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Replacing the walls and ceiling?


256bit

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I have an '83 sunrader, rear dinette model. The ceiling is delaminating and the cabinets are falling apart. I want to rebuild the interior, however I don't have the space or time to strip it down to the fiberglass because I live in it full time. As I understand it, the plywood walls and ceiling are glued to the fiberglass. How is it best removed? And what did you replace your walls with?

I don't have any skills in carpentry and I'm wondering how long it will take as well. I'm a bit overwhelmed by it all and don't really know where to begin, any suggestions?

Edited by 256bit
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Pictures would help those with experience answer better.

You can pm member sigmaz who is doing something like this and more right now, probably even on the same model sunrader.  search the facebook toyota motorhome club for pictures of folks doing this on sunraders AND in the do it yourself sub forum here.

I did something like this (and from the look of it, am doing and will be doing for a while), but not on a sunrader and in far less taxing circumstances. If its not water damage related, I would personally recommend repair instead of remodel. Especially if a. it needs to be used while repairs go on, and b. space, tools and skills are limited.

This is never an easy thing to do, especially for folks like me who couldnt tell apart a saw from a grinder, had no tools, have no closed up space to work in privacy and without the bother of weather, elements, disturbances. Might be a better idea to have someone with skills take a peek and advise.

On the other hand,  patience, some small tools, a bunch of luan ply and a lot of glue might be all you end up needing.

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This is a tough one to answer without a photo or two.  Living in your Toyhome and rebuilding it at the same time can be done but without any skills it would be best to contact someone who has some experience in this.  I would suggest going to a local boatyard that has experience in building and rebuilding wooden boats.  A shipwright is used to doing this kind of work in confined spaces without tearing everything apart.  Even if you don't hire that person to do the work, just paying someone for an hour of their time to give you some suggestions on how to proceed and what materials to use could be well worth the expense.  Quite often decent repairs can be made with some well placed epoxy and a little ingenuity.

John

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Find the post where iflyfish fixed his floor with epoxy. Do the same thing but up. you'll need to make some kind of brace to jack up the roof on inside, best in front and behind center vent area. Unscrew your cabinets completely and use the holes there too. Shore them up with something, boxes? Drill lots of little holes, inject 2 part epoxy, fill with wood plugs, then brace everything up tight as you can. Careful you don't drill through fiberglass. Use a stop. When it dries, cut plugs and sand smooth. paint over to hide. Sleep somewhere else while drying, at least one night. Don't want you to get caught huffing, or die. Re-screw cabinets right into wood plugs. My cabinets fell down and I re-glued that area under paneling. If I had seen his floor job first I would have been more comprehensive about it. Even my crappy job is still holding long time later

Linda S

New paneling is just way more work. You would need a shop and tons of skill. Easy is good

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On 10/7/2017 at 9:14 AM, linda s said:

Find the post where iflyfish fixed his floor with epoxy. Do the same thing but up.

I think this is the post @linda s is talking about.

 

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  • 9 months later...

@neubie or anyone else: what type of glue do you use when fixing areas of "wall paper" (mostly ceiling, a few wall corners) that have delaminated? We had some water come in over the winter and peeled back areas to let her dry out (with the assistance of heaters, dehumidifiers, and keen eyes and noses searching for mold), but now it's time to close these little areas back up.

Do I generously paint on wood glue, press some pieces of wood flat against the areas, and hold them tight with tension rods until they're dried? Or is there a better glue/trick for the job?

Thank you in advance!

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Don't know how viable this would be in an RV.  Use just plain white glue on the wall/ceiling and use a regular old hot clothes iron. Just slowly iron things back into place

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Spray glue like the stuff used on auto headliner. Instant fix and will last. I like to spray both sides I'm going to attach, let it dry slightly and roll into place.

https://www.amazon.com/3M-77-Multipurpose-Adhesive-Aerosol/dp/B0000AZ735/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1533689275&sr=8-2&keywords=3m+77+spray+adhesive&dpID=41blaAhHwJL&preST=_SX342_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Rollers like this work great. Make sure it's not too soft. See this one says high density

https://www.zoro.com/premier-mini-paint-roller-frame-4-in-cageless-53841/i/G5361203/

Linda S

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spray on glues like 3m 77 can be great BUT most of them will attack and react with foam insulation and destroy enough of the surface that foam might need replacement, others including 77 wont do a great job on foam to wood layers but otherwise arent a bad option.  One 3M spray adhesive isnt a substitute for another, use only foam adhesive for foam to wood layers. Remember its a spray, read instructions very carefully (especially the parts about cleaning the surface and waiting for a set period of time before applying surfaces together as well as personal mask/glasses/glove protection).  These work well only if you follow instructions to the letter.

