Floor repair suggestions....long hole ripped

[Bailey'sMom]

Hi all
I just opened up my camper today a week after I close it down due to a storm coming . I did close it down pretty quickly but did my normal procedures . So today when I opened the camper up I see a great big gouge in the vinyl flooring in the kitchen area between the refrigerator cabinet and the dinette . See attached picture .

It appears that the latching bolt on the dinette must have fallen down through the hole after it was moved back against the refrigerator cabinet . So I'm guessing this big tear happened this morning as I was trying to slide the dinette out .

So I'm wondering do I just take out that section of vinyl flooring and try and lay a replacement piece in its place? I will have to try and find something that is a close match.

any suggestion is welcome. I have to get this done in the next two days.

 

[Bailey'sMom]

Another picture

 

[Bailey'sMom]

The more I think about it and look at it, I think the pin dropped after traveling three feet and then it dropped and started gouging the floor. So it probably did happen as I was closing up the camper.

I am thinking maybe I should cut out the section of vinyl and replace with a new piece. However my sister thinks I should try to glue down the existing piece first, because I can always cut it out later. Not sure what kind of glue I would use. Will start calling around.

 

[Bailey'sMom]

Dealer suggested gorilla glue

Just got off the phone with the dealer and they said to use gorilla glue, stretch the vinyl back in place and then put heavy object on top to hold in place til it securely dries. So that is what I will try. Will let you know how it works.

 

[Padgett]

I have heard that use of a heat gun to put the torn piece back in place may be needed. I'd ask a "paintless dent repair" guy.

 

[NWHouston]

Try the repair first

Sara, I would try the repair first. You cannot make it worse, it will probably work out well, and who looks in that particular corner when the trailer is up and living? I also agree that a little heat will likely help get you a smooth finish. Not sure you have to go with gorilla glue - probably a pressure sensitive contact glue used with vinyl floors would work. Go over the area with a rolling pin to get good even adhesion.

We took those latches out when we bought our trailer at The Car Show for this very reason - Kate shared the possibility with us. Hope you get a clean looking repair.

 

[NWHouston]

Consider 3M's spray adhesive

I suggested pressure sensitive adhesive in my reply above as it is recommended for the vinyl tile repairs that I am facing in our house. One option that is less money is a spray adhesive like 3M's 80. Sold in our area at Home Depot. Hope they can get you a contact (pressure) sensitive adhesive that is not too much money. I dropped $40 for a gallon tub, but I have many tiles to set.

 

[tentcamper]

Try to repair the rip by gluing it back. I don't think you will find flooring that completely matches. If it still looks bad, see if there is a flooring in any of storage compartments that you could use and then put the best match you can find in the storage compartment.

 

[scrubjaysnest-TMO]

Had one like that in a new mobile home, they repaired it with hot glue.

 

[Sterman]

For a quick fix, cover it with 2" clear packing tape until you can get around to one of the more permanent fixes suggested on this thread.

 

[Bill]

If you try to repair it, and it doesn't work to your satisfaction, try the old decorator's trick. Cut the damaged piece out, and replace it with a contrasting "accent strip" or "accent piece". You might have to do two accent pieces, one at the left (where the damage is) and one at the right, to make it look like they belong there.

Bill

 

[Bailey'sMom]

We took those latches out when we bought our trailer at The Car Show for this very reason - Kate shared the possibility with us. Hope you get a clean looking repair.

I figured there was some sort of safety reason for these. If not, what are they for?

 

[Bailey'sMom]

Fixed and looks okay...

So attached find a picture of the repaired area.

It was tough getting the entire thing perfectly in place and smooth but I am pretty happy with the results. You can see glue that I tried to wipe away but it didn't....the right hand side three inch stretch nearest the metal strip is not as smooth as the rest of it but not bad.

It was so stretched I. Some areas I had to cut away some edges which worked pretty well. I did use a hairdryer to heat it up and remove some of the curling. Used the gorilla glue original.

Luckily that area is where I put my waste basket and also Baileys food/supplies bin, and her food bowls go on top so it should be pretty well covered.

It just kills me because you try to keep something nice and that crap happens. Good thing I plan on keeping it for a very very long time.

 

[wbmiller3]

Your repair looks good. I know what you are feeling, I felt the same when I put masking tape around the radio hole, and it ripped the paper veneer off!

How about a nice little throw rug?

 

[Bailey'sMom]

Your repair looks good. I know what you are feeling, I felt the same when I put masking tape around the radio hole, and it ripped the paper veneer off!

How about a nice little throw rug?

Yes I actually have a rug that I put there also. There is hardly a spot on the floor that doesn't have a rug. Easier to pick up a rug and shake it off than to continuously sweep out the camper. Plus saves wear on the floor from all the sand that is dragged in.

 

[Padgett]

I think there is a special paint used to hide the edge now that it is down. Remember seeing a gouge in a coffee table repaired that way.

 

[oldstick-TMO]

That looks great. That Gorilla glue always bubbles and expands when it dries. You might could try a plastic pot scrubber or something to gently scrub away some of the excess glue. Spray a little WD-40 on it to soak a minute and it will probably scrub right off.

If you later decide to replace the whole flooring it is fairly easy. After you remove all the trim pieces that are covering the edges then remove the old flooring, you can lay down pieces of newspaper fitting them to all the edges and corners of the floor space.

Overlap the paper sections as you are doing this until the entire space is covered with paper just as if it were going to be the new flooring. Then tape all the overlapping pieces together securely. You then have a "one piece" template of the floor space you can carefully pick up and lay down on the new flooring to cut the exact shape needed.

 

[NWHouston]

Latches or not

Sara, we took the latches out at Kate's suggestion, then found that once the velcro seals are all down you cannot move the slide back in whether the latches or there or not. So we do not sense there is any more risk of someone (who knows how a TM is built) coming along while we are gone and getting in by pushing in the slide.

Repair looks fine. It is your trailer so I suggest you not worry about what these small "events" look like when you make the repair. Now if Bailey says something, then you need to rethink it.

larry

 

[DAVLIN]

Sara

As long as you can align the slide correctly, I see no reason to have the pins just for "security." On both of our TM's though, what I did was open the "D" in the handle a little bit (see photo) so that the pins can be removed. I take them completely out to fold the trailer, and then after I pull the slide out, I drop them in the holes just to confirm the slide alignment. Works like a charm.

Dave

 

[Bailey'sMom]

Sara

As long as you can align the slide correctly, I see no reason to have the pins just for "security." On both of our TM's though, what I did was open the "D" in the handle a little bit (see photo) so that the pins can be removed. I take them completely out to fold the trailer, and then after I pull the slide out, I drop them in the holes just to confirm the slide alignment. Works like a charm.

Dave

Great idea Dave