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Old 03-28-2013, 12:27 PM   #1
nondem
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Floor construction and repair techniques

Hi, I've recently purchased a "distressed" 2003 Outback by Lite-Way 25 FBS...which is apparently a Keystone product.

Here are some pics of it.

I was very pleased when I noticed this camper has Aluminum structure...I previously had a Layton with the standard 2x2 wooden structure and got a lot of experience repairing the structure as well as flooring.

This one was in need of several things but the worst thing was a soft floor right at the back door. I've already fixed it but in the process I found out how unique the construction is on this thing compared to my previous experiences.

The aluminum floor support structure is 2" square aluminum tubing on what appears to be 24" centers. Between the aluminum "joists" are blocks of foam and glued on top was 3/8" thick decking of some type(not plywood).
Even if the decking was thicker/stiffer, 24" centers are too far to span w/o something supporting it...which is why I have come to the conclusion that the foam does more than just insulate the floor.
If someone has some wisdom on this issue - please enlighten me.

The floor rot was very localized at the back door and didn't extend underneath the walls in either side of the entrance. That was a good thing because on the right is the refer and electrical panel, and on the left is the stove/kitchen counter and hot water heater. The problem I faced was finding a way to support the edges of the old/new wood boundary. There is an aluminum joist right in the center of the door way which is a good thing...gives support right where everyone steps...but that meant that the closest other supports were 24" on either side of center of the door, which put them under existing interior walls that had major appliances installed in them. To get to them would turn my simple repair into pretty much a major interior remodel.

Here is a pic of the actual problem area...the area in blue is the bad area...the areas in green are just stained and still solid...but I cut most of them out anyway.
You can see the aluminum joist in the center and on the left side of that side you can see a little of the exposed foam where I pealed the last layer of decking off. To the left is under the stove/hot water heater compartment - I stuck the fire extinguisher in there to get it out of the way.





So anyway, due to the spacing of the joists and the fact that they are aluminum left me with a dilemma on how to repair it. Even if I removed everything to get to the joists, I didn't know a good way to connect to them.

I'm a little reluctant to admit what I ended up doing but the end result has been so good that I would certainly recommend it to someone facing the same problem. It was also extremely fast/easy compared to any other option.

So for good or bad, or being laughed at here is what I did:

I cut out and removed the bad area making it square and clean but leaving the foam unmolested. Then, I found some "real" plywood that matched the thickness of the existing decking perfectly. I cut it to match the area I removed and so it would go under the door threshold and sit on the outer aluminum structure that runs under it, giving it support all along the lower edge in the above picture.
Then I glued it to the aluminum structure and used epoxy all along the edges where new/old decking meet unsupported except by the existing foam.

After that dried, I used floor compound to finish filling the crack perfectly and sanded it all smooth.
I would have reused the vinyl flooring but since it had holes in it from being stepped on where the rot was I had to replace it in that area.
I purchased some 1' square self-adhesive vinyl floor tiles that looked appropriate for the decor and used that to cover the area. I used a metal strip to cover the seam between old and new. This left me with an area that looks like it was designed to hold a door mat from the factory

I haven't taken pics of the finished product yet...but I can jump and stop over any part of the repaired area and it's at least as solid as the rest of the floor. No flex at the seams or anything to indicate the repair won't continue to last.

So...how else might I have done this?
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Old 07-09-2013, 04:46 PM   #2
applegate14
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floor board

nondem, I am considering purchasing a Keystone trailer with a soft spot in the kitchen. I do not see any water damage, and have found that the area underneath is "under-supported" due to the vent below. Could you post the additional pictures of your project, as I will hope this could visually give me more ideas about how to repair it.

Thank you
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Old 05-29-2018, 03:56 AM   #3
Charby
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A stud finder may help locating the supports underneath as to how large it needs to be cut back for new wood. I guess this wood they use looses it structural ability once it gets wet
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Old 05-29-2018, 05:26 AM   #4
Brentw
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Pictures didn't show up, but sounds like a good repair job.
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Old 05-29-2018, 07:28 AM   #5
JRTJH
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This thread was started in March, 2013, a "me too" comment was made in July 2013 and the thread has been "dead" since then. That's 5 years ago and both of the members making comments have not been on the forum since. That means nobody that posted in this thread has been on the forum in the past 5 years and they simply aren't active on the forum for that length of time. Commenting on "dead threads" doesn't reinforce actions taken by members who will never see the suggestions.....

The reason the photos aren't visible is because they were posted to an "off site link" that was disbanded in 2014.

Please look at the date in previous comments before posting. Usually it would be more productive to simply start a new thread rather than comment on posts or make suggestions to members who haven't even signed onto the forum in 5 years.
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