Some of you know that I have been working on a method to replace the headliner of our coach. I have come up with a system that will allow one to be installed without removing the overhead storage compartments, and to work around lights, air conditions, fans, sky-lights, etc. I am very excited about how simple this will be to install, and produce a very professional look. This will not be of any value to someone that just wants to repair a given area, and retain their present material though. This will be for the replacement of the entire ceiling or headliner. I got the basic idea from a $1,400.000.00 Prevost.

I hope to have some pictures and more detail to share in a few days.

Dale

I had 1 section that I repaired and reattached.

I took a wall down between the left middle and right middle and had a section of headliner that was cut up. I installed track lighting and put high polished aluminum diamond plating up on the ceiling between both sections of track lighting. I then used strips of 1x2 with dark stain and sealer to fill in the gaps between each section of ceiling.

I would think something like that could be used for repair on some headliners. Check out the bed over the driver and passenger side. I took the mechanism out of an Allegro and made the bed frame out of aluminum and the type of board that you use a dry eraser on.

I am going on vacation today but will post some pictures when I return on Friday. Going to Myrtle Beach to transport the wife and kids back from a 7 week vacation. My job was to drive them down and fly home - fly back down and drive them back. Taking 4 days for myself to see the sites.



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http://www.truckroadservice.com/

[This message has been edited by Bill (edited August 08, 2005).]

[This message has been edited by davebowers (edited August 08, 2005).]

Ok Dale, its been a few days..... i want to see what you came up with :>)

I'm waiting too, Dale.

I will post tonite what I have come up with.

I have been working my way out of a case of ADULT CHICKEN POX, shingles. On back and left stomach, and I would say a mild case, but still HURTS.

I am going to review the materials I will use this afternoon and post TONIGHT.

Dale

I have not started the process, but have done some TRIAL & ERROR work on such in my shop.

Most Barth's had the headliner installed before the over-head compartments, fans, skylights, air units, and etc were installed, so if one wants to retain the ORGINAL look then these things need to come out before the new liner is installed.

In our Barth we want to MODERNIZE the look, so we will NOT remove these items. What I have come up with is this.... Our present liner is TIGHT, not torn, but does have a few stains, and most important a fabric that is DATED. The cross semi-hard trim pieces that cover the panel joints too are DATED and will with my plan be removed.

STEP 1. I Will remove the cross strips that are screwed to roof truss.

STEP 2. Using a LAMINATE of OFF WHITE that is approx. 1/16" X 2" I will glue to the present head-liner against the side walls and in many cases the over-head cabinets. WHY NOT JUST CUT NEW PANELS TO FIT UP TO THE WALLS? well, the walls are not always SQUARE so fit will be very hard to attain. Small pieces will be easy to work with and a TIGHT fit will be the end result. The same will be done around the SQUARE items such as the AIR, FANS, SKYLITES, and square LIGHT fixtures. I can either MITRE or BUTT joint when making corners. I may even glue two pieces of the laminate on top of each other so as to allow a nice smooth, tight fit where I have joined two strips. When it is necessary to go around outside CURVES, or the antenna crank I will use a panel of the laminate appro. 2" larger than the circle. I will cut the circle out to exact size using a metal blade in my jig saw. I trust this is making sense.

STEP 3. Using FOAM board, a material that has a FOAM core, and a smooth covering I will glue the actual head-liner material. I will first cut out of POSTER board type material the pattern for such. I am going to glue the head-liner panels to the present liner, but NOT up and against the walls. The panels will be appro. 1" short of touching the walls so the LAMINATE strips I had glued up first will be exposed. This will give the affect that the panels are FOATING. The same will be true around the air units, etc. Actually I am going to do our head-liner in panels of different sizes and shapes. Each panel will have approx. 1" space between such, and the laminate separating such. I am going to use the FOAM BOARD so as to keep weight added to a minimum. I may glue 1/4" soft foam padding to the board before the final material.

I have HEARD Dave's call for VINYL, but do like FABRIC'S. NO prints, SOLID color, and most likely OFF WHITE.

In Summation: Working with SMALL pieces I envision this being a FUN project, and one that will add a MUCH needed updated look.

I welcome any comments and questions.

Dale

P.S. This method will result in NO mounting screws, or devises showing. I saw this basic system in a Prevost, and it looked so clean and gave the coach a RICH feel. Each panel will appear to be floating.

[This message has been edited by Smith Brother (edited August 16, 2005).]

[This message has been edited by Smith Brother (edited August 16, 2005).]

Sounds great! Can't wait to see a picture.

While we're waiting for Dale's pics, maybe I can offer an alternative idea for those of us with more modest units.....

I have a '78-24' P-30. While certainly of Barth quality for its era, it does not have the Barth CLASS of later units, especially the DP's. In my case, the ceiling is 3/16", 3-ply Philippine mahogany with a speckled, off-white appearance. Originally it was attractive, but age & inevitable water stains made it less so.

Since recent life experieces have left me with about an arm and a half for usefulness, repainting upside down or installing large panels were not reasonable options. But installing 12x12 self-stick vinyl tiles allowed me to obtain a new clean ceiling at a pace & size I could handle. Side benefit: I think it actually looks great too! Some observations:

1. In this case, cheap IS better! You're looking for lower-end vinyl tile, usually off-shore stuff that's only 1mm thick to save weight in an upside-down position. Cheap stuff usually means less pattern and texture, and many whites & off-whites are available. Absent a roll-over accident, no one is ever going to walk on it, so don't worry about quality - just appearance.....

2. Contrary to my first thoughts, the self-stick adhesive DOES work. Just TSP the existing ceiling to remove grease/dirt/smoke, and install the self-stick tiles with the wife's rolling pin or similar tool.

3. The tiles are very easy to cut & trim with household scissors. A contour gauge for tight spots, tape & straightedge completes the tool list....A small ballpeen hammer encourages any protruding attachment rivets on existing ceiling panels to lay flat enough to be bridged over easily.

4. At 1mm thickness, all vent/AC/light trim can be removed & replaced without additional thickness concerns & compensation - Really reduces trimming time & gives finished look. You can butt up to the existing ceiling panel-edge trim pieces, or remove them and reinstall over the tile - your choice......

In practice, my Barth isn't a "motorhome" - it's a comfortable & attractive "camper", and my new ceiling adds to its appearance and maintainability.

This is probably not an option for my future Breakaway, but for under a hundred bucks, it gets the job done on my current unit. And who else can just hit their ceiling with Mop-n-Glo once a year?..........

OK Dale, now lets see some pics of a CLASSIER project!.......

Lee that is a pretty clever example of thinking outside of the box.....taking something that was intended for one thing and using if for something totally different. I like that, it makes you stop and wonder what else is possible with other items that we would never usually think about using for anything except what they were designed for. Hmmmmm next time i go to Home Depot i may have to look at everything in a new light.

Lee, I would like to see some pictures of yours too. Mine is just a fancy "camper" too but the headliner is probably my next project.

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Bill & Diane
1973 25'