Replacing the interior walls

[Lisasgirl]

We just got a very old, very moldy '73 Love Bug from our neighbors. The interior is a mold-infested nightmare, and we want to strip all of the old walls off and replace them. They appear to be a latex-coated spongy textured material covering the fiberglass walls. I have no idea where to find this stuff. My husband and I are willing to do the work ourselves. The current walls cannot be salvaged, as they are extremely moldy and pulling away from the walls in places. We want to strip her down and fix her right. Any ideas on what we can replace the current was with?

thanks!

lisa

[Frederick L. Simson]

Welcome to FiberglassRV!

Originally Posted by Lisasgirl

They appear to be a latex-coated spongy textured material covering the fiberglass walls. I have no idea where to find this stuff.

It's called "Ensolite". One nick-name for it is "Elephant Skin". Try searching for those terms.

[Lisasgirl]

Thank you so much. I had no earthly idea what this stuff was actually called. I'll start searching right away.

lisa

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Lisasgirl

We just got a very old, very moldy '73 Love Bug from our neighbors. The interior is a mold-infested nightmare, and we want to strip all of the old walls off and replace them. They appear to be a latex-coated spongy textured material covering the fiberglass walls. I have no idea where to find this stuff. My husband and I are willing to do the work ourselves. The current walls cannot be salvaged, as they are extremely moldy and pulling away from the walls in places. We want to strip her down and fix her right. Any ideas on what we can replace the current was with?

thanks!

lisa

Better to go modern and get reflectix and ratfur Scamp sells both by the yard. Ozite would be a nice choice and easier than most choices.Our first fiberglass trailer was a 1973 LoveBug. I would Love(bug) to see pictures of yours.
Here's ours...

[Lisasgirl]

Thank you so much for the advice. We really want to do this right, and I wasn't sure where to even start! I'll check out this source.

I've seen photos of your Love Bug before, and yours is what has inspired me to paint mine two-toned (when we get to that step)! I want to do the bottom either deep salmon pink and the top white or a 50s turquoise bottom with a white top. Sherwin Williams has a paint application that I downloaded, so I was able to do a virtual paint job of Baby to figure out what colors I might want to use. I'm also planning on having a Vargas pin up girl decal made to put on the door, and a white cover over the spare tire with "Baby" written on it. I want to do the inside with 50s style barkcloth upholstery. My husband and I love 50s kitsch.

lisa

[Kent I]

Having spent the time insulating our trailer which did not have insulation, bare shell, I would be tempted to try cleaning before taking it all out. If cleaning doesn't work no harm done. I remember some one who talked of using a pressure washer and bleach on the inside with positive results.

[Donna D.]

You're looking at a lot of work to replace, I agree with Kent, try to save it first. See if this topic about cleaning, etc. from Isaac helps. Once clean, you can paint the ensolite.

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ean-43009.html

[Lisasgirl]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

You're looking at a lot of work to replace, I agree with Kent, try to save it first. See if this topic about cleaning, etc. from Isaac helps. Once clean, you can paint the ensolite.

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ean-43009.html

Unfortunately, the inside is beyond redemption. Parts of the ensolite are pulled away from the wall. Roaches, ants and roly poly bugs have started nesting in the rotting floors and walls, as well as having black mold growing. We want to strip out the walls and start over again.

lisa

[kevin61]

I am assuming your "love bug" is a small Boler? Correct me if I am wrong.

I am using these materials to redo the interior of a 17 ft. Boler. If your trailer is a smaller 13' ft Boler then you could possibly use these types of materials, minus the thicker strips of insulation.

Insulation test patch on walls of trailer - YouTube

[lamimartin]

Great stuff Kevin, thanks for sharing your experiment.

As for Ensolite stuff, our friends may want to look back at an old discussion on http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ite-38739.html

[Mike Magee]

Hm, what about salmon pink top and turquoise bottom? That sure would turn heads!

[idiotsniff]

Lisasgirl: this place has Ensolite and other alternatives.

Rubberite Cypress Sponge Closed Cell Sponge

here is a direct link, but check the product section in the closed and open cell foams.

have to email or phone them for prices, lots of different thickness's from what i understand.

Joel

[Lisasgirl]

Thanks, Joel. I'll definitely check out the link!

lisa

[Lisasgirl]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

Hm, what about salmon pink top and turquoise bottom? That sure would turn heads!

Lol! That might make heads spin!

lisa

[Lisasgirl]

Originally Posted by kevin61

I am assuming your "love bug" is a small Boler? Correct me if I am wrong.

I am using these materials to redo the interior of a 17 ft. Boler. If your trailer is a smaller 13' ft Boler then you could possibly use these types of materials, minus the thicker strips of insulation.

Thanks for posting the video. I really enjoyed it, as did my husband. This rennovation will be quite a learning experience for both of us and everyone at this forum has been so very helpful!

lisa

[Lisasgirl]

These are some interior shots of the camper. The last one is where I cleaned just a bit of her on the outside to see what she looked like under all that crud.

[Eddie Longest]

Lisa
Go to Lowes or HD and get some Jo-Max house cleaner, bleach and a small deck sprayer. I have used it on both the inside and outside of trailers like yours. Jomax will save a lot of elbow grease. If you spray the inside made sure you have plenty of ventilation.
Eddie

[lamimartin]

Congratuations Lisa,
I suggest you consider using a boat hull cleaner to save yourself a lot of trouble (such as: Boat Hull & Bottom Cleaner - iboats.com). You just won't beleive how easy it can be to scrape the nasty stains and gummy stuff with such products. Rubbing too hard may actually damage your exterior finish. From the few clues I can get on your picture, It looks like you are on the original gelcoat, not on paint. Gelcoat will fade and turn dull and yellowish, but it can be cleaned and repolished for much better results and for a much lower cost than paint. Have a look ad the following link for inspiration on restoring the shine on your baby.

Restoring the Shine to Fiberglass by Don Casey

[Lisasgirl]

oooh! Lots of good information in that article. Thanks! I also sent my husband a link to the article so he could read it. He has a boat and would probably be interested in this, too.

lisa

[Celeste]

Hi,

I'm in a similar situation: I just came home a few days ago with a 1977 Scamp. The interior foam is coming off, sagging, and is really dirty. It has been moldy, so I do feel like the only thing to do it to remove the old interior materials, give the whole thing a really good cleaning with hot, soapy bleachy water, and then put up a new interior. I search on foam-backed vinyl and found lots of websites that sell that by the yard, at 54" wide. The websites I looked at were marine websites, so this is a material that people use in boats. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of this sort of material?

Here is a link to one of the websites with this type of material:
All Vinyl Fabrics - Marine Vinyl