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Hi,

we are fixing damp in the shower at moment and are going to reseal the window after printing off 9 pages from Alsparkers website. We still have more work to do and could really do with some advice please.

1. We want to seal all outer rails on the van, which sealant do we use?

2. We have discovered a crack on the rear of the van near the grab handle, what can we fix it with that will still allow movement? This could be fibreglassed from inside before shower is repaired says hubby, is this right?

3. Where can I find a decent choice of Fablon for redecorating the shower walls or is there something else we can use?

Thanks in advance

   Sue & Neil

Hello both,

Sealant..... there are many opinions to this, some prefer Sikaflex, some use Seamseal or silicone based products, personally i prefer to use mastic-on-a-roll, it is excellent stuff, causes no mess whatsoever, and in our opinion is a far easier and quicker method.

I'm sure the fibreglass method your hubby speaks of for repairing the crack will do the trick, he seems to know what he's on about!

We got our fablon from Focus, they had it on special offer and it worked out £15 cheaper than B&Q! You can also buy waterproof paints which look and work well so i'm told.

all the best.

(ps: try Here for your sealants)

Hi Sue & Neil

glad my website has helped you

as grub says the mastic on a roll got my vote too. I also agree on the fiberglass method . we used a good quality vinyl paper from B&Q and as we don't use the shower room for anything other than the toilet and storage we will use vinyl paper in their when we redecorate it this winter.

Thanks Grub & Alsparker.

How do we seal the external rails with mastic on a roll? Sorry to seem thick but we've never had a caravan before.

Do we take the rails off or something? I want the whole outside of the van to be watertight for winter. As it's an older van (abbey spectrum 1990/91) I want to keep up with all repairs etc. We have bought a damp meter today so will check any other areas, I'm hoping it's all ok

Sue & Neil

Hello again,

Resealing the rails is quite straight forward..... take out the coloured plastic rail inserts, unscrew the screws holding the rail on, clean off all the old mastic with a screwdriver/scraper and white spirit, then apply the new mastic-on-a-roll to the length of the rail (making sure to cover all the screw holes), apply another strip of mastic to the caravan itself, again making sure that any joins in the caravans metal sheeting (that are often behind rails) are covered by the mastic, press the rail firmly back in place and fit new screws, remove any residue bits 'bulging out' carefully with a stanley knife. refit plastic insert. Job done!

hope that helps.

Thanks Grub,

I have been looking at all the fixed it members webpages and am now in the process of printing 28 pages of information.

What a good job you have all made of your vans, I hope ours turns out as nice.

Thanks Sue & Neil

Here's my website , it should give you some usefull info http://hp-h.com/p/wizard41/

As to sealants , i used W4 roll mastic and Sikaflex 512 Caravan sealant for my awning rails . Fibreglass repair from the inside sounds the best way to go about it . If you use Fablon make sure you stick it on really well , i used it for one of my caravan repairs and it was constantly lifting away .

atb

Wizard

Thanks Wizard,

your website is the one where i printed off 28 pages of information so  we can follow instructions. Thanks for the help

Sue & Neil

I've used Seamseal and redid with Silkaflex...Think that says it all....Thank you to the fix it team......

Jackie...

Are you fixed on using fablon? showerboard is not so expensive from O'learys. Have a look at

https://sslrelay.com/olearymotorhomeshop.co.uk/sess/utn;jsessionid=15451170e07abdd/shopdata/?main_url=product_overview.shopscript

Unfortunately I couldn't get prices. I bought my wallboards from caravanparts.net but I remember reading on this forum that O'learys are cheaper.

If it were me I would cost up both. Showerboard is more expensive but (imho) you get a good result. With some boards you can also buy matching tape to cover the joins.

Whatever you decide the main thing is to take your time to think about how to solve the inevitable problems and chose the materials you are going to use. Labour is by far the most expensive part of damp repairs, and you want to get it right first time. It isn't rocket science anyone with basic woodworking skills and the right tools can do the job. The only tool I bought was an electric staple gun, which was worth its weight in gold.

Good luck with the repair

Simon

Thanks Simon,

no I didn't really want to use fablon as I've heard it peels off too easily so I will look at the link you gave me for showerboards. I've never heard of them before.

Thanks Sue