Replacing a section of floor and spicing up interior fitting!

Out, vile ROT!

So when Rachel found the rot - and holes in the cupboard floor - I did wonder if there was any chance we could ignore it.  Just cover it with vinyl and pretend it didn't happen.  But the more we looked, the clearer it was that this could not be ignored. The floor under the entrance threshold was also going.

We took out the kitchen and bottom half of the wardrobe so that a section of floor could be removed. The rot had tracked a wee way up the framing, so that needed to go too.

We removed most of the rot, but some of the wood still had integrity and was difficult to reach (like behind the wheel arch). So we treated this wood with 4 coats of a wood rot killer and preservative. 

New (section of) floor!

Replacing the floor took a fair of time. I needed to consider the foot-traffic on the threshold and a slumping caravan wall. Access wasn't easy so the assembly of the new sections needed to be well planned.   

I added underfloor supports using L-plates for the treated plywood to sit on. And because I now had access to a small section of the surface-rusted caravan chassis, I 'made the most of it': wire-brushed the steel, treated with rust killer and sprayed on a grey matt primer.  Looked great! 

The wood above the wheel arch was also blown, as was the wooden framing beneath the floor.  All replaced using treated pine - with the aids of some new tools!

Meanwhile, full steam ahead on refreshing the interior fittings

Rachel had been doing a lot of the interior sanding and removing of cabinets and the kitchen. The cabinets have all been spruced up with several coats of Dulux Sandfly Bay creamy-white paint - it looks a dream.

She also got busy with recycling old curtains from the boys' bedrooms. We're not sure of the colour, but at least they're free so worth a go. But first she needed a sewing machine - got a second-hand beauty, a perfect fit for the 70's caravan.

We've bought a beautiful sheet of pressed pine from Mitre 10 to replace the kitchen bench. Eventually we will cut a hole and insert the kitchen sink (rescued from the old kitchen bench). But for now I need to keep going with improving the caravan structure and making it watertight. Plenty of jobs still on the list, and that list just keeps growing.