Dead Rat Fur need help - Fiberglass RV
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Old 09-20-2018, 02:49 PM   #1
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Name: Roger
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Dead Rat Fur need help

I have a 89 Big Foot. I have to gut the inside to restore it. When I go back together with it I want to put in a thicker light carpet or thick fabric instead of that really thin rat fur. Last night I was in the trailer looking at the inside and pulled some of the rat fur back and the insulation they put inside the wall is really dry and crumbly . I was going to used vinyl spray glue on the new material but I am afraid if I try and glue the fabric to the crumbly insulation its not going to stick and just come loose. I really don't want to reinsulate the whole trailer, I already have a major job just gutting it and going through the wiring and appliances . I really don't know what I am doing. Like everything else in life no help and jump in the fire . Need some help guys I don't even know how to take out the cabinets but I have to learn. Thanks a bunch !
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Old 09-20-2018, 04:45 PM   #2
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OZITE.
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Old 09-20-2018, 04:59 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by RV NUT CASE View Post
I have a 89 Big Foot. I have to gut the inside to restore it. When I go back together with it I want to put in a thicker light carpet or thick fabric instead of that really thin rat fur. Last night I was in the trailer looking at the inside and pulled some of the rat fur back and the insulation they put inside the wall is really dry and crumbly . I was going to used vinyl spray glue on the new material but I am afraid if I try and glue the fabric to the crumbly insulation its not going to stick and just come loose. I really don't want to reinsulate the whole trailer, I already have a major job just gutting it and going through the wiring and appliances . I really don't know what I am doing. Like everything else in life no help and jump in the fire . Need some help guys I don't even know how to take out the cabinets but I have to learn. Thanks a bunch !
Sometimes the only viable solution is doing what we would rather not do. In your case if you don't want to reinsulate the whole trailer you need to do your best to refurbish the existing rat fur to a better condition. There are chemical cleaning solutions that can help. But of course you must approach this with due caution doing test areas in locations that are not visible. The risk is detaching the carpet from the deteriorating insulation. Try adding some fabric softener to the cleaning solution and use an extractor such as a wet dry vacuum to remove all of the cleaning solution so that it does not take too long to dry out the surface. You don't want to soak it all the way through to that old insulation.

But do note even if you choose not to remove the old carpet and replace the insulation there will be lots of labor hours involved. None of this work is fun, its just boring and unpleasant. Such is the life of a renovator. Audio books make the hours pass quicker.
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Old 09-20-2018, 06:43 PM   #4
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Needed to add

The rat fur is rotten and ready to come apart it is not glued to the insulation its all loose except on the ceiling but the outer panels on both sides of the inner roof and the AC grill help hold the upper rat fur in place but all of it has fallen down where its not attached to cabinets no where can I see where its glued down. It needs to be replaced I should of put this in my first post thanks
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Old 09-20-2018, 07:15 PM   #5
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The rat fur is rotten and ready to come apart it is not glued to the insulation its all loose except on the ceiling but the outer panels on both sides of the inner roof and the AC grill help hold the upper rat fur in place but all of it has fallen down where its not attached to cabinets no where can I see where its glued down. It needs to be replaced I should of put this in my first post thanks
You might need to find out the cause of the problem before you attempt any cure. "Ratfur" has been used for over three decades without showing any sign of "rot". Are you sure your BigFoot used the same marine fabric used so successfully on Scamp Trailers?
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Old 09-20-2018, 07:32 PM   #6
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What ever you do you have to get the right glue. Scamp used 2 layer bubble and then the ozite on top. That takes a really good glue that has to resist the high heat and condisation. Whatever Scamp uses lasts over 30 years.
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Old 09-20-2018, 07:34 PM   #7
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You might need to find out the cause of the problem before you attempt any cure. "Ratfur" has been used for over three decades without showing any sign of "rot". Are you sure your BigFoot used the same marine fabric used so successfully on Scamp Trailers?
Its not rat fur like Scamps , of course I have not seen one up close either. The limning in the Big Foot is more of a very thin cloth its light brown almost tan. I was using Rat Fur as an analogy so people would know what I was referring to. Thanks for the reply Floyd
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Old 09-20-2018, 07:46 PM   #8
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The rat fur is rotten and ready to come apart it is not glued to the insulation its all loose except on the ceiling but the outer panels on both sides of the inner roof and the AC grill help hold the upper rat fur in place but all of it has fallen down where its not attached to cabinets no where can I see where its glued down. It needs to be replaced I should of put this in my first post thanks
Roger, from your descriptions of it's condition, there is only one way to , start ripping it all out. The demo is always the first step in a remodel. You can worry about what to replace it with when you have a clean shell. You've asked before of how to remove the cabinets and got a number of answers. No telling if a PO changed any cabinet mountings. I'd be turning bolts/nuts, drilling out rivets and turning screws...they went in and will come out. That first step is the only hard one . I thought it would be gutted by now.
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Old 09-20-2018, 08:54 PM   #9
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I can understand not wanting to take it down to the shell due to the labor and the cost of new materials. But in your mind you already know what needs to be done.



