2006 Hobby Caravan - Replacing Damp Moldy Gas Locker Shelf

Water ingress is the killer of caravans. It brings with it dampness and condensation which leads to mold and mildew. The particular wood that's used in caravans is chosen for its lightness in construction. But chip or fibre board once wet quickly destroys its strength and cohesion.

So it's best to replace all the destroyed wood and dry out and treat the rest that is structurally sound. And that's exactly what I have done here. I replaced the very light laminated shelf with two layers of tong and groove boards, screwed and glued together. The old shelf was used as a template to create the new shelf.

Also, I replaced the side panels with new exterior large particle chip board. Again the old panels were used as a template. I used the straight edge which will butted up against the straight window wall. Then I hand sawed the other sides that didn't need such straight precision as the plastic edge would cover the front and I could adjust the bottom edge to match the slightly uneven shelf.

Finally a thin strip was nailed to the edge of the shelf to hide my hand sawed cut, which as it turned out was very straight! I used a couple of inches of double sided sticky foam tape to fix the ends of the wooden edge trim.