The Framers Forum

I've been asked by a customer what the best way is of hanging pictures in their static caravan without hammering nails into the flimsy walls. They've already tried those sticky pads advertised on TV and the picture immediately fell back off the wall within 30 minutes, which was good for me as I've got the re-framing job. The walls have a bobble effect on them which is why the pads probably didn't work.

Any ideas anyone?

Any 'uprights' in the walls they could wedge/fix a batten between, then fix to that?

Perhaps the junction between the ceiling and the walls has some point they could use, as a picture rail(if you see what I mean)?

I'm sure Gorilla will do something, but I bet it'll never come off!!

Or.....how about those damn powerful magnets you can get, as they're metal walls?

Good luck!

I think you may be about to open a rather nasty can of worms. There are quite a number of static caravan parks around Bovey Tracey and lots of retired people live in them. They are produced on a production line in a factory and are not designed to be taken apart, so getting behind interior wall panels is quite a risky thing to do.

Usually the exterior walls are a sandwich of the outer panel, a centre core of structural insulating material and the inner lining, I don't expect you to be able to undo a few screws and get behind the inner lining panel, as they are not usually made like that. I would leave this problem to somebody else. If whatever means of fixing these pictures de-values the static caravan, you could be faced with being sued for compensation.

It's not your problem, your the picture framer, stick to what you know how to do and don't making a rod for your own back. Whatever else you do don't even think about drilling any holes in the lining, the chances of filling and hiding any holes are zilch, so don't do it.

I know a fair bit about static caravans. My outside workshop is one.

They are built very flimsily in order to keep the weight to a minimum, but are very cleverly constructed to keep them rigid.
The internal fittings - cupboards/walls/worktops form an integral part of the structure.

The 'studs' in mine are hardwood square section no more than about 30mm. I stripped out all the inside fittings, at which point the
outer walls became very wappy. I ended up lining the inside with 2x2" frames backed with roofing felt. These were screwed into the
existing wooden framework and then faced with 3/4" chipboard, with insulation in the cavity. I also had the floor up and shored up
the chassis with huge timber beams and about 40 breeze blocks. Even replaced all the roof trusses. It's very solid now. It will never
hit the road again although there is still wind in the tyres.

I realise that this is not use whatever re. the problem. There is no way to reliably fix thing to the walls without making holes and this
is a bit iffy anyway as there might be a waterproof membrane behind the hardboard. As I said earlier today, we are not magicians.

Thanks for the replies.

Just to make things clear, I have no intentions of putting the pictures up myself. That's the customers job as already stated. Useful information about the construction of caravans though and has confirmed what I was thinking.

Prospero's workshop looks very good though

Is there no end to what that prospero bloke can do? Master picture framer, fine artist, expert caravan converter.........you can go off people you know, Peter

At least I learned a new word today; 'Wappy'' I can just imagine Frank Muir blagging the definition on Call My Bluff.

If only my 'chop shop' looked as neat and tidy today. It's a rairt okkshun at the moment. (more Lincy speak).

Actually it's the perfect storage space for moulding and cutting of same. 25 feet long and 9 feet wide.
It's only 6 foot 6 ins headroom. I cutout and extra door so I could poke moulding out to turn it round.

I really like 'Wappy'. One of those words you sort of know what it means before you look it up

I agree with Cleaver - 'Wappy'. I knew what it meant immediately even though it's not a word I use

As Kid Creole and his Coconuts sang: ono...... ono.....onomatopoeia

One fairly easy solution to hanging pictures inside a static caravan could be to fit a hagning system which uses an extrusion mounted on the junction on the wall and the ceilling which takes those Perlon transparent filaments and picture hooks for hanging the pictures.

With modern improvement in adhesive technology and assembly techniques, modern static caravans can have construction method that make it impossible to repair holes drilled into walls and they are at best a loss maker when selling a static caravan as second hand, so anything that alters the caravan from it's original condition is likely to adversely affect the resale value.

However the addition of a tasteful looking extrusion is unlikely to attract negative criticism and can even be considered as something that is beneficial.

Mark said "so anything that alters the caravan from its original condition is likely to adversely affect the resale value"

All I can say is you have not seen the new door Peter has installed That feature alone has made his caravan priceless

That's the best bit of the whole caravan.

Just as an update, the customers have decided that as they can't foresee selling the caravan, they're going to put a picture hook up. Thanks all.

They can always put another picture up if they do want to sell it.