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How to Repair Rotten Wood in a Travel Trailer

Travel trailers can haul your ATVs as well as give you a place to camp. But like anything, it needs maintenance to work well. One problem spot is the wood floor on the vehicle, which can rot. Replacing it is quite a project and will take time and effort. In this case, the trailer has a back door for loading ATVs and is outfitted with a laminate floor, but the process is similar for other travel trailers as well.

Things You'll Need

  • Crowbar
  • Hammer
  • Insulation
  • Gloves
  • 1/2-inch plywood sheets
  • Circular saw
  • Saw horses
  • Tape measure
  • Pencil
  • Nails
  • Laminate flooring
  • Utility knife

Instructions

    • 1

      Pull up the laminate flooring on the floor of the travel trailer using the crowbar and hammer. You can put the crowbar underneath the edge of the tile and pull it up.

    • 2

      Remove the rotted flooring in the trailer using the crowbar and hammer. You'll have to pry up each individual nail by pushing the crowbar into the nail end and pulling it back. Remove the entire floor of the trailer until you're left with the metal subfloor.

    • 3

      Remove the insulation in the floor using your hands. Depending on the type of insulation, you may want to wear gloves so your hands don't get damaged.

    • 4

      Lay the new insulation in between the floor studs, filling in all gaps that you can.

    • 5

      Install the plywood by laying down each sheet on the studs and hammering them into place with the hammer and nails. Make sure none of the seams in the plywood line up and that they're staggered like a brick pattern.

    • 6

      Measure for any boards that aren't standard size and cut the plywood to size using the circular saw and sawhorses. Mark the panel using the pencil, then place the plywood on the sawhorse to cut it.

    • 7

      Nail the remaining boards to the floor using the hammer and nails.

    • 8

      Apply the laminate flooring by peeling the backing off each tile and sticking it to the plywood. Make sure each tile is lined up edge-to-edge with the one next to it.