Input on repairing delamination

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
I sanded all surfaces of filon, wood, and aluminUm with 60 grit sand paper to get good glue adhesion. I used expanding foam to seal any gaps.

Then I went to the local RV business today to get a piece of 1/8” panel for under my window so the thickness would match up better with the intact panel. I knew it would never find a match but I intended to overlay it with wainscoting so I was not concerned about that. I looked through a lot of mismatched sheets.

I found one that might come close enough to a match that I won’t even overlay it. Depends on how well I restrain my OCD.
 

Attachments

  • 913DE74A-934C-4820-883B-9344864F164C.jpeg
    913DE74A-934C-4820-883B-9344864F164C.jpeg
    153.3 KB · Views: 14
  • 16C4B22E-D51C-4FA0-8FB8-75D6A84AA350.jpeg
    16C4B22E-D51C-4FA0-8FB8-75D6A84AA350.jpeg
    152.9 KB · Views: 14
Last edited:
Is it standard procedure to NOT caulk the bottom of the window frame? If you don't, can blowing rain get in while driving?
 
Some final thoughts, questions, and what I learned.

I learned that the 3M 90 and Liquid Nails Fuze*it adhesive are great products. I tested them on a few surface combinations. The Fuze*it is amazing. On wood to aluminum, the wood will rip/split off before the adhesive fails. It will glue almost anything to anything wet or dry. The 3M 90 spray adhesive is about 75% as strong but gives better coverage for large flat surfaces and has an almost immediate grab time.

I also learned that concerns about puzzle piecing luan into the sidewall are unfounded IF you secure the luan to the frame by using glued and screwed wood bracing attached to both the luan and the frame. And, of course, the luan is securely attached to the exterior filon.

the mismatched paneling I put up is a different animal altogether from the original panel. The 2 pieces pictured were put in a glass of hot water and allowed to soak overnight. I wanted to see if I could lift the vinyl covering. Water did not phase them in the least. This should be in all RVs.

this repair was time-consuming but not technically difficult at all once I had the proper adhesives and panel. I assure you it is the strongest wall in the MH.

The most confusing part was removing the window blind.

The most labor-intensive part is removing parts of the original paneling that are intact. That is why I did not replace the entire wall with the new paneling.

I will decide if I want to overlay the lower half of the wall with wainscoting or cedar paneling so I don't have the different molding pieces. (Fighting my OCD). :)
 

Attachments

  • 6A9E547B-8A05-428C-9FAB-B9A054B6917F.jpeg
    6A9E547B-8A05-428C-9FAB-B9A054B6917F.jpeg
    205.1 KB · Views: 12
  • 70917EC4-2C3E-45FD-8473-7D0581756021.jpeg
    70917EC4-2C3E-45FD-8473-7D0581756021.jpeg
    118.5 KB · Views: 12
  • DA86A531-894A-40F9-B769-6B4B9C5DAA33.jpeg
    DA86A531-894A-40F9-B769-6B4B9C5DAA33.jpeg
    79.4 KB · Views: 12
Last edited:
A sincere thanks, Mark, I have to admit that post made me smile with a little bit of satisfaction. I really could not have done it without a few basic tips from members. Honestly, I was lost about the spray adhesive. I have never used it before. Once you got the right products it is half of the battle.
 
A sincere thanks, Mark, I have to admit that post made me smile with a little bit of satisfaction. I really could not have done it without a few basic tips from members. Honestly, I was lost about the spray adhesive. I have never used it before. Once you got the right products it is half of the battle.
I'll second Marks comment. I do mechanics and leave the wood stuff to someone else with the skills you showed us.
 
This is what I did. I removed the damaged wood on the inside, which included thewooden outer panel. I cleaned and dried the metal studs and the filon. I then replaced the outer wood panel, these had to be cut small so I could slide them into place. I covered the outer side of the panels with liquid glue the slid and glued then to the frame. This was messy and difficult. Once done I went outside used 2x1 furring to push against the outer wall to left it a couple of days to cure. I had some success but it wasn't perfect, mainly due the trail and error method I was using. Brian from "Love Your RV" Youtube channel repaired his rig by stripping the wall from the outside.
 
I've been busy and just got back around to see the result.

It was worth the wait! Nicely done. :cool:

The mismatched panels are not really noticeable unless you look at them. With the curtain to break it up I wouldn't have caught it at first. You see it because we are our own worst critics!

:)
 
PS: I realize I cost myself a LOT of unnecessary work by using duct tape to cover the window opening while I had the window out. The effort to remove the tape and tape residue was crazy. I used Goofoff Pro, alcohol, Goo Gone pro, and finally went with a gasoline soaked rag which work far better than anything else. It was still a lot of work.

I should have hung plastic from the roof and just weighed it down. Maybe a couple small pieces of tape near the bottom.

Even worse than duct tape was the adhesive on those heat shrink, clear plastic sheets of plastic made to go inside of windows to insulate and reduce drafts in the winter.
 
I did not think masking tape would hold in a rain storm but after seeing the job duct tape made I would chance it. During removal the silver top of my duct tape pulled off leaving mesh and adhesive. Maybe it was an inferior brand.
 
Back
Top Bottom