If there is one part of travel trailers that are often badly exposed to harmful substances then it is the walls. Talk of ultraviolet rays, rainwater, sunshine, dust, bird droppings; just to mention but a few. All these substances can speed up the rate at which your travel trailer’s walls get damaged.
Most of travel trailer walls are often made of the long-lasting aluminium materials. However, low maintenance usually leads to the damage of the same walls even though they might appear strong. It actually takes time for the damage to be significant.
Because travel trailer wall damage is something that you can’t run away from as you will come across it at some point, it is, therefore, important that you at least know how to repair travel trailer walls.
It is for this reason that we thought it wise to put together this article. It is actually going to be of great importance to travel trailer owners.
Causes of travel trailer walls damage
Exposure of the recreational vehicles’ walls to moisture and oxygen is the major cause of damage to their walls. And this is something that happens on a daily basis. The end result is always corrosion that is often manifested in the form of dark spots on the travel trailer walls. Other unwanted stuff like dents and scratches will be visible as well.
The scratches, dents, dark spots and corrosion need to be repaired early enough to increase the travel trailer’s lifespan. Don’t you want to extend the lifetime of your most valued asset? I doubt if there is really anybody who would sit back and watch such an expensive vehicle lose its value when indeed there are ways to avoid such occurrences.
So what are the tools you are going to need when repairing travel trailer walls?
Well, let’s get going now. Firstly, you need to know the kind of tools you’ll need in the entire process. The good news is that they aren’t costly and are readily available in the shops. Here they are:
How to remove dents from your recreational vehicle
Here, first wear your safety gloves and glasses. Using the electric drill and the 1/8-inch bit, drill a hole at the exact centre of the dent. Into a washer, poke the 1-inch self-tapping screw and use the drill to force the screw into the already drilled hole at the dented area. The washer shouldn’t hold firmly against the travel trailer’s wall.
Now pull out the washer until the dented wall (aluminium) comes back to its original position. If it appears to be a little hard to pull, use the pliers as it provides a much better grip. Remove the screw and washer and you’ll only be left with a hole that is 1/8-inch in the trailer’s wall.
After that is done, go ahead and spread the aluminium filler (plastic) over that hole using the putty knife. The hole should be completely filled with the filler before being left to cure for 2 days or more depending on the weather conditions.
Use the medium-grade sandpaper to remove excess filler from the wall then use a moistened rag to wipe off all the sandpaper dust from the travel trailer walls. Use a towel to dry the walls thereafter.
You can now go ahead and paint the already sanded filler with latex paint by using the synthetic brush. For a nice finish that is uniform as well, make the painting strokes uniform and smooth. Leave the paint for two days to dry.
How to repair corrosion and scratches on the travel trailer walls
Clearing corrosion and scratches from your travel vehicle’s walls isn’t a hard task. First, have the cleaning rag dipped in water to saturation. Then proceed to wipe down the corroded and scratched parts of the walls to clear away any grime. Once you are done, use the towel to dry the already wet wall.
Now, use the medium-grade sandpaper to rub over the corrosion patches and scratches. Only stop this when the corrosion is fully eliminated with no traces of scratches left. Have another cleaning rag moistened in water for use in wiping all the sandpaper dust from the travel trailer’s wall. And then dry the wall using another towel to prevent additional corrosion.
The sanded areas should then be primed to prevent further corrosion as well. The metal primer should be sprayed uniformly across the travel trailer’s walls. Leave the prime to dry for a minimum of 24 hours before the trailer wall is painted.
This is where the acrylic latex paint becomes important. Apply it using the synthetic paintbrush. The strokes should be uniform and smooth for a better finish. The paint should be allowed to dry completely for another 24 hours.
And with that, you will have done away with corroded patches and scratches from your travel trailer walls.
Caution:
Winding Up
How to repair travel trailer walls is a topic that every camper should be well-conversant with. As you have already seen, these processes aren’t much involving. They are tasks you can just perform on your own at home. With this article as your reference, there is absolutely no reason as to why you will have to spend some extra money on a garage for the repair of the trailer walls.
The repair process calls for some carefulness though as you might end up damaging the walls more if you don’t follow the steps promptly. Aren’t these things you can do on your own? How about you follow these simple steps to ensuring an extended lifetime of your trailer?
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