2018 Outback Floor Damage

[OutbackToy]

I have a 2018 Outback Toy Hauler with a squooshy floor problem. It apparently flooded inside from a plumbing issue at one point. The floor down the middle of the kitchen area is sinking about an inch and is spongy. I understand that the floor is made of foam and thin plywood. Has anyone ever replaced a floor like this?
Can you send pics of it?
Where can you buy the laminated panels that the floors are made of?

Any previous experience with this that you can share would be great.

Thanks,:facepalm:

[JRTJH]

That "squooshy floor" may not be from water damage. It could be from the way the floor is constructed and from the heat ducting that's molded into the Styrofoam sandwich floor. As for buying "floor panels", I don't know of anyone who sells the panel. It's constructed at Keystone to fit specific Lippert chassis models (1 piece flooring system) and once the sidewalls/interior walls/cabinets are installed on the floor, it's impossible to access the "entire floor system"...

So, I'd suspect you won't be able to find any floor panels available anywhere.

You can make your own from 1.5" rigid foam panels, available at any building supply store and sheets of 1/4" plywood/OSB.

If you do a forum search for topics like, "Sandwich floor", "laminated floor", "floor repair" you'll find a lot of information within the past couple of years from members who have had similar problems, photos of their damage and how they addressed the repairs.

Oh, and welcome to the forum.

[OutbackToy]

Is there any reason a person couldn't buy metal fenders at tractor supply and have them welded to the frame so the tires are covered and can't sling rocks and things up and damage the black fabric that provides the water barrier? They would of course, have to clear everything and not interfere with slide out movement. Am I crazy for thinking this might could work for the road spray issue I keep reading about?::confused::confused:

[OutbackToy]

I took your advice and researched floors.....wow, keystone has some issues with bullets and outbacks leaking in the fender area above the tires. I posted another post, but why not weld metal fenders over the tires like a utility trailer. They would sit under and behind all exterior fender skirts, and would stop most tire spray and rock throwing?

[CampNBrew2]

I took your advice and researched floors.....wow, keystone has some issues with bullets and outbacks leaking in the fender area above the tires. I posted another post, but why not weld metal fenders over the tires like a utility trailer. They would sit under and behind all exterior fender skirts, and would stop most tire spray and rock throwing?

I had the same thought- adding metal or plastic fenders. You would have to notch them for the frame-to-outer-wall supports but it seems doable to me and makes a lot of sense.

[OutbackToy]

I had the same thought- adding metal or plastic fenders. You would have to notch them for the frame-to-outer-wall supports but it seems doable to me and makes a lot of sense.
I'm going to take it by a fabrication shop and see what they feel they can do with it. I would like to find an aluminum fender to go in there and save the weight. Have you ever seen a trailer tire explode and the damage that it does? Having fenders under there are just a good idea anyway. A tire explosion would darn near total the camper if the floor of the camper is the closest thing to it when it goes. I like the HDPE that the other guy did. under there. i'm trying to figure out if he just caulked the edges or if he totally glued it up above the plastic as well.

[JRTJH]

I... i'm trying to figure out if he just caulked the edges or if he totally glued it up above the plastic as well.

If you're asking about the way I installed the HDPE in my wheelwells, I cut them to fit against the "steel members" in the wheelwell area. Each HDPE sheet fits between the outriggers and is screwed to the steel (from side to side/end to end) in each space, completely covering the DACOR fabric, exposing only vertical steel frame members. After screwing the HDPE sheets in place, there is no DACOR or wood exposed, only the vertical steel frame. I then caulked all of the edges of the HDPE with DICOR non-leveling sealant, further protecting the edges of the HDPE from water intrusion.

Essentially, I completely covered the entire wheelwell area (where the fabric DARCO is used) with HDPE sheeting and sealed the edges with waterproof sealant.

There is no visible DARCO in the wheelwells. All you see is HDPE, steel framework and sealant at all the places where those two materials join.

[wiredgeorge]

Dumb question but if water intrusion caused the soft floor and the OP fixed the basic water intrusion issue, why would you want to use styrofoam and sandwich between plywood? Wouldn't it make sense to buy pressure treated 1/2" plywood and install it directly? Maybe thicker IF cabinets/appliances and door would work with thicker?

[CampNBrew2]

John,
How has the Dicor-to-HDPE seal held up over time? I know HDPE is slick stuff that adhesive does not adhere to well. Dicor is good, sticky stuff so hopefully it is the answer.

[JRTJH]

Chris,

I used an angle grinder with a wire brush wheel and roughed up the edges (about 1" out from the actual cut edges) on the HDPE. You could do the same thing with a wire brush or with a sander and rough emery cloth. The actual HDPE is 1/4", so there was no worry about "scratching it too thin". Before installing, I wiped the DARCO and steel beams with alcohol and an old towel, installed the HDPE then applied the DICOR. After "gooping it on liberally" I put on a pair of blue exam gloves and used my fingers to smooth the DICOR and push it into/around any screw/bolt heads. It "ran/dripped" in a few places where it was pretty thick, but overall, after towing about 6 or 7 thousand miles, it's still there, still has the same "drip-cicles" hanging down. None of the DICOR has pulled away or fallen away from where it was applied. I don't see any issue with adhesion. That said, I did clean the surfaces well with alcohol and there was no "dirt, film, grease" on any of the surfaces.

[6.2 Superduty]

My 2018 Bullet is waiting to be returned to the factory for a wet floor. Looks to be a common problem with Bullets. I understand they now use a waterproof material instead of cardboard.