Subject: Floor repair
Date: Tue, 24 Dec 2002

I recently purchased a 1968 Airsteam travel trailer and am in the planning stages of prioritizing work. The floor has rotted out around the door, and there is rot around a wheel well (screw driver can go through the floor), and there is some soft wood in the bath area. Which of your products would you recommend to use in repairing these areas and what is the method of repair?

Thanks

Ken

Ken,

1) Remove any covering from the wood, if you haven't already.

2) Allow the wood to dry.

3) Saturate it with CPES, allowing the wood to absorb all that it will. If you can get underneath the trailer and spray-saturate it from there also, so much the better. Wear a organic fumes cartridge respirator for these applications -- we sell a good one if you don't already have one.

4) Wait for about a week, and then evaluate the hardness of the treated wood. Depending on the "fiber-density" of the deteriorated wood, it may or may not be sufficiently hard. If the wood is not as hard as you would like it, you have a choice between a) another application of the CPES and perhaps an application of our Layup & Laminating Resin as well, or b) applying a new layer of thin ply over the top of the treated wood. The new ply should also be CPES-treated after it has been cut and trimmed and is ready for installation. In either case, you have stopped the rotting process -- permanently -- and protected the wood from future rot.

Basically, that's it. One of the above methods will give you a solid floor again. The CPES is the key -- it hardens and protects the wood. For your application, you can figure on getting about 150 sq ft per gallon coverage.

Let us know if we can be of further help, and come on back if you have additional questions. And Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Doc