hi again.....i have put up a couple of posts concerning spongy floor in my van,have been told its called de-lamination,have to admit having a van for many years that is a new one to me...however..having had a few responses on how to fix it,is there any other way to repair this problem,or does it have to be done with this 2 pack resin..also if this is the only way does the syringe and caps to block holes all come supplied with kit,basically what is in the kit and any recomandations as to which brand kit to buy,especially if this is the only option to repair this problem..many thanks again..mike.
I bought a resin kit from Ebay think it was around £28, it came with syringe and wood dowels (as used when assembeling flatpack furniture units)no need to cap the holes as the dowels protrude a little, and when set these are cut of I used a hacksaw blade and then sanded smooth. I did buy extra dowels from B&Q, a pretty straight forward repair. I did mine two years ago and is still very strong with no movement or squeaking.
hi,delamination...frightening no if you set out your stall and take your time.this is not a two hour job as stated,when you have finished you will know why they charge so much at the caravan repair shop.i have just done ours a few months ago.i will go through the steps best i can.ours had gone in two places,next to the door entrance and next to the sink four feet away.you will find that delamination is where the floor is used most.ie next to the sink and the door entrance.first decide how much delamination you have,ie.2 feet (old school) or 6 feet,this information is required when you go to order your epoxi resin mix.one mix will cover about 3 feet by 3 feet.got mine from barrons £25 for both tins.you also need a large syringe to inject the mixed epoxi resin.this will also sell.also the chemicals (glue) are called apollo 1 and apollo 2.i think the code is A8136.the small tin is the hardener and must be used in the time on the tin.the first thing is to remove all carpets or lino.second(must) tape up all joints and the cowls under the caravan .use a good tape.ie brown packing tape,3 in wide.if you dont the glue will run out on to the ground outside through all the seams.you will not know until you see a pool on the path..third ,support the floor under the van in some way so it cannnot bend when pressure is placed on top,do not push up the floor.you can damage the fittings inside.use wood blocks stacked up just touching the floor on the underside in the same place as the delamination.fourth find a sharp 10mm drill .you need to buy 10 mm round wood to cut and plug the holes,sold in 6 foot lengths.this needs cutting into plugs,half inch long and sanded down at one end to make it go in easy.the next step is to do a test hole,find a place that has no gas pipes on the underside.slowly drill one hole until it only just touches the plywood at the bottom.DO NOT DRILL THROUGH.tape up the drill at this depth,use plenty of tape to stop the drill going deeper than it should.mark out the area of delamination,black marker,in a square grid pattern of 4 inch each way .when finished you will have a large square full of holes to the size of the delamination.ie.3 x 3 feet.clean away all and any dust or shavings.have a large polythene bag ready to put over the square,the glue does not stick to polythene.you need a tin or old pan to mix into of the correct size for size of mix.a clean strong stick to stir the mix.only mix what you need within the time allowed.start at the rear end injecting the holes one by one until it flows out then plug with the wood plug.when finished ,place poly bag over all holes.put a heavy weight on top ie.wheels and tyres or gas bottles.leave for 24 hours to dry.sand down all plugs until smooth.you must wear a mask for the fumes and open the windows when you are doing the job.rubber gloves are handy too.CHECK UNDERSIDE FOR GAS PIPES BEFORE STARTING.wish i could type.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
We got our kit from our local Caravan Shop, just under £30 I think. That will do about 2/3 of a sq m, depending on how bad it is. Everything we needed was in the kit.
Floor delamination repair is very easy just follow the advice of Michael and you will be fine, i did mine a few months ago, buy the proper kit and allow a few days to complete the job as you will to let it cure overnight.
------------- A man with one watch knows what time it is; a man with two watches is never quite sure.
Just to add something here guys, if you are sufferering delam then you need to drill your holes and then let the area dry. Delam, even if not initally caused by moisture ingress, usually does absorb some moisture and unless this is got rid of it will come back to haunt you. It shrinks and expands as the temperature varies and seeps further an further into the structure breaking it up as it goes. Drill the holes put some mild heating on and leave it a week to dry out.
There is another way of fixing delamination and that is from underneath, dealers do it that way then the carpet/flooring is left in tact. The glue used only moves when under pressure, that is why it does not just drip back out of the holes.
I did my floor delamination about three years ago now, still good. The link might give you an idea of what's involved, if you decide to have a go yourselves.
Quote: Originally posted by jennifernn on 09/3/2010
I can't say I have ever heard that before. How does the moisture get in?
It just does!! Expansion and contraction of the air in the delam section 'sucks' it in. If air can get in, moisture will also get in.
I deal with delaminated composite panels pretty much every day. You would not believe how much water can get into a 'sealed' section of delam. We use heat blankets and a vacuum pump to draw the moisture out but that just gets it out faster.
Any moisture at all left in a delam'd panel will cause problems later on.
Quote: Originally posted by jennifernn on 11/3/2010
Are you working with caravans?
No - my usual work is on Airbus and Boeing aircraft - I run the composite workshops for an airline, but composite is composite whatever it is fitted to
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Topic: de-lamination repair
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