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knugent · 10-16-2012, 06:32 PM

OK, I have been working on my new-to-me 89 Chieftain as time permits. Previous owner had allowed the roof to leak for some time, but I think I have that fixed. I had to remove all the cabinets from the right side of the coach because of water damage. After the cabinets were gone, here is what I found: I have what appears to be vinyl-covered luan paneling on the ceiling, bonded to a rigid green-colored styrofoam panel. It appears that I will have to remove and replace the luan paneling, but my question is, how do I re-attached the styrofoam panels to the roof? Approx. 12 inches appear to have become delaminated from the roof metal on the right of the ceiling, extending approx. 8 ft. toward the rear of the coach. Also, how big a chore is it going to be to remove the vinyl-covered panels from the green styrofoam? Should I attempt it, or should I simply cover over it with new panels? I know that with all the expertise I have witnessed on these forums, there is someone that can help me. Thanks!

SarahW · 10-20-2012, 11:37 PM

Can you possibly post pics of the ceiling? I know lots of guys in the Vintage Owner's group have done extensive work inside their RVs, so surely someone can suggest a solution. Good luck to you.

Midniteoyl · 10-21-2012, 12:00 AM

The luan and styrofoam will come apart fairly easily. You can cut through it with a box knife then pull gently away from the foam. You should have more luan between the foam and the aluminum too. This will prolly also need to be replaced. Its a little lengthy to get into this time of night, but basically I used liquid nails, contact cement, and 1.5" 1/4" staples to reattach 1/8" wood paneling I found at Menards. You will be hard pressed to find the vinyl covered stuff at a decent price (like never), so I figured I would use a non-covered wall panel and cover with good headliner material or acoustical cloth. So far, I have the roof put back together. Next spring I do the cloth.

Oh, for your repair: when you get to the aluminum, if you see any holes or tears, you can use a product called 'Peel N Seal'. Its an Eternabond type type with an aluminum backing used in flashing/repairing metal roofs. I bough mine at Lowes for 1/5th the price of Enternabond. Just place and smooth.. I heated mine with a hair dryer to get an extra 'bite'.

Gary - K7GLD · 10-21-2012, 05:55 PM

WELL, it's probably too late for you and your setup, but I have the same ceiling setup as yours, and mine to was beginning to sag in a few spots - so I painted some common 3/8 long Arrow-type staples with Almond colored paint, and stapled my ceiling about every 6 inches. It looks decent, sort of a tufted look, and absolutely ended the ceiling sagging issue...

knugent · 10-23-2012, 09:26 PM

Thanks, folks for your replies. After further investigation, the problem is more extensive than I thought. The entire ceiling over the pilot/copilot area is delaminated full width of the coach, extending about 8 ft. toward the rear. Midniteoyl, I thought that I could see more luan between the foam and the aluminum, so thanks for veryfying that, and yes, I do see some small holes in the roof above the area. I'm wondering if, after removing the lower luan, if I could cut the foam into good-sized sections to give me access to the top side to apply the liquid nail?
I emailed Winnebago tech support about this, and they told me to call them to discuss it, but I haven't been able to get my round tuit.Hopefully tomorrow.
Thanks for the peel and seal suggestion. I break out into hives when I see the price of the Eternabond. Are you saying to seal the holes from within or from without the roof, or both?

sam-3 · 10-23-2012, 09:56 PM

I,ve only had to patch our rubber roof witha 6" wide and 20ft. long. This was an external patch. Iam not an expert,but have studied this roof repair issue. If you expose the roof on the inside to the fiberglass then you would use 3M bondo to seal the fiberglass of any pinpoint holes. You may not be able to see the holes. WWW.Bondo.com.Then you could use heavy duty liquid nailsto secure your luan and styrofoam. My friend used two tubes of heavy duty liquid nails and 4oz of gorilla glue per each 4x8 sheet. Use 2x4 to brace up your panel until it dries about at least 20hrs. Don't use contact cement as it eats styrofoam. You should get a fairly decent repair. The factory would be able to get all the layers laminated,but it would cost you thousands. Do a search on the internet for rv roof repair replacement. Some on the vintage forum have also done this repair.

