get in and rot out the floor. He put caulking in there to prevent water getting in. Made sense to me.

[eprovenzano]

That makes sense to me too... when I purchased the camper the PO could not find the door key. I removed the latch to access the key code. I’ll caulk the latch as you’ve suggested

Thanks

[ibnub]

I had this problem as well. Water got under the flooring delaminated the bond and ruined the luan. There is little hope a small repair will prevent further damage.

After lots of reading I decided to install a new floor on top of the damaged one.

I removed all the interior cabinets and anything else installed onto the floor including the toilet. Then I used a sharp blade to cut out the flooring in one piece, installed 5/8 tongue and groove plywood (screwed through the old floor and into the frame and cross members, then a 1/4 plywood underlay, and the flooring on top, glued to the underlay. I used latex caulking to seal it and covered the edges with trim. I had to install a new threshold at the door to cover the exposed edge of the raised floor. The results exceeded my expectations. The floor is rock solid now.

I would never buy a trailer with this type of floor again. FR has since switched the floors to, you guessed it, 5/8 tongue and groove! At least in the Roos...

[eprovenzano]

After returning from a week long trip to Myrtle Beach, I knew I had to dig into the floor... Yes I found a bad design, but also a floor that needs fixed. I cut back the flooring, and then dug into the we plywood.

The 1st pic is with the floor pulled back and the 1st layer of plywood cut out.
The 2nd pic is wit the 1st part of the plywood removed down to the foam.
the 3rd pic is all of the wet plywood removed.
the 4th pic is with the foam removed, as I want to put a 2x12 in-place of the foam. The board will go under the dinette on the left and the cabinet on the right. I'll be able to fasten the 2x12 to the wall of the dinette and to the base of the cabinet.

I'm working on drying the bottom section of the floor before any repairs are made. I "think" the water may be coming in from the awning mounts. It's raining new so I'm looking for a leak before continuing the repair

[bonharbor]

Originally Posted by eprovenzano

After returning from a week long trip to Myrtle Beach, I knew I had to dig into the floor... Yes I found a bad design, but also a floor that needs fixed. I cut back the flooring, and then dug into the we plywood.

The 1st pic is with the floor pulled back and the 1st layer of plywood cut out.
The 2nd pic is wit the 1st part of the plywood removed down to the foam.
the 3rd pic is all of the wet plywood removed.
the 4th pic is with the foam removed, as I want to put a 2x12 in-place of the foam. The board will go under the dinette on the left and the cabinet on the right. I'll be able to fasten the 2x12 to the wall of the dinette and to the base of the cabinet.

I'm working on drying the bottom section of the floor before any repairs are made. I "think" the water may be coming in from the awning mounts. It's raining new so I'm looking for a leak before continuing the repair

I suspect mine looks similar to this and is the main reason why my steps pulled away from the shell. Did your steps sag ? Mine only had 4 bolts holding it to the underside and no support to the frame.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Forest River Forums mobile app

[eprovenzano]

I believe mine are bolted the to framing under the camper, and to not affect the outside molding. I'll check tonight to confirm

I dug through the rest of the plywood down to the fabric. Everything is drying out. One good thing... There are two metal supports which my repair will lie on... this along with the repair being attached it the cabinet and dinette will make this section much stronger then when the camper was built.

[eprovenzano]

In my effort to find the source of the water I 1st looked at the exterior hatch just north of the door. The seals are good, and everything there looks good. I'm now suspecting its the awning. The awning is just in front of the door. I'm going to pull every screw (one at a time), reseal and reinsert the screw. I'm also going to caulk the bottom seam at the floor. In fact... this will be a good time to re-caulk several area, just as a precaution for water infiltration.

When I stored the camper last winter, I set it nose down, and the pad it was on caused the camper to lean towards the door. I noticed the soft floor when I opened the camper in the spring. I'm thinking water is getting in from the awning finding the lowest point (weakest point in front of the door) which is compounding the the poor design.

[eprovenzano]

I was able to make the patch / repair. I put two shingles down and then finessed the 2x12 into place. I was able to secure the 2x12 to the cabinet and dinette. Once I install the 1/4 plywood and the glue down the flooring, it will be better than new.

[eprovenzano]

I went to the local lumber store and bought a 2’ x 4’ piece of finished plywood. I cut and sanded it and she slipped into place... (well with a lot of finesse...but it went into place). The plywood was glued into place, and the seam caulked. After waiting overnight the floor was glued down. I’m very happy with the results. As I hoped it’s stronger than new, and it’s hard to tell I pulled the floor back

[youroo]

What condition was the Floor under the Door? The Original Floor sits on the Frame to Support the Door! I find it hard to believe the Water Damage Stopped before going under the Main Door area! Youroo!!

[eprovenzano]

It was damaged as well. The repair tied into the door to shore everything up. She’s strong now.

[NSNewbie]

Originally Posted by eprovenzano

It was damaged as well. The repair tied into the door to shore everything up. She’s strong now.

Your repair job looks great

[eprovenzano]

Now it’s rume to go after how the water got in... I was advised to look at the awning. So I opened up the awning, wiry plans to remove one screw at a time caulk the opening and reinsert the screw. I 1st removed the cover over the power cord... what I see is a5/8” hole with the awning’s power cord going through it... no caulking, nothing but an open hole. I’m sure the waster was following the cord into the camper... Well I filled the hole and refilled all the screw holes

[eprovenzano]

Not the best pics but here’s before and after. The repair isn’t pretty, but it will keep the water out

[AlbertaRose]

So it looks like I have a similar issue but it was the ice tray in the outdoor fridge melting while travelling that rotted the floor! Bad design! How did you get the vinyl floor off in one piece? I need to do the bathroom and hallway. Same crappy floor design with very thin plywood (not treated) and Styrofoam. You can see it bulging underneath the trailer (and of course it is right where the tanks are!). I was considering metal plates and bracing from underneath but not sure it would fix the soft spot? Pretty brutal design and you can't even contact Forest River. I bought it as a new bankruptcy (only used twice) but the warranty does not transfer. Seems like a defective design to me! Any ideas so I don't have to do the whole floor? I have a slide so that seems like a tough job. Thanks!

[eprovenzano]

I carefully the floor along the cabinets then used a scrapper to losen the floor from the plywood. Take your time, go slow... you can do this