Replacing Slide-out Floor
I replaced the floor under the carpet on my slide-out because the floor has a sag due to water damage plus the material is particle board rather than plywood.
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I had gotten estimates from RV service shops and the lowest price I could find was $2,250 plus tax and I would have to hire someone to take our RV to the shop and back. Also we would have to get a motel room for 2 nights. This seemed a bit pricey
I decided to do the job myself. I spent the last few months researching the project for how to replace the floor and what types of tools I would need. I inspected my slide-out many times to see how it was put together, even went so far as to drill a hole thru the floor to find out how thick the floor is.
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I have a limited amount of tools and I wanted to do the job right so my only option is to by the tools. I bought a 3 gallon air compressor, a 2 in 1 staple/brad nailer, compressor attachments, fold up saw horses, a flat pry bar, 20 volt cordless drill, drill bits, a set of socket extensions to the cordless drill and an oscillating saw. I also bought all the construction materials I need to complete the job. Total cost for tools and material came to $408.46 and that includes sales tax and shipping.
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The following photos are the tools that I needed for the job and did not have at the time. To make life easier for me I ordered them on line from Harbor Freight and they were delivered to my door. The shipping was just $6.99 for the whole lot. Nine days shipping is not bad at all.
The Job
Removing the floor and installing the new one was quite easy when having the proper tools and quality materials to do the job even if you have never done such a project. The key is to do your research, and don't panic.
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The steps I took was to remove any trim on the outside that was attached to the floor either from the sides and bottom. Then I removed 4 screws on each side of the slide-out and used those holes to place 2 x 6 stilts on each end to hold the slide-out up. Next I used the bottle jack to raise the slide up 1 inch so I could place a block under the trim on the inside of the slide-out. This gave a small bit of room the pull the floor out by hand once the carriage was unbolted from the floor and all the screws were removed as well. Once I was done on the outside I went inside and removed the booth, table, couch and carpet. Then I removed the floor board, cut another to size and slid the new floor in from the inside.
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With the new plywood floor in it was time to screw the floor to the bottom of the walls, install the carriage bolts, put the carpet back in, reinstall the booth, table and couch, remove the blocks that were under the trim, remove the stilts and put the old screws back in then reinstall the outside trim that was removed. The project took me 7 hours to complete and that includes picking up the mess I made and putting the tools away.
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Sorry about not having any photos. The job was going so easy that I didn't stop to take any pictures.