Replacment mirrors in wash room and mastic

[Guest Rees]

I have decided to replace the two sliding mirrors on that cover the Contessa cabinet in the shower room of our Herald Aragon. I have found local firms that are able to cut the mirros glass to size and of the appropriate thickness, drill the hole to replace the door catch and smooth all glass edges. How should I remove the mastic that has been used to seal the cabinet in above the tip-up wash basin? What type of mastic should I use to replace the shallow groves/plastic ahnnels that carry the sliding glass? Any guidance will be much appreciated.

[Guest David Powell]

Hi Rees..I have just finished revamping my washroom, had to fit a new shower tray so stripped everything out and did a total refurbish from new vinyle paper up. Furnishings that were sealed in, a Stanley knife cut all the mastic around the edges no problem, but the shower tray had been stuck on to the floor under the tray as well as a seal around the edges, and no way would it come out. It was cracked anyway so I just had to break it out in bits. I have used two methods for fixing washroom plastic furnishings, for small jobs:- commercial superglue, as sold at M/C Shows, reasonable success. Big jobs:- rough up both surfaces and use "NO NAILS" sparingly, so far OK, touch wood, have been using that for a while. Tip passed on to me by a pal I was helping do a job in his 'van. Are you sure you have to remove the channels that hold the sliding glass doors? Some have a deeper top channel so you just have to lift the glass upwards deeper into the top cannel and it just comes forward out of the lower channel, the latch stops it from bouncing out when you are on the road. I have seen one where you have to slide the glass to the centre to lift it clear, so have a little survey before you start. Good luck, go for the easy options first.

[Guest Derek Uzzell]

Rees: Good advice from David, but I think our Herald Templar had the same bathroom furniture as your Aragon and I remember thinking "It's a pity they didn't fit a deeper top channel and cut the mirrored doors so they could easily be lifted out for cleaning/replacement". Certainly worth investigating whether it's possible on your 'van though. Ordinary good-quality white 'sanitary' silicone sealant available from builders merchants would be suitable for sealing all bathroom joints (though it may yellow over time). My experience was that the joints between walls and the Thetford bench-toilet were prone to failure. I remade them several times but they always cracked subsequently due to bodywork movement. Not sure what adhesive would be best to fix the mirror-channels back in place - I think double-sided tape might have been used originally. One of the high-strength polyurethane adhesives marketed by SIKA would work, but it would be an expensive solution for such a small job. Personally, I'd try Grip-Fast (because I've got some) even though it's not recommended for damp environments. Suggest you explore the shelves of DIY stores to see if there's a suitable adhesive available in small quantities.

[Guest David Powell]

With ref: to Dereks observations about bench type Thetfords, here is something to think about. Put a suitable weight on the seat equal to a persons weight, and the top will bend downward and the sides pull away fron walls. Fill the gap with a good flexible bathroom sealant, and remove the weight in 48 hours, and the sealant will compress as the thetford resumes it's original shape. The theory is that you are now compressing the sealant and not stretching it which eventually pulls it unstuck. I have done this and it works (so far) But it may of course just be a one off fluke.It costs nothing to try next time your sealant breaks away.

[Guest Rees Pryce]

Many thanks for these helpful comments. What a fund of expert knowledge there is with MMM readers! I have now removed the two mirrors and commissioned a local glazier factory (Treforst Glass - they make mirrors, windows and anything involving glass sheets and plates) to cut replacements, polish the edges (so that they do not fingers) and drill a hole in one of them for the catch. These new mirrors will be backed after the glass has been cut with a special thin plastic which is now required to be applied to all mirror backings for safety reasons. It prevents the mirror from smashing up into small dangerous pieces and also provides a measure of protection again steam (as in a wash room on motor caravans). The total cost for the replacment mirros is £34.15. I could have had replacemnt mirrors cut in a local glazier's shop but they did not impress me about the protective backing and seem to lack expertise on mirror protection. I removed the runners that support the mirrors, using a thin sharp lade. I discovered that two-sided tape had been used to stick it in place by the original Herald builders. When I asked for advice at the glass factory and showed them a sample of the removed tape, immediately they recognised the material as two-sided 'yellow' tape, which had a very strong bonding adn is widely used for fixing glass and especially mirros in frames etc etc. In fact, that gave me about 1 metre length wich is all I need to stick back the runners in place on the plastic shelf just below the vanity cupboard in the washroom. So, thanks, again, for your comments; and I have learned something new myself which I now share - hence this message. Rees.