Hi. I'm new

[rancherlady]

I'm Barbara from Lake Havasu City, AZ. I've been a RV'r off and on for years and have owned a VW camper van (class , Ford Falcon (class two Winnebago LeSharo's (class , Pleasure Way (class , and of late a 1988 Itasca Phasar.

I am renovating the Itasca; it had not been very well taken care of. Mostly, I'm doing the cosmetics and my mechanic will do some other things. I'm hoping to get the RV running well for some summer trips out of here when it's 115 degrees.

One thing I'm planning to do to the ceiling is install carpet tiles as a headliner. Does anyone out there have experience with this? I would appreciate any tips.

[Jon in AZ]

Welcome, Barbara! We're way over on the other side of the state in the White Mountains.

This website is devoted to molded fiberglass towables ("egg" trailers), so motorhomes are not our usual focus. However, many molded fiberglass trailers have some kind of headliner glued to the inside of the shell, so you might get some advice here on this particular question.

It would help to know what kind of surface you're wanting to attach to- what material, how large, what condition, is it flat or curved, are there cutouts or irregularities? What about the carpet squares- size, thickness, backing, self-adhesive? What is the goal?

Looking at your RV history, it appears you have one thing in common with the fiberglass egg community: small is good! Best wishes with your project.

[rancherlady]

Thanks, Jon.

The Itasca is fiberglass. The roof had leaked and I recently finished sealing it so I could work on the interior headliner. The Itasca is only 21 feet long and the area of the headliner is 6' x 10.' It's flat and there's some sort of thin wood glued there, almost like balsa wood (I think it's called). It's very solid.

The size of the carpet squares I'm looking at are 18x18" and are thin, like some of the commercial grades. They are peel and stick, although I plan to add more adhesive, a high temp type, due to the heat factor.

I'm doing a lot of research before I buy the carpet squares because I don't want to spin my wheels on something that's not going to be a viable solution.

Thanks again........

[Jon in AZ]

I'm guessing that the fiberglass on your Itasca consists of sheets of thin fiberglass used as an outer skin over a frame of some kind with seams along the edges and corners. Our trailers are solid molded fiberglass, frameless and seamless, so they don't develop the kinds of leaks you are dealing with.

I also owned a Toyota Itasca mini-motorhome a number of years ago. My experience with leaks is that once they get started, they keep coming back because the underlying frame is weakened. The problem with carpet is that if you ever do get another leak, it will soak up and hold water, and possibly pull down the wood paneling with it. I'm also concerned that self-stick adhesive is not strong enough for ceiling installation, nor designed for the temperature and humidity variations in an RV application. I don't think combining it with another adhesive will solve the problem; the weakest link will fail.

If you are just looking for something soft and attractive as a headliner, another option is marine hull liner. Scamp has used a long-napped version over foil bubble insulation to line their trailers for many years. It's thin, lightweight, moisture and mold resistant, and quite durable. In a small, flat area as you describe, it would be an easy install. There are also short-napped versions available from marine suppliers in a variety of colors. Here is an example (just pulled it up for illustration; I am not recommending this company):
Marine Hull LinerÂ*-Â*Marine Hull Liner - Rex Pegg Fabrics
You might check with a boat place over there in Lake Havasu City. They'll know what you're talking about, and they might even have some samples or scraps you could inspect.
Scamp's version, which is a bit fuzzier, is here:
https://www.scamptrailers.com/parts-...yd-detail.html

I'm not sure about the adhesive, but quite a few people here have done this project. If you decide to go this route, post a specific question and you should get some direction.