For soft foam insulation that can have fabric adhered to it with glue I chose to use "Landau" EVA foam for insulating my ceiling under the headliner covering. Landau foam is an automotive industry insulating foam that also blocks sound.You can purchase it from the automotive interior suppliers. It is foam so the shipping weight is not that bad. Choose a thickness that is close to your orginal insulation so that your cabinets fit properly.



To stick it to the walls us the standard brush/roll on yellow Weldwood Original Contact cement. It has the correct high temperature resistant quality that is needed for headliners in automobiles. It sticks like crazy. It will cost less and make less of a mess than using adhesive from spray cans. Do not go for the water based version, you want the type with the VOCs in it. Easy to obtain at any hardware store.



However you might not want use the Weldwood contact for applying the fabric liner material over the insulation. You will have to do testing for bleed through issues before you decide on the adhesive to use with your fabric. All fabrics are not created equally when it comes to what adhesive will or will not bleed through it.


The Sailrite company has some good videos on youtube showing putting fabric materials on the walls and ceilings of fiberglass boats. It never hurts to watch professionals at work and listen to the tips they give for how to make the job come out looking just right.
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Old 09-20-2018, 09:13 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by Borrego Dave View Post
Roger, from your descriptions of it's condition, there is only one way to , start ripping it all out. The demo is always the first step in a remodel. You can worry about what to replace it with when you have a clean shell. You've asked before of how to remove the cabinets and got a number of answers. No telling if a PO changed any cabinet mountings. I'd be turning bolts/nuts, drilling out rivets and turning screws...they went in and will come out. That first step is the only hard one . I thought it would be gutted by now.
No I haven't started on it Dave I do marine repair and have had three boats that have sat for years and had to do restorations on them back to back everything has gone wrong I am trying to get the last one done they have kicked my ass for months. It took me over three years but finally had somebody to do my roof on my mobile they had to tear off the roofing and found rotten sub roof then my sewer backed up its been a fun summer! Just got the roof done week and half ago and just barely got the septic dug up and pumped out yesterday. So the Big foots kinda on the back burner right now . I really do want to get it done. I would like to get it done this fall and haul ass out of here and take it to the coast I need to get away. Thanks
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Old 09-20-2018, 09:22 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by k corbin View Post
I can understand not wanting to take it down to the shell due to the labor and the cost of new materials. But in your mind you already know what needs to be done.



For soft foam insulation that can have fabric adhered to it with glue I chose to use "Landau" EVA foam for insulating my ceiling under the headliner covering. Landau foam is an automotive industry insulating foam that also blocks sound.You can purchase it from the automotive interior suppliers. It is foam so the shipping weight is not that bad. Choose a thickness that is close to your orginal insulation so that your cabinets fit properly.



To stick it to the walls us the standard brush/roll on yellow Weldwood Original Contact cement. It has the correct high temperature resistant quality that is needed for headliners in automobiles. It sticks like crazy. It will cost less and make less of a mess than using adhesive from spray cans. Do not go for the water based version, you want the type with the VOCs in it. Easy to obtain at any hardware store.



However you might not want use the Weldwood contact for applying the fabric liner material over the insulation. You will have to do testing for bleed through issues before you decide on the adhesive to use with your fabric. All fabrics are not created equally when it comes to what adhesive will or will not bleed through it.


The Sailrite company has some good videos on youtube showing putting fabric materials on the walls and ceilings of fiberglass boats. It never hurts to watch professionals at work and listen to the tips they give for how to make the job come out looking just right.

That is some really good advice I will have to check into that I really don't want to reinsulated it if I can help it gutting it and rewiring it and going through the appliances is already going to kick my butt. I am hoping I don't have to insulate I just want to get it gutted tear out all the floor carpeting do a deep clean replace all the rat fur and put it all back together and like I said go all through the wiring and lights I want to install some side marker lights on the front and back the rat fur will cover the wiring I want the trailer more visible at night. Thanks for the great advice I hope I don't have to go down this road but as you say wont know until I get there
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Old 09-20-2018, 10:09 PM   #12
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What ever you do you have to get the right glue. Scamp used 2 layer bubble and then the ozite on top. That takes a really good glue that has to resist the high heat and condisation. Whatever Scamp uses lasts over 30 years.
Scamp doesn't use Ozite.
The glue is 3M 77 or 90.
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Old 09-21-2018, 06:34 AM   #13
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Dead Rat Fur need help

Definitely NOT 3M77. It can't take the heat and will fail on a hot day parked in the sun. If you read the product descriptions on the 3M website, it's for light duty, indoor applications.

I've read mixed reviews of 3M90. It's expensive if you're doing a whole trailer, but might work for spot repairs.

In your case, I'd look for automotive headliner adhesive. It appears to be a kind of contact cement.

