Hi I have just bought an old adria optima and realised the inside of the door at the bottom is rotten. Can I replace the inner wood with 3mm ply or is it easyer to find a new door?
The outside of the door is aluminium I think. Any advice would be greatly appreciated as this is my first caravan.
If you look at the pictures in the repair section you will often find that small patch of damp they want to sort extends 10ft in every direction from the initial spot.
Sticking a bit of ply over may make the area look better. But will it be putting pack any strength lost through having rotten timber behind?
Have you found out why its rotten? Leaking somewhere?
Hi Thanks for the replies.the damp just seems to be on the bottom of the door and there is evidence that the inside of the frame has been resealed with sealant. There is a very small hole in the outside of the door near the bottom. Perhaps that's how it got in. Will post pictures for future reference.
The wood in the door seems to be all the way through though
If it is the door itself that is rotten it will be probably easier to repair than find another door that fits. If the exterior alloy skin is punctured or corroded you can repair that with IsoponP40 from the back before replacing interior panel.
Hi Thanks for the advice replaced the rotten wood and put the trim back on. Will post finished pictures he is the pictures for before and after wood removal.
Thanks for that. This seems to work. The inside is mostly polystyrene. Will post the finished article later. But the door is also bowed at the top (was already like this) so I'll need to attach some kind of catch at the top to pull it in. Will try our anyway.
What about filling the hole with some pu sealant that you use to stick the wood back and stick on a small piece of drinks can (suggested on here before by Al+mel) on the inside. Just stick a small badge, decal or reflector on the outside
That's a good idea Thanks a lot for the advice. Here's the door so far the Black stuff is outdoor sealant. Looks rough at the moment but should tidy up ok.
I would have personally used PU sealant, would have been a lot longer lasting and white. But you've done it now and is on the inside, so jobs a good 'un.
I'm sure it'll hold fine. As I said it's on the inside so shouldn't be a problem.
If you use a PU sealant such as Sikaflex it's a brilliant adhesive, so can be used to stick batons and wallboard without the need for screws. it's also marine standard so highly waterproof and flexible.
You don't need to worry about the repair you've done, just handy to know in case you have any other damp repairs. I used a much cheaper PU18 sealant inside that was as good as Sikaflex and other people also recommend Soudal Fix-it-all.
I'll see if I have a picture of my repair. I have repaired the hole on the outside caused by water corroding the Alu on the inside (the inside is untreated so is oxidised by water) with Sikaflex but still looking for a badge or decal to cover it up, as quite a large patch.
Make sure you have found the source of water ingress, as the hole in the door might not be the culprit and maybe just corrosion like mine.