I did not have great luck with 77. In the end it was good old gorilla glue to the rescue. With gloves there isnt much that goes wrong with it and it holds reasonably well if you can apply sufficient pressure to hold surfaces tight for several hours while it cures. I am only using gorilla glue now. If its only very limited areas then a stingy (otherwise it will ooze at the seams, less is more with gorilla glue) thin layer of gorilla glue followed by pressure from below may be sufficient.

Another surprisingly good option is the expanding foam insulation (think great stuff and the like) -- closed cell versions (some are, most arent closed cell) add water protection too. It also will do a great job patching things up and where it oozes due to careless application is usually much easier to scrape off than the other options.

 

 

Edited by neubie
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The backing on headliner is foam. Haven't had any melt yet and I've done 1 RV and several cars. Also done a few auto seats and I spray glue foam to build up the seat and then carve the shape needed. My girlfriends Roadtrek seats still look perfect and I did them a couple of years ago.

Linda S

Oh and the RV headliner was on a Provan. Foam to wood application. Worked perfect

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Linda, you got lucky with 77/foam version. They arent all the same and 77/foam version isnt always in stock. You at least have to make sure its foam compatible before you buy.

edit: also not all foam is the same. the orange foam in the roof sandwich isnt the headliner foam.

edit: https://www.thefoamfactory.com/blog/index.php/pick-the-right-glue-for-the-job-how-to-select-adhesives-for-bonding-foam

link notes super 77 will damage some foam.

Edited by neubie
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She's reattaching wallpaper. If it stripped down to raw exposed polystyrene it's going to take a lot more than glue to get a smooth surface. Yes foam board and foam cushions are very different. I still wouldn't want to use Gorilla Glue because it swells as it dries.

Linda S

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Hey all,

Thank you for your replies! I will be attaching the square foot or two of peeled back wallpaper to the plywood ceiling. Unless I'm missing something, there's no foam involved at any stage. I don't know if this effects your recommendations.

So far, I'm leaning towards the spray adhesive.

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if the plywood is good then my nonsense certainly doesnt apply. that becomes relevant only when plywood has gotten damaged and must also be cut/replaced.  there is foam insulation under the plywood.

Be careful of the tacking time on the super 77.

 

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@neubie Thank you! We caught the leak in time to save the ply (thank goodness). The smoking gun was a wet shoe under the L-shaped dinette. If we weren't heading out for another vacation and in need of that pair of hiking boots, I don't think we would've caught it in time!

I'll follow up and let everyone know how my trials turned out. Again, big thanks for the time and thoughts. I'm surprising the other half with a mini trip this weekend. We're planning on moving into our Toy once our house/bed and breakfast sells, but that timeline is vague, and so I figure that one weekend away to scratch the itch will be a nice anniversary present. It'll be nicer without the ceiling brushing our hair every time we walk by. :)

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Well, it's far from "like new" but it wasn't going to get there after that damage and a bit of a rushed, saturated peel-back. We'll do a "proper" fix when we decide to tackle the whole ceiling and wallpaper business with new material, replacing what needs replacing underneath, but I'm pleased with the band-aid. Thanks again for the tips! (Avoided spray adhesive on my personal self in exchange for looking ridiculous. Worth it.)

 

 

Screen Shot 2018-08-14 at 10.34.18 PM.png

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Smart but you kind of look like your cleaning up a nuclear disaster. I wish I was smart when I use the stuff. I destroyed a pair of prescription glasses the first time. Glad it worked. Don't put the big fi off too long and in the mean time make sure everything is sealed up well

Linda S

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