Hello can anyone give me some advise please I need to do some repairs to my caravan roof timbers(not sure of the damage as yet until i start to take off the internal wallboards )but assuming that i will need some rib shaped pieces which would be about 40mm wide x 20mm thick I intend to make up a jig for this out of mdf but what i am not sure about is whether to use layers of 3mm ply or cut thin strips of solid timber to do the laminated ribs and what type of glue to use ?? The ribs would be about 700mm long and radius of 300mm
I'm guessing the damage was caused by water ingress? And the original 'ribs' were not water resistant? So, do you need the new ones to be better quality? Or will you fix the roof so well that water-resistance ain't a necessity? I'd suggest that 3mm ply will be more flexible than solid timber - unless you 'steam' the solid wood (it's amazing how flexible wood goes when steamed for a few minutes.) But, for ease, use 3 or 4mm ply - whichever is easiest to find. For gluing, use PVA - simple, strong, allows for repositioning before it dries. If it needs to be water-resistant, use exterior ply and waterproof PVA . Of course for further protection you could always prime and coat the finished items or use a sealer like the stuff used for sealing MDF (hey - I'm learning stuff from another thread... )
Hello Devil Thank you for your reply after a very heavy storm we had a small amount of water come in but when i had a good look around the wall board was a bit spongey in a couple of places.The caravan is stored in France and i will be doing the repairs there so i was going to make up some ribs to save some time .there is a spoiler on the roof which has a joint across the width of the van i going to take this off and refit it with new sealant
If you are going to pre-manufacture these, are you 100% sure you'll have the correct dimensions? Anyways, ext ply (I'm pretty sure Wickes sells whole/half/quarter sheets in 3 or 4mm thick) and waterproof PVA (there are plenty other adhesives you could use too) should see you good. Trim and sand the edges and then prime and seal them with something - not sure what...
Hello Devil I have cut out a cardboard template of the internal shape I will allow the thickness of the ceiling and wallboard when I make up the former for the ribs thanks again for your help those measurements was only a rough guide
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