Repairing a rotten RV floor

It’s a good thing we didn’t secure the loveseat to the floor at the back of our fifth wheel when we replaced our RV furniture. After we removed the original tables that flanked the couch that used to sit there so that we could install new end tables we bought from Amazon (paid link), we discovered a soft spot in the floor. We knew it had been caused by water damage and needed to be addressed.

Water is necessary for survival, but inside an RV, it can wreak havoc — and cause RVers to do crazy things. Not wanting our new tables, which came in at least 17 pieces each and took hours to assemble, to lean toward the exterior — or worse, fall through a hole in the floor — we watched some YouTube videos about repairing a rotten RV floor and got to work.

Since the soft spot in our floor was near a back corner, we decided the best way to access it would be to pull up the linoleum from the corner. With a utility knife, I cut the edge of the linoleum the length of the side wall. Then I removed staples along the back wall holding the linoleum down and peeled the piece up to reveal discoloration.

Removing rot

Before we could repair the floor, we had to remove the rotten wood. Bob and I traded places, and he started pulling up large splinters of plywood with his fingers. They came up easily in lots of pieces. Before we knew it, we could see a hole in the floor.

He kept breaking off pieces to reveal a 2-by-3 support board. It too showed signs of water damage but still provided enough support that it was salvageable. Bob peeled the plywood to the wall and toward the interior until it stopped coming apart effortlessly.

Then, using his oscillating tool, he cut the floorboard to create straight edges for us to fill in with a replacement board. But to adequately attach a new board, we had to remove rotten plywood from atop the base board under the wall. For that, Bob used a chisel. 

That gave us two places to attach a fresh piece of wood, but we weren’t convinced that would provide enough stability. We wanted a third support. 

Looking at the floor, we saw a series of screws leading toward the back wall, potentially indicating another 2-by-3. Bob reached under the floor and confirmed our theory. We decided to cut the floor to that board.

Fixing the damage

We made a trip to The Home Depot and picked up Bondo Wood Filler, Bondo Rotted Wood Restorer, sandpaper, trim for the edges of the floor, stain and paint sponges to apply the stain to the trim, linoleum adhesive, screws to attach a new piece of wood to the subfloor, and L brackets to attach our tables to the floor. We only needed a 5-inch-by-8 inch piece of plywood but had to buy a 4-foot-by-8-foot sheet. But we found a 2-by-3 piece of wood in a trash can that a worker let us take for free, and he even cut it to the length we wanted. 

After getting our supplies home, Bob went to work painting the rotted wood restorer on the flooring around our freshly created hole and the damaged support beam. It made for some strong chemical smells while being applied that lingered while it dried and hardened the damaged floor to create a more solid base.

The next day, Bob cut the plywood to the size we needed and attached the 2-by-3 we bought and the plywood to the floor. Then he covered the seams and any remaining low spots with the wood filler. When that dried, he sanded it down to make a smooth surface. ​

Putting the floor back together

Meanwhile, I stained the trim we had bought for the base boards and left it to dry. It took a few coats. 

When Bob was happy with his repair job, we were ready to put the linoleum back down. He slathered linoleum adhesive on the floor to ensure the linoleum would stay in place. Then we carefully smoothed it over the plywood and back into position, covering all evidence of an issue.

Before we completely put our living room back together, we wanted to address a gap we had noticed between the floor and the back wall. After another trip to The Home Depot, Bob came home with some spray foam and forced that into the gap to seal it. Once that dried, he cleaned up the excess and attached the new trim pieces. 

Next, it was time to attach our furniture to keep it from moving during travel. We took measurements to ensure the back loveseat would be out of the way of the slide-outs when closed, marked the floor with tape to ensure we aligned it properly, and Bob secured it to the floor. 

After that, we identified the best locations for our side tables to allow easy access to the cup holders they provided, even from our other loveseat, and marked those positions with tape. Then we pulled out one table at a time, attached L brackets to two legs, moved it back into position, and screwed the L brackets to the floor.

We repeated the process on the second table and stood back to observe our handiwork. Our lips curled upward as we took in our completed living room, happily satisfied with our choices and what we accomplished. 

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