Delamination repair
I've got a 2003 Itasca Sunova 30B and I have delaminated on both sides of the RV. It's down low and almost the whole side. It also feels soft behind the areas as well.
What what I understand, the fiberglass is just a thin layer, glued to a thin plywood, that is glued to Styrofoam in a sandwich.
I've watched some videos where they drill small holes and pump in epoxy and "clamp" the fiberglass to cure. That seems like you're just gluing the fiberglass back to rotten wood and Styrofoam that has lost its integrity. Might fix a small area but seems like a waste of time.
I'm contemplating a major (Winter project) as follows:
Cut off bottom 2 foot of fiberglass sidewall.
Remove rotten plywood exposing Styrofoam and aluminum square tubing.
Allow time for RV to dry out if any moisture is present.
Spray expanding foam insulation anywhere the Styrofoam is damaged.
Cut spray foam off flush with sidewall.
Add more aluminum tubing where needed to "beef it up" and where seams meet.
Recover area with aluminum diamond plate, riveting and gluing to aluminum square tubing, sealing all seams.
Finished product would be a 2 foot wide strip of diamond plate going from front to rear on both sides.
I would also remove all windows and reseal EVERYTHING above that could have leaked.
I could paint diamond plate and lower (existing) storage doors to match.
Sure it will look like a repair but I really don't care. We've looked at new RV's and for 100 grand, I don't really like them any better than the (paid for) RV what we have. I've found the diamond plate in 4x8 sheets for 100 bucks a sheet. I think 5 sheets would more than do it. They also sell a trim piece that goes between sheets. I'd seal between each sheet and trim out the top with a molding.
It seems like a big project but the RV is in great shape. It has less than 20K on the clock and we've made it our own (so to speak) inside. If I could get this problem REALLY fixed, we could get years out of this RV. It's kept in the garage.
Seems like the way to go.
Thoughts?
All advice is welcome even if not followed ;)
What what I understand, the fiberglass is just a thin layer, glued to a thin plywood, that is glued to Styrofoam in a sandwich.
I've watched some videos where they drill small holes and pump in epoxy and "clamp" the fiberglass to cure. That seems like you're just gluing the fiberglass back to rotten wood and Styrofoam that has lost its integrity. Might fix a small area but seems like a waste of time.
I'm contemplating a major (Winter project) as follows:
Cut off bottom 2 foot of fiberglass sidewall.
Remove rotten plywood exposing Styrofoam and aluminum square tubing.
Allow time for RV to dry out if any moisture is present.
Spray expanding foam insulation anywhere the Styrofoam is damaged.
Cut spray foam off flush with sidewall.
Add more aluminum tubing where needed to "beef it up" and where seams meet.
Recover area with aluminum diamond plate, riveting and gluing to aluminum square tubing, sealing all seams.
Finished product would be a 2 foot wide strip of diamond plate going from front to rear on both sides.
I would also remove all windows and reseal EVERYTHING above that could have leaked.
I could paint diamond plate and lower (existing) storage doors to match.
Sure it will look like a repair but I really don't care. We've looked at new RV's and for 100 grand, I don't really like them any better than the (paid for) RV what we have. I've found the diamond plate in 4x8 sheets for 100 bucks a sheet. I think 5 sheets would more than do it. They also sell a trim piece that goes between sheets. I'd seal between each sheet and trim out the top with a molding.
It seems like a big project but the RV is in great shape. It has less than 20K on the clock and we've made it our own (so to speak) inside. If I could get this problem REALLY fixed, we could get years out of this RV. It's kept in the garage.
Seems like the way to go.
Thoughts?
All advice is welcome even if not followed ;)
