Thanks for the pics Burbman, we're definitely dealing with the same issue.
By the way, I want to say thanks to everyone again for all your help. My wife and I decided to go full-time a few months ago and we've discovered the RV community is incredibly friendly and helpful. We've made quite a few friends already and we're not even on the road yet!
Regarding the band-aid vs repair issue, I understand what everyone is saying about the BEST repair being to replace the OSB. However, I have to be realistic about what our options are right now. The main issue, even more than the weather, is space. That kind of space just doesn't exist in the Seattle area unless you own a house. If I wanted to do something like that then my only option would be to rent a garage (a large one) and that would probably cost more than just paying a service center to do it. I am leaning more and more towards replacing the OSB in the summer time though.
On the other hand, I've decided that I do need to do more than just put a liner over it to keep it from getting wet in the future. As you guys have pointed out, it's very swollen and it needs to have the loose wood shaved off. Otherwise I think I'll just tear loose any aluminum siding that I put on, or, even worse, cause damage to the seals when the slide out comes in an out.
I was just talking to my wife about it and we came up with an idea. We're going to go ahead and put the slide out cover on it and then tent it to hold in heat. We'll put a couple of space heaters under it, as you guys have suggested.
Once it's dry (and REALLY dry) I can do a better repair. I think that scraping back the swollen wood, putting an undercoating on it, putting the aluminum flashing on it to prevent further scraping, etc, and then putting a drip lip on the edge would be a good fix (again, considering that replacing the floor isn't an option right now).
Two questions:
1. What would you guys recommend for undercoating?
2. Would it be a good idea to do this one BOTH sides of the slide out, even though the other side isn't showing this same problem (yet)?
Finally, one or two of you pointed out that the structural integrity of the slide out could be a concern. After looking into it more I'm pretty sure that there are two separate issues. I think that the water on the corner of the slide out was coming down the wall. However, that looks like it was sealed even before the dealer "repaired" it for us. It was stained from water but not rotten or even soft. I pressed into it with a screw driver and it was as solid as the rest of the flooring. That's why I don't think I have rot in the walls, and I think the structural integrity of the slide out is "fine" (if "fine" means acceptable and useable). The studs in the corners had to have gotten wet but I don't think they rotted.
The OSB is also not rotten, just swollen and literally coming apart every time the slide out is retracted.
The area that is rotted is where water came in under the slide from the problem that I'm looking at now. That's on the main floor in one corner, where that edge of the slide out sat when it was retracted. I can tell that water came in when the previous owner brought the slide in and then it just sat there with the water soaking into the carpet. There's some mild rot on the main floor of the living area (not the slide out) in one corner from that. I looked at it from underneath and the stud isn't rotten. We don't walk on that area so I'm holding off on replacing that section of flooring until more critical things are done.
Overall, I feel like the unit is in good condition except for this and the rot under the door frame.
