Time has really been flying by and I apologize for being short on posts in the recent past. I’ve been spending all of my time in our RV getting it ready for camping.
You see, earlier this year I was examining a soft spot in the floor of our 21′ Sun Valley Road Runner and I discovered a disaster far greater than I could have imagined.
The entire floor had to be replaced.I probably should have paid more attention to the soft spot in the floor when I purchased the trailer privately last year. Hindsight is always 20/20, but I really didn’t think it would be a big deal. At best I was planning on possibly having to replace a small section of the floor. Yea right.
The real adventure started when I peeled back the linoleum under one of the bench storage compartments. The floor was black and soggy.
I could see little tiny bugs scurry around as I inspected the damage. I peeled back more and more flooring until I got to the center of the trailer and discovered good wood.
This was just an illusion though.
It would turn out that there was an island of good wood in a sea of wet, moldy chipboard. It was disgusting, but I wasn’t discouraged (well maybe just a little). I took the challenge head on, slowly disassembling the cabinetry and walls, then storing them in my garage.
I worked piece by piece to remove the old floor and lay down the new floor.
The goal was to leave the external walls up while I did this. It is possible and it’s been a slow going process, but I’m getting to the home stretch. I now have the new plywood floor in place, covered with an interlocking vinyl.
The interior walls are starting to take shape and a good portion of the cabinetry is in. I work with computers for a living, so believe me when I tell you that carpentry and repairs are not one of my main skill sets.
My journey to replace the floor in our trailer serves as a testament to the do-it-yourselfer. With a little time, patience, and sweat – you too can accomplish incredible tasks.
Rather than scrapping the trailer, I sunk about $700 into it and the family can continue to enjoy camping in it. $400 of that bill was just the new vinyl flooring, since we opted for an upgrade over the linoleum. It also cost me a few weekends and late nights, but it was all worth it.
I’ll break down some of the work into manageable posts for those that are interested in the end-to-end process. Stay tuned!
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