Midniteoyl · 10-23-2012, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by knugent

Thanks, folks for your replies. After further investigation, the problem is more extensive than I thought. The entire ceiling over the pilot/copilot area is delaminated full width of the coach, extending about 8 ft. toward the rear. Midniteoyl, I thought that I could see more luan between the foam and the aluminum, so thanks for veryfying that, and yes, I do see some small holes in the roof above the area. I'm wondering if, after removing the lower luan, if I could cut the foam into good-sized sections to give me access to the top side to apply the liquid nail?
I emailed Winnebago tech support about this, and they told me to call them to discuss it, but I haven't been able to get my round tuit.Hopefully tomorrow.
Thanks for the peel and seal suggestion. I break out into hives when I see the price of the Eternabond. Are you saying to seal the holes from within or from without the roof, or both?

You can seal from within. The was one long rip from a branch that I sealed from top nd inner. All the others I found I did from inside. Simple 2x3" pieces. You can heat the tape up with a hair dryer for a better stick.

The foam should all come down in sections. Mine were mostly cut to fit snugly between the framing pieces. I pulled it down, the used a box knife to score the upper luan whereit met the framing and puled it. It should come down easily where its been wet. The dry areas will still be stuck to the aluminum. My whole back bedroom came down. I then took a scraper (hard 'putty' knife type) and scraped off all the wood still stuck to the top and bottom of the framing. Then I cut and fit luan, in big sections between the aluminum and framing. Just before the last 2-3" stop and apply Liquid Nails to the luan so when you slide it the rest of the way in, it'll pull the Liquid Nails with it and end up between the luan and framing. (Got that

?) I then placed cinder blocks on the roof over the framing areas to weight it down until dry - overnight.

I then pulled off whatever luan was still stuck to the foam and sprayed good contact cement (not the Elmer crafting kind) onto it and the luan and refitted the foam. I had to replace some that was too bad to reuse, but most of it was still ok. I the fit and contact cemented the lower luan to the foam and framing, then followed up with 1.25" long x 1/4" staples from my pneumatic stapler spaced about 1" apart. Should hold

For some reason I cannot find any pics of the job.. I know I posted a couple here..

Midniteoyl · 10-23-2012, 11:11 PM

Two pics I found. These were before I cleaned up all the wood still stuck the the framing, but show the tape I used.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_154017-81326...ductId=1018733

knugent · 11-27-2012, 09:16 PM

Thanks for all the good info. I have finished gutting the entire ceiling from the kitchen to the front of the coach. Basically the entire ceiling had come loose. I also found that there are two metal beams that span the width of the ceiling, one forward and one aft of the front roof ac. The forward one had rusted completely in half. I have bought and cut the metal to replace that one, plus my plans are to install the same type of beams for additional support at 24 in. O/C. I am ready to begin attaching the top layer of luan to the metal roof. I plan to use weldwood contact cement.I see that it is sold as "original" and in gel form. Have any of you had any experience with the gel form, and does it have advantage over the original? The price is about $4.00 per gal more for the gel.
I read in some places that contact cement will deteriorate the foam insulation, and some say not. What are your experiences?

Midniteoyl · 11-27-2012, 09:28 PM

gel works better on horizontal walls.. I personally have not had contact cement hurt my foam, but I did not use Weldwood and I could see where some brands/types just might as they contain solvents.. I will get the name of the spay on cement I used tomorrow..

sam-3 · 11-28-2012, 12:06 AM

Do a search on the internet on contact cement damaging styrofoam. My friend used heavy duty liquid nails and four ounces of gorilla glue per 4x8 panels. 2HD liquid nails. Walmart sells the tubes of HD liquid cement the cheapest. Best of luck with your repairs.