Coleman Columbia complete roof repair

So I got this camper for free. It was in good shape when I got it but when I cleaned it all up I noticed it had quite a few very small holes in the aluminum roof...which can only mean one thing....ROT.

This thread will be my roof overhaul from start to finish.

I started a couple days ago, assessing the situation. Yesterday I began to remove the luan and insulation

Here is what I have so far...





In the above two images you can see the extent of the water damage on the ceiling. It extends to the side boards as well
unfortunately





The above images is my starting insulation removal. Slow going at first. I was using a 2" spackle knife... not very efficient.



Then I found a better method...Using a flat pry bar works much better



To separate the non-rotted wood from the insulation, I used a utility knife to cut the luan into ~8 inch strips all the way through the luan. Then, using the spackle knife like a chisle and the flat bar as a hammer, I started at the most intact edge of the luan and separated the luan from the insulation.




I got half the ceiling done last night in about 3 hours. Hopefully the weather cooperates and I can get the other half done tonight after work. Any questions, please feel free to ask. If you have any advice, please feel free to chime in

 

Picture to reference? If the "wall paper" is what you're talking about, then if thats rippling it means that it has separated from the luan. If that is the case, you probably have a bigger issue than you think. I had the same "rippled ceiling" in the one corner when I first started....And you see what it has now turned into...

If you are lucky enough that only the vinyl has separated from the wood, I would use 3M spray adhesive to reattach it to the luan after gently pulling it down and letting the luan dry out for a number of days

 

As for a method of removing the vinyl, I would go with a heat gun, a putty knife, and a second pair of hands. But I think once you remove the vinyl there will be some rot on the luan. I hope for your sake there isnt, but be prepared for it

 

this is what my ceiling looked like that led me to where I am now

 

So this weekend I put a lot of hours into the ceiling repair. These are just some of the photos that I snapped while working. I will put up the most recent ones tomorrow.



All of the old luan and insulation has been taken down





this area of the roof was so water logged from a hole that....



I decided to take out the canvas so I had to make other arrangements for shelter



I dont think these nuts are supposed to be this loose....



are they?



all that supports the lift mechanism is this little tiny piece of ply wood?!?!?!





I didnt like that...



so i made my own



sanded and painted my lift support brackets because they were all rusty and nasty





installed my new corner supports


Also, I couldnt believe there was no support of any kind in the ceiling other than the styrofoam and luan....






so i fixed that too



Found quite a few small pin holes while working.



patched them up. For some of the larger holes I used a piece of sheet aluminum to really patch it up good. Ill have to take pictures of that later.

As it sits now, half the new insulation is up hopefully getting to put some more hours into it tonight if the weather cooperates....

 

certainly is a tedious job lol I have to work on it while still attached because I dont have any help to get it off/put it back on. Moreover, I dont have a single flat spot large enough to lay it on its back and work on it. I just hope the slight sag in the middle goes away after the insulation and luan are back up....

 

I purchased ~3/16 or 1/4" luan for finishing the ceiling. I also upgraded to 1" insulation over the stock 3/4". My door does secure to the ceiling, however, I am thinking about doing something else with it because its rather annoying.... Thanks for the heads up though! You may consider using some construction adhesive/JB weld to secure the bracketry to the ceiling if youre worried about the screws pulling out.

 

Only got a little work done today. I had to put some hours in for a house renovation I am doing on the side.

Here you can see my progress...



got the remaining structure installed and started adhering the foam to the roof. I sure hope I got all the holes because I am NEVER getting this new insulation down lol



close up of the bolted connections this really adds some good rigidity to the roof. Now if only I could figure out what to do about the slight sag in the aluminum....

 

I will do just that as I continue installing the insulation. I hope it helps. Not that it really matters if theres some roof sag because any weight load will be picked up by the aluminum angles. I just dont want water pooling on top mostly

 

Living in New York right now so thats a pretty big concern of mine. When this is all said and done and the roof still seems saggy, I may just store it closed with a 1' square piece of ply and 2x4 post inside to push up the middle and keep water from pooling

 

this is the sag in the roof I am trying to alleviate by the time the ceiling is done.