Marine Headliner

[dgb]

If I use marine headliner, do I need to sand the walls and clean them first? There's bits of old dry rotted foam on the walls and ceiling.
Also, do I need to put something behind the marine headliner?

I'm a total newbie, so please help me!
I have videos showing the camper, on my YouTube channel. www.YouTube.com/c/CampingTherapy
It's a 1987 Cadet.

[David B.]

Doreen, the headliner will show any imperfections of what is under it, plus not much of an insulating factor. Reflectix is an aluminized bubble wrap type insulation that should be glued to the the interior first (no need to get all the old glue off, just anything loose) with all the seams covered with aluminum duct tape, then the headliner. I have heard that Scamp uses two layers of reflextix under the headliner. I have found that using a dry paint roller to affix the headliner to the reflectix works better than using hands, as hands tend to stretch the ply able liner which results in wrinkles. Best of luck with your project. There is another type of marine headliner that is smooth vinyl, backed with foam rubber, so reflectix wouldn’t be needed as the foam is the insulating factor.
Dave and Paula

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by David B.

Doreen, the headliner will show any imperfections of what is under it, plus not much of an insulating factor. Reflectix is an aluminized bubble wrap type insulation that should be glued to the the interior first (no need to get all the old glue off, just anything loose) with all the seams covered with aluminum duct tape, then the headliner. I have heard that Scamp uses two layers of reflextix under the headliner. I have found that using a dry paint roller to affix the headliner to the reflectix works better than using hands, as hands tend to stretch the ply able liner which results in wrinkles. Best of luck with your project. There is another type of marine headliner that is smooth vinyl, backed with foam rubber, so reflectix wouldn’t be needed as the foam is the insulating factor.
Dave and Paula

Scamp uses a single layer of Astrofoil, which (like Reflectix) sandwiches two offset layers of bubble wrap (bubbles on one layer align with gaps on the other) between outer layers of foil. Their description is a bit unclear on that.

[Eric Frye]

To get good glue adhesion you will want to remove as much old material you can. I found a 4" angle grinder with a flappy wheel sanding disk worked best but you have to be careful not to get carried away and remove to much and start digging into the glass. After that you will want to clean the surface with an grease and wax remover. Then you can start applying the adhesive. Don't worry to much about the old glue as the new glue will bond with it.

[Argus]

One nice thing about the marine headliner is that velcro sticks to it very well. In my Boler, that is a blessing since I'm not too crazy about riveting anything to it i.e. curtain rods

[dgb]

This is what I ordered. I'm putting up reflectix today.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/TAN-Un-Back...-/223923416047

[charlsara]

Be sure to use high temperature contact cement if you want it to stay when it gets hot from the sun.

[dgb]

Originally Posted by charlsara

Be sure to use high temperature contact cement if you want it to stay when it gets hot from the sun.

Yes, I bought the good stuff. I used 3 cans today, just putting reflectix in 1/2 of the camper. I'm gonna buy 10 more, to make sure I have enough.
I bought Permatex Heavy Duty Automotive Headliner Adhesive.