Damp Door and Delamination 2

This is how it looks after the hardener has done it's work. Next, tackle the delamination.	Kit for injecting epoxy resin into the voids below the floor.	Ready to start, holes drilled at 200mm centres through top ply over affected area then vacuumed.
Supported the floor underneath against sagging,using a piece of plywood.	After injecting the epoxy the floor is now solid(See below, for a fuller detail of how it was done)	The damage had happened over a long time. Suspected the top of the door seal.
Sure enough, small cracks in the sealant above the door.	Plastic insert removed to gain access to the screws.	Cracked on this side too.
All screws removed at the top down as far as the hinge, sealant scraped out, took a while.	Sealant applied, used Sikaflex 512 Caravan. Then put screws back in.	Top view, next job to fit new plastic trim.
Started at the bottom, found it best to put the inside edge in the groove and used a plastic scraper to ease in the other side.	Decided to finish off the bottom, as shown.	Completed job, may take the whole door out in the future to re-seal, but there are more pressing jobs to do.

Using the Delamination Kit

Used a Jack to support the floor, found a piece of ply that fitted under the main part of the repair and the caravan chassis member and just took the jack up until it gently pressed the floor, did this in case the floor wanted to sag. Sorry, no photos using the kit, the reason is that once you start working with the resin, it’s a case of don’t stop until its finished. Using the kit was straight forward enough, mixed small pot into the big pot and I used an old wooden spoon to mix. I put some latex gloves on and using the syringe full of resin methodically worked from one side of the floor to the other, as the resin came out of a hole next to the one I was injecting it into, it was a case of pluging the hole ( provided in the kit were black plastic plugs) you are injecting into then move to the one it’s just started to come out of. Have plenty of rags handy because as you take the syringe out of the hole the resin wants to come out of it!

After completing I was left with one full syringe of resin, I left it in there to see how it went off (as I did it a few days before Christmas and was not going back for a while) I then placed a polythene sheet over the area then on top of that a piece of 19mm plywood and on top of that two gas cylinders and the spare tyre. I left it 4 days before returning and the resin in the syringe was rock hard, after taking the polythene sheet off there were a few ridges, but they were easily removed with a belt sander, floor feels solid now. I will be fitting a new carpet in due course.

Some costings: Delamination kit approx £25-£30 from O'Learys, plastic trim for door 45 pence per metre from Barrons(now Discover), wet rot and wood hardener £7-£8 from B&Q (if memory serves) Update 15th January 2009  The floor is still solid, so it seems like a permanent solution.

Page Created 27th June 2007/Updated 15th January 2009