Since you have to take everything out anyway, I'm for taking it down to bare fiberglass. And since you say the insulation is "dry and crumbly," it is wasted effort to put a new covering on top of a rotten base. You don't want to ever do this again, so do it right and do it once. New insulation and new headliner.
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Old 09-21-2018, 07:52 AM   #14
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The adhesive Scamp uses is red colored (I guess so that they can see the coverage).
I went on a factory tour and looked at them spraying it in a shell being made ready for the "Rat Fur".
As to what it actually might be I have no idea.
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Old 09-21-2018, 09:10 AM   #15
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Originally Posted by Jon in AZ View Post
Definitely NOT 3M77. It can't take the heat and will fail on a hot day parked in the sun. If you read the product descriptions on the 3M website, it's for light duty, indoor applications.

I've read mixed reviews of 3M90. It's expensive if you're doing a whole trailer, but might work for spot repairs.

In your case, I'd look for automotive headliner adhesive. It appears to be a kind of contact cement.

Since you have to take everything out anyway, I'm for taking it down to bare fiberglass. And since you say the insulation is "dry and crumbly," it is wasted effort to put a new covering on top of a rotten base. You don't want to ever do this again, so do it right and do it once. New insulation and new headliner.
So its my understanding you can get spray insulation in a spray can? Or not?
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Old 09-21-2018, 09:14 AM   #16
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The adhesive Scamp uses is red colored (I guess so that they can see the coverage).
I went on a factory tour and looked at them spraying it in a shell being made ready for the "Rat Fur".
As to what it actually might be I have no idea.
The insulation inside the Big Foot is also red I wonder if its the same stuff? What happens if you spray it too thick and the cabinets wont fit ? I just really don't know about this . This stripping and insulating is way out of my comfort zone
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Old 09-21-2018, 09:50 AM   #17
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The red stuff is adhesive, not insulation.

Scamp's shell lining consists of one layer of foil bubble wrap covered with a layer of marine grade headliner. (Note: It's not a double layer as some say- the "double" refers to two interlocking bubble sheets between the foil outer surfaces making one layer of foil bubble wrap.)

Foil bubble wrap is actually a radiant barrier intended to be used facing an open air space, not in a sandwich. Lots of opinions about whether it has any value at all used as Scamp does. A layer of closed cell foam instead of foil bubble would likely perform better. But it's more expensive and harder to work with.

In my opinion the best lining would consist of a 1/4" layer of closed cell foam, then a layer of carpet-type marine headliner. For cost and ease of installation you could use the foil bubble wrap instead of foam, depending on what you make of the arguments for and against.

I'm not a fan of spray-on foam insulation. Too thick, too hard to apply evenly, and impacts leave dents later.
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Old 09-21-2018, 09:56 AM   #18
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I know nothing about the adhesive, but it is red and smells like it would be happy to be old time contact cement and flammable.
So be careful.
I don't think that spray on foam insulation would give you a surface ready for cover due to uneven coverage or expansion.
In a home they have cutters to level the insulation with the studs.
By the way I think that if you check on the insulation value of two layers of reflective bubble insulation the rating is based on the aluminized surface reflecting the IR radiation (Called heat), but for this to actually reflect the heat there MUST be an air gap for the heat to be reflected to or the actual heat is CONDUCTED to those other surfaces and no reflection takes place.
Instead of the claimed R-15 equivalence is is probably closer to R-1 to 2.
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Old 09-21-2018, 10:43 AM   #19
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I have a 89 Big Foot. I have to gut the inside to restore it. When I go back together with it I want to put in a thicker light carpet or thick fabric instead of that really thin rat fur. Last night I was in the trailer looking at the inside and pulled some of the rat fur back and the insulation they put inside the wall is really dry and crumbly . I was going to used vinyl spray glue on the new material but I am afraid if I try and glue the fabric to the crumbly insulation its not going to stick and just come loose. I really don't want to reinsulate the whole trailer, I already have a major job just gutting it and going through the wiring and appliances . I really don't know what I am doing. Like everything else in life no help and jump in the fire . Need some help guys I don't even know how to take out the cabinets but I have to learn. Thanks a bunch !
:remove the insulation and the old rat fur then install new Styrofoam preferable the pink or blue stuff about 1" thick and if using in winter wrap your tanks with it to. I would just buy the stuff they got out now comes in two different containers and mixes as you spray it onto the walls, ceiling but what ever you do don't get it onto your skin or hair because you will have to cut it off or wait until it wears off. When I did my house to a R20 and our house was big I had full coverage on my body, no skin or hair showing, whole face covered but once done was easy job and quick plus has own glue in the mix so does not fall down in the walls or from Ceiling. You do not need a Vapor barrier if use this stuff. Oh forgot to mention one gets pretty warm installing this stuff.
Then re-install Ozite or cheap indoor/outdoor carpet then install cabinets but first check your wiring and maybe install Invertor and solar panel for charging all the stuff we need to use nowadays.
Sometimes just jumping in gets things done sooner or later. Not many people take these challenges but the reason they do is no one wants to do it.
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Old 09-21-2018, 11:15 AM   #20
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I understand your concern about removing the “crumbly” old foam installation. I ran into the same problem while renovating a Compact II. I tried scraping, solvents, my fingernails, etc., with little luck. Then I tried a wire wheel on a drill. I was worried that it might eat into the fiberglass but it didn’t. It was very effective at removing the old glued on foam insulation. Good luck.
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