Rotten Wood? Try Stabilizer.

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.