RV Repair: RV Interior repairs., home improvement stores, finished panel

Question
Gerald:

I have a 1983 Frontier motor home that has, over the winter, developed a leak on the back wall, particularily in the bathroom area. The bathroom wall is quite wet and there is evidence of it being saturated and the finished panel has buckled and is becoming detached. How difficult is it, and what materials would be required to repair this.

Cal

Answer
The only answer I can give you on this one is the hard answer, In your case you will need to remove all of the damaged materials and find the leaks. The job is not too difficult but is time comnsuming, you will need to watch for embedded wiring. You can use normal paneling, insulation and trim which is cheaper and available at all home improvement stores. I have never had to have any special tools.
1. Remove all the trim in the damaged area first.
2. Remove your paneling very slowly, if it is glued to a foam insulating board, try removing it as a whole and seperate it after it is removed if possible.
3. Remove any insulation left in the walls.
4. Look for stains where the water has traveled and trace back to the leak.
5. Replace any studs that are damaged.
6. after the initial repairs check the outside edges and corners for any dried out or damaged sealing.
7. Removed dried out caulk and sylicone and replace before you put the walls back together.

Dont forget to check the flooring around the damaged areas once everything has been removed.