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trailvision's avatar
trailvision
Explorer
Jul 08, 2013

Repairing inside walls from water damage

Been having an ongoing issue with a stubborn leak on The roof of our travel trailer. Think I've found the problem but I now have delamination (I think that's the term) of the walls. The walls have bubbled and I need to repair a section of about 1 foot wide by 3 feet. I should probably post pics but was wondering if anyone has had this happen to them (I'm sure it has) and can it be repaired by removing the covering from the plywood by heating the covering and gently scraping it away, replacing the wood and reinstalling the covering. Does this make sense? Any suggestions for a somewhat clean looking repair would be appreciated. Thanks
  • Thanks for the responses. Thought I could just strip away the covering but it looks like I might have to replace the damaged section. Thanks for the ideas. Doesn't look like I can get away with an easy fix.
  • Cover the damaged section with stick on shelf paper (for aesthetics) and camp in the rain a few times to be sure you fixed the leak.
  • You cannot remove the "covering" on the paneling. It is bonded from the factory and impossible to remove without total destruction of it.

    Best to find a new panel that is similar in color and texture or, as mentioned, find a contrasting color and use it as an accent.

    Most of the time the paneling is glued and stapled to the studs. It is a bear to get off and you will wind up destroying the panel trying to remove it.

    Been there done that.
  • Replace about 50% of my kitchen wall on my former Rv. Could not get a panel to match so I got a contrasting color and had to remove more panel in order for it to look right. Used top of the line contractors glue to glue on the new panels. It worked great, then I traded it in to get rid of it.
    Good luck on your project.
  • If the paneling is the same in a closet, do the repair with the closet wall panel and replace it as close as you can.