VanLife Beacon

Delamination

Also known as: panel delamination, GRP delamination

Separation of the layers of a van or motorhome's sandwich body panel (outer skin, insulation core, inner skin) — usually the end result of long-unresolved water ingress.

Official source: Approved Workshop Scheme — habitation checks (NCC · The Caravan and Motorhome Club · The Camping and Caravanning Club) →

Most motorhome and campervan bodies are built from sandwich panels: a rigid outer skin (often GRP), an insulating foam or timber core, and an inner skin, bonded together. Delamination is what happens when those layers separate — the panel can look bowed, feel soft, or the skins can visibly lift apart.

It is checked for during the bodywork/floor section of a habitation check, alongside cracked panels and failed seals. Delamination is rarely the initial problem: it is typically the late-stage consequence of water ingress that went unnoticed or unrepaired for long enough to break down the bond between the panel's layers, which is one of the reasons the industry treats early damp detection and repair as worth taking seriously rather than cosmetic.

Used in

Sources

What this page is based on — every source is verified and links out so you can check it yourself.

  1. Approved Workshop Scheme — habitation checks (NCC · The Caravan and Motorhome Club · The Camping and Caravanning Club)verified · 2026-07 · VanLife Beacon