Repairing floor.

Dafydd_Cymru

Dafydd_Cymru

Joined
Sep 15, 2015
Posts
184
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257
Location
Wales
Funster No
38,477
MH
Ci Riviera 141 2003
Exp
Been around!
20191008_140304.jpg

Hi...side locker was not shut properly and leaked. Area in red is soft ..about 5 inch square. Has anyone tried a repair on this as I have been quoted £2000?
 
The_Kraken is the guy to speak to. He documented his repair of a garage floor on this post

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

My DIY damp repair project

Hi, This thread is intended to be a documented progress report on tackling some damp repairs in my motorhome. I hope it helps others and would like to invite anyone to chip in with help, suggestions, technical info and support.....because I am completely new to this. Firstly, some background...
www.motorhomefun.co.uk www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Hope it helps. (y)
 
Many thanks I will look at that now ..
 
£2000 quote sounds like they didn't want to do it.

Problem is with damp, and I presume that's damp, it may have spread much further than you can see and may not be confined to the floor. If it's got into the walls then it does start to get expensive.

Get hold of a decent damp meter, or get a professional to give it a good going over before you start anything so that you know what you're getting into.

Sorry to be a pessimist but we've seen lots of examples of damp running rife unseen.
 
If it is floor effect vinyl carefully run a knife down the edges and peel back. Inspect the wet area and either dry it out or cut it out and replace with new timber and plywood. Refit original wood effect vinyl with spray glue adhesive. Cost of materials = £30 ?

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Looks to me like the bottom of the back wall is affected too and maybe the side one the corner could be difficult to repair. I recently had a small job done by Cannock resprays they were very good.
 
It’s impossible to say how bad the damage is without investigating it further. That may well be a daunting thought because you simply don’t know how bad it can get. But, you have to bear in mind that everything can be repaired and when it comes to this type of thing, it’s often not as expensive as you think.

I’ve no idea what make your motorhome is Dafydd but, they are most commonly constructed in similar fashion - wood, polystyrene and wallboard. See it in those terms and you’ll find the job is much simpler than you think.

First job is to peel the floor covering back to find out how much the water has got into the wood.
 
2K sounds a bit too expensive to me also. Due to the problem being caused by your side locker not being shut properly allowing water to leak in causing this damage you may be able to claim on your motorhome insurance because this could be classed as accidental damage and not caused intentionally (it was an accident). Its worth making a friendly call to your motorhome insurance company and talking about the problem whilst keeping in mind a possible loss of some no claims bonus unless protected.
 
TerryL said:
£2000 quote sounds like they didn't want to do it.

Problem is with damp, and I presume that's damp, it may have spread much further than you can see and may not be confined to the floor. If it's got into the walls then it does start to get expensive.

Get hold of a decent damp meter, or get a professional to give it a good going over before you start anything so that you know what you're getting into.

Sorry to be a pessimist but we've seen lots of examples of damp running rife unseen.
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Hi it actually seemed to leak through the seal of the locker door. Were a captured audience in North Wales, not many repairers about.
 
*Machzoneman* said:
If it is floor effect vinyl carefully run a knife down the edges and peel back. Inspect the wet area and either dry it out or cut it out and replace with new timber and plywood. Refit original wood effect vinyl with spray glue adhesive. Cost of materials = £30 ?
Click to expand...
This I am going to try first. I'm waiting to see if the leak has stopped. Nothing to lose.

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The_Kraken said:
It’s impossible to say how bad the damage is without investigating it further. That may well be a daunting thought because you simply don’t know how bad it can get. But, you have to bear in mind that everything can be repaired and when it comes to this type of thing, it’s often not as expensive as you think.

I’ve no idea what make your motorhome is Dafydd but, they are most commonly constructed in similar fashion - wood, polystyrene and wallboard. See it in those terms and you’ll find the job is much simpler than you think.

First job is to peel the floor covering back to find out how much the water has got into the wood.
Click to expand...
Ci riviera 141....very attached to it.
 
DaveandJen said:
2K sounds a bit too expensive to me also. Due to the problem being caused by your side locker not being shut properly allowing water to leak in causing this damage you may be able to claim on your motorhome insurance because this could be classed as accidental damage and not caused intentionally (it was an accident). Its worth making a friendly call to your motorhome insurance company and talking about the problem whilst keeping in mind a possible loss of some no claims bonus unless protected.
Click to expand...
I think I would rather do it myself...the insurance is low at the moment.
 
Thank you very much for the replies. I am going to cut away the floor on Monday to take a look. If I see how bad it is, panic, scream, then get on with it.
I'm going to take a peak at The_Krakens thread on it. I'll post picks it may help someone.
Seal looked ok but maybe I should replace it in case it is not filling the gap enough.
Then I will peel it back and see what the damage is.
Thanks again I will post updates...and questions lol
 

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Dafydd_Cymru said:
I have a multi tool!
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............... but can you control the damn thing!!! :D

At 2003 you might be lucky. Pretty well all modern motorhomes have sandwich construction walls, floors, and often roof. The sandwich varies in outer / inner skin but the filling is invariably polyurethane foam that adheres to both skins and, most importantly, is closed-cell and therefore will not absorb water. Your first step should be to simply dry the area to see if the sponginess disappears.

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and if you document, photo your work as you go along, then you can share with others and get some tips along the way, above all dont panic or despair, take it a bit at a time even if it takes a lot longer than expected, as a start i would get some heat in there and dry it all out slowly - it might not be as bad as you think once its dried out fully
 
Take your time if you are doing it yourself. I took on my own project after reading The Krakens post, nothing is to difficult if you have a multi tool ?.
This forum is great for advice, so many people have been in similar situations and can offer sound advice.
Good luck
 
DJL220, that’s brilliant to read that. So glad I helped!
 
MikeD said:
I think your post/thread will be helping people for quite a few years more. :D :D
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Thats what it’s all about.

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Ok did a stupid start. Bit in shock at the damage and I cut a bit of the vinyl floor up. Lesson learnt, if I had thought I could have peeled the floor from one side and I would not have had to cut it.
 

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Need to think how it is constructed. Seems to have an under layer, foam centre and a thin top layer. Running across the width of the MH sunk into the foam appears to be a wood batton seen in pic parallel with the knife. Along the edge of the outside skin seems to run another batton.
 

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This is the underneath. The batton to the right is a bit soft. But the main board seems ok. I'll let it dry then poke about see if it is ok.
 

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I'll know better tomorrow when I dig deeper. The part that worries me is the batton running alongside the skin.
 
You will most likely find that you have an outer skin (ply/plastic) depending on the year, then insulation and then a top layer of ply. The outer frame will likely to be a softwood or a hard wood if you are lucky. The batten along the side will be attached to the outer skin with adhesive, if you are careful you can cut out the damaged wood and replace with new wood. I did this on my ceiling joists recently. I cut at an angle and dowelled and glue the new piece in. For good measure you could secure with metal plates too?
As always think about it loads and cut only when you are ready ?

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Looks like she’s been leaking a while. Doesn’t look too bad though. Be mindful about cutting too much out as you might be affecting structural integrity. Good advice above, plan what you’re going to do. The construction is (as most are) very simple - wood and polystyrene with thin plywood skins. But, you’d be surprised how weak it can be if it’s not bonded together properly.

keep posting photos!
 
I would say that it has been leaking a long time possibly a few years. I think you need to remove some of the wallboard to make sure it hasn't capillaried up the wall. You need to take the floor and wall back until you find dry solid timber. Also check the external floor under the van chances are it is rotten as well.
Overall it doesn't look a too difficult job.
 

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