Ensolite seam cover fix before painting

[Melody beachcomber]

I have a 1977 beachcomber and want to paint interior. The ensolite seam strips are a bit of a mess. Many have come detached; looks like little u shaped finishing nails were used. Should I just take them all off before priming and painting and then figure out how to reattach them? How would I best reattach them? I'm tempted to glue them as I'm not confident that they'll stay up. Or should I replace them with something else? Paintable silicone?

I have a lot to learn...pretty simple concern but it didn't find the answer in my search. My trailer is stored an hour away and I have limited time to do as much refurbishing as possible.

[Melody beachcomber]

Did some more searching and found old posts, one indicated using latex caulking to reattach the mouldings. The post was five years old. Is this still a good option. Seems that it would be more cost effective that buying double sided trim tape. And possibly easier to remove if one ever needed to get behind the ensolite in the future.

Also, it's best to remove all the mouldings before painting, rather than painting the mouldings and ensolite in one swoop? That would add a lot of time to the job...if I need to get behind it in the future, and had painted all at once, it wouldn't be horrible to cut along the edge of the mouldings with an exacto knife, would it?

[likeair2me]

Hi Melody,

I am not sure what you mean by u-shaped clips. Is it a Beachcomber thing??? I can't say. It might have been something the previous owner did to fix a gap. Always a mystery to be found in pre-owned things. Any time you can photo document problems and post will help the next person down the road. I am learning from your experiences.

I was wondering what paint you have settled on to paint the interior. I have an Ensolite interior that is needing a refresh too.

[Melody beachcomber]

They are u shaped finishing nails, like a tiny, very light staple. If there is a name for them, I obviously don't know.

My focus today is to get the exterior repairs done, but as I have to wait for things to dry and really not sure what the best method is (so, unfortunately, I'm winging it), I think I'll take all the mouldings off, wash ensolite and maybe get around to priming. I'm using zinsser 123. For paint, I have rustoleum's interior/exterior.

I've pretty much come to realize that I'll have to fix up best I can and sell. I don't have money for local storage, live in a condo where I can't even park the trailer in my spot (let alone work on it), have to drive an hour to where a friend is letting me store it, and working on it myself (obviously not knowledgeable). I work full time and a pt job about 2-3 hrs/week, and have a dog. There are just too many obstacles to overcome.