"Remodeling", or just doing it right...

[unca waldo]

This afternoon, as I was cleaning my motorhome up from our last outing, the moulding around the bathroom door, literally fell off in my hands.

Looking at it, I was amazed to see that it appeared to be nothing more that pressed paper, with a vinyl, wood-grained wrapping. It apparently had been installed with no adhesive and the fasteners were essentially long, headless brads. The door jam, into which these "fasteners" were pushed, appeared to be made of the same material.

Rather than whining too much, or merely pushing the fasteners back into the same holes, only to have the piece fall off again, I'd like to replace the mouldings throughout the motorhome with actual, factual wood.

Before I begin, is there anything I need to be concerned with? I can't imagine how replacing the mouldings would cause a problem...

[doit2010]

please tell me this is not a winnebago

[unca waldo]

Originally Posted by doit2010

please tell me this is not a winnebago

Unfortunately, it is... BUT, it's a 2001 Class C Mini, the entry level model, so hopefully it's not representative of the newer models.

That being said, mechanically and system wise, it's been bullet proof... even though it sat for seven years with only minimal maintenance.

"Fixing" relatively minor appearance items is much better than having to repair major, and expensive, mechanical systems.

I know that weight is always a factor in the construction of motorhomes, I was just surprised to see what looked like paper being used for mouldings.

Since my original post on this topic, I've decided to reuse the moulding that came off, only this time, it's been glued and nailed (with very small finishing nails) into place... so it's not going anywhere. At some point, I'll be "remodeling", so I'll upgrade things like the mouldings and such then.

[mrschwarz]

I discovered the same stuff around the sliders. In one corner, the vinyl needs to be reglued.

[adamfolger]

You can upgrade all the trim with extruded plastic wood grain, wall floor and ceiling facia, quarter round etc from Lowes. Very inexpensive, come in several wood tone colors and it is water proof. You can replace at your own pace because the trim is always in stock has not changed in many years. It will go up with nails or glue ( no nail heads ) Worth a look.

[Kayjulia]

Originally Posted by unca waldo

This afternoon, as I was cleaning my motorhome up from our last outing, the moulding around the bathroom door, literally fell off in my hands.

Looking at it, I was amazed to see that it appeared to be nothing more that pressed paper, with a vinyl, wood-grained wrapping. It apparently had been installed with no adhesive and the fasteners were essentially long, headless brads. The door jam, into which these "fasteners" were pushed, appeared to be made of the same material.

Rather than whining too much, or merely pushing the fasteners back into the same holes, only to have the piece fall off again, I'd like to replace the mouldings throughout the motorhome with actual, factual wood.

Before I begin, is there anything I need to be concerned with? I can't imagine how replacing the mouldings would cause a problem...

Even high end MH have fake stuff all over, it is rare to find actual wood in your basic RV. With time humidity and bad luck you'll see vinyl curling and wrinkling all over. Most of it can be fixed with a little skill and diligence some things like exterior panels delaminating require more skill, tools and money. Not to worry to much it is a slow deterioration over a period of (hopefully) many years by then you will have sold or traded the RV for another one with other issues. If you own a high end RV this might not happen so quickly, then again I'll never know I don't have that kind of money or ever will.

[unca waldo]

Originally Posted by adamfolger

You can upgrade all the trim with extruded plastic wood grain, wall floor and ceiling facia, quarter round etc from Lowes. Very inexpensive, come in several wood tone colors and it is water proof. You can replace at your own pace because the trim is always in stock has not changed in many years. It will go up with nails or glue ( no nail heads ) Worth a look.

I'll take your advice and visit Lowes tomorrow. There's a section of the vinyl flooring starting to lift in the corner of the bathroom. I'll get a section of 1/4 round, in a synthetic, "oak-like", material (lol) and use it to hold down the corner.... after I use a little adhesive to stick it down.

[John Hilley]

Same problem in out 2003 Adventurer, in fact that trim is used as the door stop. I am going to be redoing it in the near future.