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Looking at some of the damp pics on the damp repair threads is worrying me a bit, I know we've got some damp in our van and realise that we've got to tackle it, but not looking forward to what we may be in for!

The Fixed it Club are here to help you so don't worry , first can you post on here or email me some pictures of the area both inside and outside .
Caravans are no more than a wooden frame work with a aluminium skin on the outside and decorative wood panels on the inside , plus some polystyrene between the walls for insulation .
Start off by protecting the outside so no more water gets in , use plastic sheeting and gaffer tape .
Now working inside , remove any fixtures that are in the way .
Next , the wallpaper is actually wallboard with a decorative covering stuck to it , you need to remove the damp wallboard , use a wallpaper scraper to help lift the board away from the polystyrene ( some polystyrene will break off when doing this , just try not to remove huge chunks ) .

That's enough to get you started , let us know how you get on and ask as many questions as you like , the Fixed it Club members will advise you each step of the way .

atb

Wizard 

ask any of these guys for advice and it will be sound advice from the people who have gone through the same.

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yes to accent what wizzard says about removing the wall board and minimising the damage to your poly the best way is to use a sharp stanley knife and score strips 2 to 3 inches wide then remove each strip one at a time

you wil find you will only remove half a balls worth of polly doing it this way as the poly tears away from the glue easier when you reduce the surface area and in turn the hold the glue has on the poly

also invest in a damp meter you may find that the area of damp is smaller that the staining on the wallboard this is due to the fact that most of the coverings used on wallboard are vynal based and draw the water along behind it surface water marks are only a visual indication of damp

Thanks for the advice guys, can see already that there will be people on hand to answer any questions we may have when we start to tackle this. We are really keen to use the van over the summer months and hope to start repairs in the autumn. The van seems to be useable, hope nothing drops off or falls apart meanwhile!!

Will definately take pics when we start.

Thanks again.

Hi Josmitheram,

Don't be alarmed by the threads about the dreaded damp, just about anything can be fixed!

You are doing the right thing, If your 'van is actually wet, you are better getting things sealed as soon as possible, but if it is dry where previous damp has done the damage, you can get away with it for a while, while you research the project. I did my repair over the winter and completed in time for the start of my second season, and got away with it, just as you are talking about, but be aware that if you need to take things apart to seal rails and windows, it is better done either during good weather......or in a barn!    You might be able to start re-sealling some joints, one at a time over the summer.

However you go about it, Good luck, and as the guys have said, there is always someone about in here to help if you need any!

Thanks Caradad, will take your advice and do the re-sealing over the summer. Have to say, initially we were aware (from previous owner) that water ingress around the front offside had been dealt with, re-sealed, but we noticed that the grab handle cant be used with any force or it happily parts company with the caravan! Also noticed (after I'd cleaned and polished the front shelf) after our first trip out with it last weekend, debris had appeared in the corner of the shelf again. Guess it was as a result of the caravan moving around. So signs of the wood breaking down underneath I guess.

Then when we took the table out of the bathroom we noticed a bit of wallpaper coming away from the wallboard. The wood underneath was a very dark colour and felt either damp or mouldy. So think that will have to be stripped back.

Looking at the fix-it pics on yours and Wizards' site is leading us to believe its ok to use plyboard to replace wall panels and then cover it with wallpaper?

Jo.

The front handles sounds like mine, so you know what to expect from my photos.  The debris is a sure sign that it is not right underneath.

Plywood is fine, it is usually 3mm which is not easy to find.  I got some from my local Keyline builders, It comes as a protection sheet at the top and bottom of the pile of thicker ply.  I got it for free, as it just packaging and  gets thrown out anyway!  It is worth collecting if you see what you need, as when you go for it later it will be impossible to find!   You can of course get the right caravan wall boards, with the surface finish already on, if you can find one to match.  There are some online suppliers listed on other threads on this site, try this link! http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/chatter/search.asp?search=wallboard&searchMode=allwords&searchIn=Topic&forum=31&searchSort=dateDESC&Submit=Start+Search