How To: DIY floor repair in an RV/Camper/Travel Trailer. (2002 Palomino Stampede S-17)

Hello folks, this is my first RV floor repair. This is a 2002 Palomino Stampede S-17. It is a 17' Hybrid Travel Trailer. The previous owner used the trailer to attend dog shows and I believe they brought the animals into the camper. (Once the floor is complete, my wife has her work cut out for her in the cleaning department.) I plan on documenting the restoration and sharing it with you. I am not sure how right or wrong everything is, but this is a learning experience . I will update with photos and notes as I go along and share my mishaps and good fortune with all of you. Thanks for joining me and comment on anything you like or dislike.

Thanks,

Charlie

When I first looked at the camper I noticed that the  tounge jack was bent. I figured....no problem it has 3 bolts I can just take it off. Wrong. The jack was bent so bad that it could not be straightened. With the bolts out it still could not be removed. So tried with a Sawzall or reciprocating saw and after 3 blades with out even a decent cut, I gave up and used a grinder and a cut-off blade. SUCCESS!! Whew!!! Hardened Steel. A quick trip to the local trailer store to buy a new jack....wrong size... I bought a 2000 lb jack to replace the 1000 lb jack and it would not fit through the mounting hole. Diameter of mounting hole too small. Still without a tounge jack...... used a floor jack (side note: The floor jack developed a leak and no longer works, I had to buy a new one) to temporarily lift off of the tow vehicle and is currently being held up by a jack stand.

Now, when I bought the camper, the story at the dealer was; "that it had a roof leak and the floor had warped from the water laying on it but all the appliances and plumbing and electrical works." So I offered a ridiculously low price and they agreed to sell it to me. So here we are with a floor to tear out and replace and a roof to patch up and seal. This to be done by me, a first time RV owner and less than three months after a heart attack. Oh I forgot to mention....I had a complete blockage of an artery that supplies my heart on Jan. 12, 2011 and had to be flown by helicopter at 6:00 in the morning after a snowstorm to Philadelphia from NJ where they cleared the blockage and installed two stents to keep it open.....so this project is really gonna help keep me busy until I can go back to work. We covered the camper with a borrowed tarp until the roof gets re-sealed, high winds ripped it into shreds. Great. I finally have the new tarp just have to wait for wife to help put it on.

At first glance this project looked pretty simple....my first cut revealed that this floor was not your everyday floor. Styrofoam sandwiched between two layers of 1/8 luan underlayment covered with linoleum. This in turn was adhered to a waterproof membrane that runs under everything. To save time and money, I cut the floor out flush with the cabinets with a Multi Tool and a flush cutting blade. (great tool for this type of work.) The floor is ripped out up to the cabinets and dinette seats and I have started framing underneath the camper (See Photos) attaching 1x3 studs to the steel frame to give the subfloor something to screw to. I plan on removing the old sub floor framing and installing a 1/2" foam insulation sheet and 1/2" marine grade plywood for the subfloor with a stick on vinyl tile on top of that.

UPDATE: 4/17/11

We had some serious rain last night here in South Jersey. Being curious I took a peek in the travel trailer to see if there were any leaks.......... and discovered a leak in the shower skylight. I will have to address that when I am sealing the lap joints on the roof. Welcome to camper ownership!!!

UPDATE: 5/10/2011

I discovered another leak in a window, looks to be just a matter of old caulk around it. I also found the area of the entrance door was sagging from the lost integrity of the sub floor. I am waiting patiently for a buddy of mine to stop by with a welder and we will support this area with a few pieces of steel from below.

UPDATE: 6/15/2011

Well.... I took the camper to my buddies house last month. We formulated a plan to fabricate brackets to aid in supporting the door area that was sagging. We also discovered a crack in the frame that we sistered up and welded together with a piece of 3/16" x 4" flat steel. I hope to have all of the subfloor steel and brackets welded and ready for the actual install of the floor soon. Removing the tire was unbelieveably hard and I snapped off one of the studs.

Update: 7/6/2011

The steel work is complete, I installed a new Tounge Jack, insulation and subfloor has been installed.....Pictures to come. Headed to Lowes for vinyl stick on tiles and quarter round trim moulding. I have to clean the roof real well with Dicor EPDM cleaner activator and coat all seams with Dicor EPDM rubber roof sealer, then eventually I will clean the entire camper and wax it.

Update: 11/10/2011

I cleaned the roof according to the Dicor EPDM rubber roofing coating system. And applied the EPDM coating 2 coats!! The roof looks brand new and is watertight. Pictures to come. Now I still have to wax. I began winterizing and while opening and closing the various sink faucets, the cold water sink faucet appeard to be leaking....I attempted to tighten the faucet handle and....I broke the faucet off in my hand. Ugh!!!! Pink winterizing fluid everywhere. Off to the parts store for a new stem/cartridge and after a short repair everything was fixed and winterized. Not bad for a first timer!!!