How to renovate mouldy pop top caravan?

[Jaybay]

I am so very lucky AI brought me to this helpful site. My husband and I have been given a 2004, Millard Horizon special edition. Unfortunately,  it has been leaking for some time and mould is very apparent near the left bed. My husband has already made a great start on it and we are on a bit of a deadline to make it work.

My husband has already taken the roof off and we are waiting on the ceiling to be delivered. We also got a new sleeve made by bagsnswags - amazing - less than a week turnaround and only $700.

Now we are looking at the interior and I really need someone to help me with the next steps in fixing the areas where the mould has penetrated. I am at a loss as to where to start.

 

 

 

[JacobZ]

Hi @Jaybay,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

While I myself am not hugely familiar with caravan renovations, our wonderful members @twocutekelpies and @Peggers are, and I am sure they'd be able to help out.

I imagine the best place to start would be by ripping out any mould-affected timber. If there is mould on the surface, there is likely mould beneath, so stripping out and assessing the damage is likely your best first step.

Once the mould-affected timber has been removed, you can assess the damage and come up with a logical plan of attack.

You might like to have a look through these 15 caravan and campervan renovation projects for some guidance and inspiration. Seeing what others have done may help you come up with a plan.

Also, allow me to tag our knowledgeable and helpful members @Dave-1, @AlanM52 and @TedBear to see if they can assist.

Jacob

[Dave-1]

Good Afternoon @Jaybay 

Cheering, nice win on the caravan  

My first thoughts were that the mould has probarally entered the timbers, Maybe replace the underside of the lounge seats with new timbers? But then the walls... Mmm I have seen paint for ceilings that kill and cover mould but not sure how much it would kill mould embedded within laminate timbers.

Is the wall a shiny surface or is it a porous suface? If its a shiny surface then maybe the mould can be removed resonably easy? 

Another question comes to mind, Are you repairing like for like or are you going to change the inetrior design around? If you change the interior around it may solve the removal of the mouldy timber as you remove it for the new layout?

I would have a look at mould killing paint for teh surfaces you dont want to remove and replace all the loose pieces of the beds/lounges as the easiest course of action.

Dave

[twocutekelpies]

Hi @Jaybay 

I would say the mould has come from within the walls so all the way through the ply, I would advise removing all of the affected timber and replacing. Are those rivets I can see holding the panels on? If so, then aluminium frame and great news, if screws, then there would be worse damage behind the ply. I would drill the rivets out and carefully cut out the affected ply and use it as a template to replace with new. I find a multifunction tool great for this job, just be careful to keep the blade very shallow so nothing else is cut - eg frame, wiring, outside cladding (yes, I've seen a few novice renovators cut right through!) 

Depending on your location, you may be able to source caravan ply locally via a plywood supplier or somewhere like The Bunker, otherwise try special orders at Bunnings (Forest One supplier), or you could use 3mm ply from Bunnings and paint the whole interior to match in. Caravan ply is often poly or paper coated and 2.7-3.2mm thick and very lightweight. 

Have you resolved the leak? Taken out and resealed the windows with new sealant, also trims/j rails and anything else that may have caused the damage?

Also check the back corners of the floor to make sure water hasn't penetrated and caused any rot there, it's amazing how far water can travel in a caravan from the actual source.

It may seem daunting but there's plenty of experience online to get you out of trouble if needed. Good luck and keep us updated. (Johanna from Bags'n'Swags does amazing work, doesn't she 😊 )

Cheers

Shelley

[Jason]

Hi @Jaybay,

Let me also extend a very warm welcome to the community. We look forward to seeing how you can transform your van.

Please let us know if you have any follow-up questions after the responses you have received. 

Just wanted to add for your benefit and for others that experienced caravan renovator @Peggers has shared comprehensive step-by-step guides to renovating your own caravan, including choosing the right van, repairing, painting and styling.

• How to renovate a caravan - Part 1 

• How to renovate a caravan - Part 2 

• How to renovate a caravan - Part 3.

Thanks,

Jason

[Jaybay]

Thank you so much. Yep wood is porous. Great idea about the paint, thank you. Not sure if we are going to rearrange the space. I think we may have looked at that, but we've got a deadline to get it ready to go late November. 

[Jaybay]

Hey Shelley, so much information,  thank you. We're in Broome, so luckily have a Bunnings. My hubby is still working on the roof/ceiling and then we'll get to the inside. Now deciding what 12 volt lights we want in the ceiling. I'll have a look through renovation pics of the vans for inspection. Thanks again.