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Subject Topic: Reinforcing My floor Abbey Aventura 2004 Post Reply Post New Topic
via mobile 08/9/2024 at 6:41pm
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Hi All,
Firstly I am just after fixing the rear end of my caravan after finding a leak emanating from a perished seal on the back of the shower unit, when water was in the system it was just a drip but when the shower was in use ( very rarely ) it became a full blown running tap which was hidden behind some boxing in. The entire back corner was rotten as seen in the attached pictures. So we have decided to do away with shower altogether. I also found a previous leak on the left hand side rear which had rotten the 2x1 battens up to the door. Also now fixed after a weekend of chopping out all the rotten wood and section of floor and replacing. The entire bathroom floor also has been replaced.
We also have some sponginess in the living area so I have purchased some of the delam kits which I will do this week which I hope will fix the issue.
However my question is this ( and has most likely been answered before but I can't seem to find any YouTube videos or any other info regarding doing this, but as there doesn't seem to be too much in the way of structural support below the floor except from the chassis, ( we are not the lightest of humans btw) is it an option to fix some lengths of 3x2 along the centre of the chassis to help reinforce the floor or will this mess with the balance of the caravan ?

Thanks 👍

Tom


09/9/2024 at 11:10am
 Location: Near Alton Towers
 Outfit: Bailey Burgundy S7 H
View Pickled Onion's Profile View Profile   Reply to Pickled Onion Reply   Quote Pickled Onion Quote  
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Hi Tom and welcome to the forum. Caravan bodywork, is by its very nature of trying to be lightweight, is quite flimsy, a bit like a big shoe box.

I doubt that a bit of 2x3 as you suggest would drastically affect the stability of the van but I just wonder why not just replace the original wood with similar now that the leak is fixed? This would give a greater area of floor support than a beam across.

Dave.

-------------
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day,
Teach a man to fish and you can get rid of him for a whole weekend.


via mobile 09/9/2024 at 7:34pm
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So here's

This is what the new floor looks like down, replaced with 6mm ply. My fear is while scraping the old rotten stuff ( I'm a heavy lad) I have now have delamination on the lower ply now as it is very spongy in around where the polystyrene insulation joined in the bathroom. I have ordered 3 of the kits off ebay now and will attempt the drilling and filling technique to see does that solve it.


via mobile 09/9/2024 at 7:36pm
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This was the floor scraped. I'm a novice diyer but couldn't afford to pay for a pro to do the work so had a go myself, I'm just worried now I've messed up and will need to rip apart and do the entire thing again


10/9/2024 at 12:49pm
 Location: Near Alton Towers
 Outfit: Bailey Burgundy S7 H
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No, a lot of jobs around caravan repairs would be uneconomical to have them done professionally as they take too long and the labour charge would be huge, but they are well within the handyman DIYer range as they are non-technical.

I too am a bit on the chunky side and yep, you've guessed it, we had delamination issues. Unitially at the front door and sink/cooker/fridge area but eventually over the years the whole floor had to be done.

You don't mention which delam kit you hace opted for, one one shot or two pack? I used the one-shot stuff as the application seemed simpler with no underfloor bracing and weights on top. In general it has done the job admirably. My tip, use plenty of dowels (every couple of inches), and sufficient but not too much gunge, (especially so with the two pack stuffas it expands more aggressivly) but they are what can give the construction great strength as the glue/foam adheres to them and firms up the floor sandwich as it fills the voids. Draw a patern on the top before you start to get the spacing correct, (remember that you may encounter internal battens when you drill and obviously there is no need to drill them) Only drill the top ply and the styrofoam, the dowels will then stand on the bottom ply.

Good luck,

Dave.

Don't worry, caravan construction is very basic and there are videos to give you info on YouTube before you start.

-------------
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day,
Teach a man to fish and you can get rid of him for a whole weekend.


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via mobile 11/9/2024 at 8:18pm
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Thanks for the reply, so yeah I too opted for the one shot stuff of ebay (hopefully arriving tomorrow) I'm not sure can you see but I have the grid drawn out in the first pic, I did every 100mm, but don't really need to do the outer bits as I have sufficiently reinforced with bigger timber battens. Once I have the one shot and dowels back in do you think it would be a good idea to put down another sheet of say 4mm ply covering the entire bathroom floor for a bit of extra support and I'm think of sanding back the ridge between the kitchen and bathroom.
I am having different vinyl down in the bathroom and living area as that what the missus wanted and we got them as off cuts from a carpet shop so got it cheap, I will then just put down a strip to cover the gap and then you won't feels the height difference between the 2 floors. Or will the 4mm height difference make mich difference when reinstalling the toilet? I'm thinking possibly yes. Sorry for all the questions I just find this a bit daunting and don't want to **** it up. We are due to go away for the weekend in 2 weeks so I need to get my skates on lol.


12/9/2024 at 12:01pm
 Location: Near Alton Towers
 Outfit: Bailey Burgundy S7 H
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Please don't apologize for asking questions, that's exactly what you should be doing, and one of the main reasons for this and many other forums.

Sorry I missed the grid on the first photo. To be honest, if it were me, I'd skip the extra layer of ply and double up on how many dowels that I used to avoid the possible problems you already mentioned. It makes a surprisingly sound repair, it's just that the old styrofoam wasn't dense enough to do the job properly and isn't used anymore.

Another tip, soak the dowels in water for quarter an hour or so before using them, it's the water that initiates the chemical reaction causing the one-shot to foam up and expand into the void underneath the ply.

It can be a messy business so set your stall out with everything to hand before you start and try to keep it clean.

Dave.

-------------
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day,
Teach a man to fish and you can get rid of him for a whole weekend.


via mobile 12/9/2024 at 5:27pm
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Thankyou sir for the advice, I will follow this and report back when (if ever lol) this stuff arrives. Ebay delivery time to Ireland is brutal these days hence why I rarely use them. I couldn't find anywhere on amazon which is my addiction for all things caravan that I've upgraded so far


via mobile 29/9/2024 at 6:40pm
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He's the finished result, minus the shower now and just been for a weekend away to Tipperary, really happy with how it turned out , thanks a million for the advice mate much appreciated 👍



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