Bedroom Floor Rot Help Please

[Enigma]

2015 Sliverback 29RE

Hello, I am trying to assess this situation that I have. When I first bought this trailer I had noticed a stain underneath the bedroom slide out, couldn't ever notice it really being soft though, we've gotten deluged this year and I can tell the very corner of the bottom is soft and that a couple of the carriage bolts going through to the slide anchor have sunk into the OSB board.

It seems like I have that same ole leak everybody seems to get at the bottom trim of the slide out (I cannot believe that RV manufacturers get away with such a stupid problem). I BELIEVE I have now sealed it up as much as can be and so hopefully this won't continue.

Doing some investigating today I have pulled up the carpet to see if I could see the problem inside. Pictures are here:





To show what is happening, the very corner of the floor is where the water has gotten in to the most and so the moisture has made it through the floor and that is where it is starting to rot, its soft on the bottom, not as much inside in the corner but is wet and obviously discolored, starting to rot. This seems to be where the water gets in and then runs down the rest of the seam it looks like. The wood inside where the carriage bolts doesn't look that bad, it obviously seems to start on the outside and just slowly seep inwards.

What I'm trying to figure out is just how urgent is this situation? I have a heater in there right now trying to dry that corner wood out, and hopefully I have it where no more water can get in. Trying to figure out if there is anything else I can do to prolong this, I am full time and in the middle of a pretty large trip and don't have a lengthy stop planned for at least another month, and I don't have the money to pay 3-5k for somebody to repair this, so I'll probably have to do it myself if it comes to that.

Would a wood hardener still be an option at this point? Or am I too far gone for that? What about for at least just the next 6 months?

Thank you!

[tomkatb]

Mine sort of delaminated and the slide would not extend correctly.

Mine was replaced by A quality repair place. Under 2K as I remember.

Due to its size they used a new experimental plastic floor.

With two fellows with some skills it is doable.

[Enigma]

Thanks for the response. Yeah if the job ends up having to be done then I would love to replace it with something thats more robust than this OSB just in case.

I talked to a guy up in Maine which is where I'm headed who said it would be about 1200 or so so not as bad as I feared. However, I just got back from the hardware store and was going to see if using this wood hardener on it would be something that could hold off repair or stop me from needing it. Obviously I'd rather have good solid flooring and NO rot or water intrusion but I JUST got finished with several thousand in solar installation.

At the moment I'm still waiting to be convinced that the osb board is entirely dry before attempting this hardener.

[Aussieguy]

you can probably use a penetrating epoxy (real thin epoxy soaks into the wood then hardens)

BUT you have to stop the water getting in there .... fix the underlying problem first

epoxy you can get from marine store or order online...
epoxy has a much better strength rating + you can add a layer or two of glass matting after the soaking treatment..
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a good repair will last for a long while and you may not have to replace floor for a LONG time
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I always try and tilt the rv so water wont run into the slide when it is open
ONLY got one slide so tilting works better.

[Enigma]

Yes, I have taken sealant all over the outside trim that is usually where the water on these slides gets in. I'd be surprised if water could get in now as I overdid it as much as possible. I'm drying out the wood as best I can with a space heater blowing on the area for a couple of days. I have the Minwax wood hardener that I'm going to try for it first to see if I feel confident that it will maybe make this issue not something that will continue to get worse.

[Mookie58]

I agree on the wood hardener. Once you're sure the floor is as dry as you can get it, use a wire brush to remove as much of the black junk as you can and get the hardener on it. You've done the work of sealing up the leak, so this seems like a good first approach. It could last for a few years if the leak is gone.

[Aussieguy]

Epoxy is structural use to fix bridges and boats
tested and reliable

use any other product at your risk... if it fails you will not be able to use epoxy as a second try
you be cutting out the board

[D W]

The first thing is to correct the water intrusion and then abate what appears to black mold.

[Reverse_snowbird]

Read the instructions on the wood hardener. Most don't recommend use on plywood or OSB.
You might be better off with the epoxy recommended by AussieGuy.

[Enigma]

Hmm... there doesn't seem to be any warnings against plywood or OSB... but I'm definitely trying to listen to people here as I am in a world where I have NO experience. Only good things is I'm dedicated to making sure this wood is dry so I haven't done anything yet cause I'm trying to give it plenty of time for any and all moisture to work its way out.

And yes, I will be scrubbing down the outside of it before applying anything... I guess I need to do some research on the penetrating epoxy... So many people seemed to love the wood hardeners.

I dunno.

[dalford]

I had the same issue in my 2016 33IK. I had the floor replaced by Orvan in Indiana. The rv was a little over a year old.

He said the leak came from the lack of good sealing around the decorative trim around the base of the slide on the outside.

The seal is above eye level so easy to overlook. In the pic below it is at the top of the band across the bottom of the bedroom slide

[Enigma]

Originally Posted by dalford

I had the same issue in my 2016 33IK. I had the floor replaced by Orvan in Indiana. The rv was a little over a year old.

Yes thank you. I've read through your posts actually. Yours and some others is how I knew where to make the extra effort on sealing. I've sealed seam I can find in the area and especially around that corner as good as I possibly can.

[dalford]

Originally Posted by Enigma

Yes thank you. I've read through your posts actually. Yours and some others is how I knew where to make the extra effort on sealing. I've sealed seam I can find in the area and especially around that corner as good as I possibly can.

Great, also when the bedroom slide is out there is a a strip about 1/2” wide that runs the length of the slide at the bottom. It is held in place with screws. Just make sure there is butyl tape behind this to keep water out.

My 33IK has a cathedral ceiling on the bedroom slide so all rain runs down the sides. I was ok on the bedroom but Orvan found that my main slide in the living area did not have the butyl tape. Just something else to be aware of.

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