Removing Ozite or fuzzy ceiling carpet

[midi]

1997 Monaco Windsor.

We HATE carpeting. We especially hate carpet on the ceiling and whatever the manufacturer wants to call it to us it is thin fuzzy carpet on the ceiling. Cannot stand having anything that I cannot sanitize.

At first I though I will paint it. Bought an oil based primer and it took me 4 hours to thoroughly cover 4 sq ft of this stuff. It dried hard and would have been easier to clean painted than it was un-painted. Just did not like the look of it. It was clean looking but still the texture bothered me.

I bought a boat load of razor blades and began removing all of it. to remove it all we did not want to remove all the cabinets and fixtures so I cut around everything in my way so that I could remove this ozite stuff. we did unscrew all light fixtures, and vents. To our surprise we found very pretty 1/4 plywood. The color was okay but the problem is the glue residue. The residue was only bad in a couple of small areas measuring about 1-2 sq ft each. I used Goof Off to remove the bad areas of glue residue. Goof Off is easier to use on a flat surface such as the floor but the ceiling was tough to do as working over head the product cannot sit on the surface. I blotted and dabbed a lot, and used a lot of the chemical. I then took a a metal scraper and scraped off the fuzzy hairs and bit and pieces of wood to give a clean surface. We were very tempted to leave the natural wood but it really closed in the space leaving it feeling like a cave. But oh the wood is pretty.

So I am about 8 hours of work in and today I decided to paint the ceiling. Why? well, to open up the space, the very tiny bit of ozite that is visible from where it was cut to the edge of the cabinets is visible and I couldn't come up with a good way to hide that white line between the top of the cabinets and the ceiling if I left the natural wood. I have so far very carefully primed the entire perimeter of the entire rig using a good quality angled paintbrush and then ran a bead of paintable acrylic/silicone caulk to close in the fibers of the ozite and create the look of smooth transition from ceiling to cabinets. I am using an acrylic primer. Will post finished images when done.

[okcnewbie]

WOW....... that's a lot of work. I hope you like the finished product. At least you'll be able to sanitize?

Good luck.

[tinstar 1114]

Here's a picture on a ceiling one guy did that removed his "carpet" from the ceiling. It looks pretty good and can be cleaned. Looks easy enough to put up. It is a plastic or abs soffet.

[okcnewbie]

Originally Posted by tinstar 1114

It is a plastic or abs soffet.

It definitely looks like plastic. I guess if you have asthma or something health related but me no likey.

[midi]

So this definitely is a ton of work. carefully using a razor knife and cutting around the entire perimeter of the entire rig was exhausting...BUT I cannot stand the carpet (Ozite) on the ceiling. What a ridiculous surface. Very difficult to clean and really for us plain old ugly!

So when peeling the stuff off some of the areas were over glued and this pulled just a little of the surface paneling off leaving divets or recessed grooves that would not have looked nice after painting. So I used regular old drywall mud to fill. The seams between sheets of the paneling were for the most part sealed very nicely in fact we are impressed in the quality of workmanship in everything we have torn apart in this rig! So these seams where the filler they used has deteriorated we used the acrylic/silicone caulk and carefully removed excess to leave a nice smooth paintable finish.

So I have two coats of primer on and it looks really nice. We are pleased with the result, very pleased. Yes, tons of work.

The molded plastic choices out there just are not our style. We really like simple and clean lines and look.

[Vanwill]

I, too, disliked the Ozite. Bought 4x8 sheets of pebble-texture FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic) board used to build custom bathtub and shower surrounds. The pebble texture looks really good, is slick and non-porous, and is pure white. The white ceiling really improved the looks.

Cut out the Ozite just as you did. Glued the FRP to the ceiling using the waterproof cement recommended by the manufacturer. Used the plastic, nearly-flush joining strips between the sheets. Covered the exposed Ozite where it was cut away from the cabinets with quarter-round molding. Ceiling is stain-proof and easily cleaned...assuming it ever needs it.

Results were fabulous looking IMHO.

[midi]

1st Vanwill, sounds like you solved the issue with a great result! I bet you are happy that ozite is gone gone gone!

I must say that removing the Ozite was time consuming but not as time consuming as trimming out the edges in paint. After two coats of a high quality acrylic primer, and had to use high quality oil based primer where stains kept bleeding through.. was left with fibers and tiny pieces of wood chips stuck in paint that left the surface not as smooth as we like. We let the paint dry for a fews day and then I used a heavy duty metal scraper on the entire ceiling to knock down the fibers and bumps and they came right off. I then applied a third a coat of primer and then the finish coat of paint. We went with a plain old white ceiling.The ceiling looks so very nice.

[Scatterbrain]

How much noisier is it in the rig now? More resonance?

[midi]

We have not noticed any increase in noise. We do not play the radio on the road. these older rigs are built so sturdy we did not expect to have an increase in noise. We are loving it!

[jehanlon]

I am planning to use FRP panels as well on my roof. I know using 3M 1357 adhesive would do the job. I know the FRP panels are heavy. How did you support them when you stuck them to the ceiling?

[Vanwill]

Originally Posted by jehanlon

I am planning to use FRP panels as well on my roof. I know using 3M 1357 adhesive would do the job. I know the FRP panels are heavy. How did you support them when you stuck them to the ceiling?

I made up some 3-pad props from PVC pipe, and wedged them into place while the glue was setting. (The assembly resembled a cactus.) I must say, though, that the glue, although not contact cement, was so sticky that I'm not sure the props were necessary. I don't remember the name of the glue, but it was the one recommended by the manufacturer of the FRP panels. We used a hard-rubber roller on a long handle (Lowe's or Home Depot) to press the panels hard onto the glue.

The job has been done for a couple of years now, and no problems.

The panels are not as heavy as they are unwieldy. It is definitely a two-man job.