Repair wall

[CygnusSailor]

I hate to admit this but I damaged the rear wall of our new RV. My wife stood my walking cane in the rear curbside corner when we were packing up from our last outing. When we got home I extended the slide only to hear some strange crunching noise. The cane had fallen over during the trip home. It is slightly longer than the distance from the curbside slide to the back wall. As the slide was extending it punched the tip end through the rear wall paneling. I am wondering how others might go about repairing something like this? It is basically a ragged 1.5 inch hole punched in the extreme lower curbside paneling. Would filling it with expandable foam be OK? I'm looking to get a smooth surface so I can put some decorative tape around the perimeter of that area and make it look like came that way.

Thanks in advance,

Gary

[KennyB]

Ouch! I think you're going to want something stronger than foam protecting that area. I think I might fill it with foam and then put a layer of fiberglass over it. Sand it smooth, paint it and like you suggest put a little applique over it.

[Dayle1]

I assume you mean you damaged the interior panel only? If you use expanding foam, you need the 'minimal expanding' type, the max. type could cause a bulge in either the interior or exterior panel. Also, if you are trying to reuse the busted piece and keep it flush with the rest of the wall, you will probably need to drill a small hole in the center and use a long screw as a handle to be able to rotate the piece and hold it flush while the foam expands.



A more common technique is to take a small piece of wood slightly wider than the opening, maybe 1/2 inch on each side. Put a screw in the center of the wood, use wood glue on each side where it overlaps the hole, slip it into the opening and hold it in place til the glue sets. Then remove the screw and glue the busted piece onto the wood to make it flush. Use normal wood glue, or Gorilla Glue is OK, it slightly expands and sets quicker than wood glue, but before it sets, you need to clean off any excess that would keep the busted piece from fitting flush.

[Chrisnan23]

Another method would be to cut the hole square and, using the screw in the center method mount a piece of 1/8" panelling in it. I do like the fiber glass method though, "a little bondo can fix anything" . At least that was true when I was a bit younger.

Edited by: Chrisnan23

[delqcc]

Gary, which ever way you decide to actually patch the hole (I would use the panel plug), give Randy a call and have him send you a roll of the seam tape for your paneling. We had a similar incident, and after leveling the paneling, I simply placed a few short pieces of the matching seam tape (self adhesive) over the patch. Blended right in.