Many RVs, particularly older ones, have a fair amount of wood in their support structure. And wood, sad to say, is subject to the rigors of life in a moisture filled environment. If not thoroughly protected, dry rot can be the result.
Our recently acquired truck camper "project" must have led a colorful life in some prior owner's hands. Read, "low branches" with a rubber roof, and you know what can happen there. Instead of using the right repair materials, the job was a half-baked thing that leaked, and there was a spot in the underlying plywood decking where water got in. A soft patch of decking, with the layers of plywood actually separating. What's to do?
Short of a major renovation including plywood removal, installation of a new roof, and all the attendant financial ramifications, we're trying a pilot project. The folks from Elmer's (of glue fame) have released a dry rot killer/wood stabilizer product and (on our own) we've undertaken to see if it will resolve our problem. After peeling back the EPDM rubber roofing material, we removed loose plywood, bored small holes throughout the area, and impregnated the plywood thoroughly with Elmer's Rotted Wood Stabilizer. We then temporarily ran screws throughout the area to bring the plywood layers together. After allowing 24 hours in warm air to try, we pulled the screws, spread layers of exterior wood filler, dried, sanded, and buttoned it up.
Immediate observations? The plywood is most decidedly hardened up--although we're not willing to risk walking on it--we never walk on our RV roof anyway. We'll keep an eye on it over time and report back. For more information on this interesting product, check out the Elmer's web site.
5 comments:
Check out Smith & Co in CA. Bldg & boat products that would work for RV's. Wood stabilizers, you could park a car on HiHi.
It is not wise to attempt to kill or encapsulate fungal rot which can be exposed to the indoor living space. On an exterior surface, that's fine. Indoors, the damp condition should be corrected first. Seal leaks, reduce humidity. Then, the growth should be removed period, including whatever substrate it is growing on. Attempting to kill it first is a bad idea. Like any life form, fungi have natural weapons. Fungi produce endotoxins - especially when under attack. So the answer is removal.
You refer to 'wood rot', but if you have any fungus growing at all, you have multiple species. Some of the most common species can have truly devastating effects on human health. Unfortunately, those who are vulnerable only find out about it after the damage is done, and you don't want to be in that club. So consider the location of the repair well before choosing your repair method.
Upon reading the lable on a bottle of Rotted Wood Stabilizer, I found the following?
1. Need specific instructions as to application; Spread, pour, tools-brush, hands, knife, thickness, & etc.
2. Re-coat tips, proceedure, time wet or dry.
3.Clean-up excess; on-time, wipes & liquids-water, mineral spirits, what?
4. Cure time ?
5. Structural effects - what to expect?
6. In general: do's & Don'ts.
7. Other uses, such as Composit-siding repair undercoat, prior to re-painting of weather damaged siding.
The use of of epoxy wood restorers/rebuilders is well known and widely utilized in the business of restoration of historic buildings.
Not all molds create health effects. We live with and actually depend on many different varieties.
While some have significant risks for susceptible people, to behave as though any trace of fungus is a crisis is an overreaction.
Can that be used to fill in a hole where there's wood rot due to a soft spot under a bedroom window? Water leak from the windows a long time ago unbeknownst to us, before we bought it from an older ailing neighbor couple,now in convalescent care.
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