Suggestions For Floor Replacement in Large Slide; 2015 Jayco Eagle Trailer

[Tara Meyers]

Hello! This is my first post... thank you for having me.

I purchased a 2015 Jayco Eagle bunk edition trailer to live in full-time, and it looked to be in great shape. I knew there would be issues, both expected and 'hidden', but you wouldn't have thought the floor was rotten to look at it. It wasn't until I pulled all the furniture out to replace the carpet that I discovered the extensive rot. (I'm sure this is a familiar story)

Here's my problem. I can't afford the thousands to have it professionally done. It will be under a very nice cover where I'm going, but I want to do this right for the next person who owns it. I DID pay to have the roof professionally redone/sealed and the slides serviced. After applying new caulking I don't expect to have any continued water issues.

I was floored (pun intended) to discover there isn't any sort of subfloor or... anything under that plywood! It's simply wrapped in a plastic vapor barrier and bolted directly to the frame of the slide. It's a huge slide and would require a massive amount of work/jacks, etc., to replace the whole thing. I've seen some DIY videos of cutting out the rot, replacing the smaller piece of plywood, and then overlaying the whole thing with a second floor. I like this approach for a few reasons, but I really like the idea of having a much more solid floor under me.

Any ideas/suggestions/horror stories of caution for me?! (I've sprayed all the rot/fungus with Vinegar to kill it)

Thank you!!!!

(Did I mention I'm pinched for time? Yeah--- I'm on a countdown to the end of my lease. Had it in an RV shop for a couple of weeks for the roof and the floor was a surprise. I have to move out at the end of THIS month.)

[PapaJean]

Originally Posted by Tara Meyers

Hello! This is my first post... thank you for having me.

I purchased a 2015 Jayco Eagle bunk edition trailer to live in full-time, and it looked to be in great shape. I knew there would be issues, both expected and 'hidden', but you wouldn't have thought the floor was rotten to look at it. It wasn't until I pulled all the furniture out to replace the carpet that I discovered the extensive rot. (I'm sure this is a familiar story)

Here's my problem. I can't afford the thousands to have it professionally done. It will be under a very nice cover where I'm going, but I want to do this right for the next person who owns it. I DID pay to have the roof professionally redone/sealed and the slides serviced. After applying new caulking I don't expect to have any continued water issues.

I was floored (pun intended) to discover there isn't any sort of subfloor or... anything under that plywood! It's simply wrapped in a plastic vapor barrier and bolted directly to the frame of the slide. It's a huge slide and would require a massive amount of work/jacks, etc., to replace the whole thing. I've seen some DIY videos of cutting out the rot, replacing the smaller piece of plywood, and then overlaying the whole thing with a second floor. I like this approach for a few reasons, but I really like the idea of having a much more solid floor under me.

Any ideas/suggestions/horror stories of caution for me?! (I've sprayed all the rot/fungus with Vinegar to kill it)

Thank you!!!!

(Did I mention I'm pinched for time? Yeah--- I'm on a countdown to the end of my lease. Had it in an RV shop for a couple of weeks for the roof and the floor was a surprise. I have to move out at the end of THIS month.)

FYI - regular bleach in a 1 part bleach to 10 parts water will kill mold much better than vinegar. Just my 2 cents. Good luck with your repairs.

[GraphiteDriver]

Hi,
Is that a 324BHTS? The first priority is to see where the water is coming in; the top, the sides/corners, the window, the side marker light, or the bottom. It is possible water can be entering in an area that isn't rotting, then pooling in that corner. If the trailer exterior is fiberglass, is it de-laminating in that area? I would cut out the rotting section of the floor, as you described. Be careful to go only as deep as the plywood is think. Maybe contact Jayco for a schematic of the framing. The pattern on the walls is probably no longer available but a dealer may be able to order something similar. Good idea to watch several Youtube videos on it first.

[Crabman]

From what I'm seeing unfortunately there could be rot inside those walls too. The slide could be leaking from several possible points of entry also.

[Tara Meyers]

Yup! That's the model. The slides had been left out for about two years, open to the elements without any servicing. It looks like after enough crud got stuck in the tracks/behind the rubber guards, the water leached in through the front edge and worked its way back. The RV shop seemed pretty confident that servicing the slides was enough to stop it, and I'm going to be resealing everything. (And it will be under a cover)

[Tara Meyers]

It seems to be just the edges and I suspect (and the RV place) that it was due to the slides being left out and not being serviced. I'll be checking behind the wall but so far it looks okay. It's actually drying out better than I thought it would after treating it with vinegar.

[Tara Meyers]

Thanks! I sprayed the worst of it with bleach when I first found it. After discovering the fungus I did some more research and found out that the white vinegar is supposed to work better for killing the fungus responsible for wet rot at the source, vs just on the surface. The really bad spot was still wet and spongy two days ago and so I sprayed it with vinegar and it's actually drying out now, which I think indicates the wood is no longer being reduced to cellulose.

[GraphiteDriver]

Sounds like you're on the right track. I'll be interested to see the progress.

[Tara Meyers]

Originally Posted by GraphiteDriver

Sounds like you're on the right track. I'll be interested to see the progress.

Thanks! I sure hope so. My son will be helping me with the repair, so with his carpentry knowledge I'm sure we can come up with a fix. I'm just hoping to get some advice from anyone who has already dealt with this so I'm not reinventing the wheel.

[garywilson]

Originally Posted by Tara Meyers

Thanks! I sure hope so. My son will be helping me with the repair, so with his carpentry knowledge I'm sure we can come up with a fix. I'm just hoping to get some advice from anyone who has already dealt with this so I'm not reinventing the wheel.

------------
When and where appropriate, try Minwax wood hardener:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Tara Meyers]

Originally Posted by garywilson

------------
When and where appropriate, try Minwax wood hardener:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Oh my gosh, thank you! My son literally told me about wood hardener an hour ago and I was about to try searching for it. My only concern is the lingering smell. Do you know how this product is for that?

[garywilson]

Originally Posted by Tara Meyers

Oh my gosh, thank you! My son literally told me about wood hardener an hour ago and I was about to try searching for it. My only concern is the lingering smell. Do you know how this product is for that?

--

Welcome.
You can use filler 2-4 hours after application.
Odor won't linger too long, ventilate well.
I'd turn off any flames, pilots, don't smoke, etc if vapors are strong during application.
I'd probably open vents and put a box fan in the door to exhaust fumes out the door.

[Tuna1]

It looks as thow the rot is covered by furniture not in a traffic area. If so I would first test what others have sealed on the exterior by having someone spray exterior with garden hose from all angle's while another is inside watching for leaks and address accordingly.Then spray bleach solution as mentioned above and open trailer, place a box fan blowing on area for 12hrs.If floor is not rotted threw you could cover it with new carpet and return furniture.Or you could add plywood overlay (1/4,1/2 inch?) go from corner to second dinette bench to save $$. Floor will be higher there but table and benches will hide alot..Or overlay whole slide area with subfloor and cover with carpet.I like "Durarock" screws from HD to attach subfloor as there's nothing solid to screw to. Hope that helps