Delaminated wall covering?

[balrgn]

Has has anyone seen this before? 76 Argosy, bathroom wall. What ever the wall paper is has come free from the paneling? I'm thinking a heat gun to remove and come up with a finish to put back on the door..... Doesn't look hopeful; to re-apply.....

[eljay]

Maybe Elmer's Craftbond Spray Adhesive? Spray to both surfaces allow to dry then smooth as you stick (I usually get stuck in the middle of whatever I'm doing)

[juel]

Hey, I have a 1978 Argosy and it's doing the same thing but I considered it a good thing. I just pulled off what I could and am going to use the heat gun or hair dryer to try to get the rest off. It is so fragile that it just falls to pieces when you pull on it so I don't think re-attaching it is possible. I'm thinking about trying to get the sticky stuff off and leave the wood or putting a piece of laminate over it in some places. It has pealed off the pocket door for the bath and I don't think laminate if possible in such a tight space. Having worked construction in a past life, I would say this was vinyl wall covering that wasn't made to last 25 years. The vinyl covering we put up in hospitals was only good for 10 years and we thought that was pushing it. It looks as if you have fairly good looking wood under the covering, why not get some glue remover and go with that? One word of advice. Don't try to pull this stuff off if it doesn't want to come. It splinters the wood and then you have a mess. I know!

[fireflyinva]

My 61 had similar laminate peeling off it in the bathroom. I ended up peeling it all off and found mohagany plywood underneath! I've had a doozy of a time trying to remove the adhesive (finally it looks like some really nasty chemicals I got at Home Despot are going to work). Plan to oil the section next to the toilet--it's going to have the nicest wall in the trailer! There's also a section over the tub. I considered covering it with spar varnish, but that would be tough on a vertical section. So, I've ordered a bit of white (shiny) laminate--I'm going to float that between the tub edging and the framing on the wall. At least that is the plan. Reality and execution are something that may be entirely at variance!

Mary

[flyfshr]

Hi Mary -
Using spar on a vertical surface isn't too tough. Use a lint-free rag and give it several coats letting each one dry before re-applying the next one. May also need a light sanding between coats. You'll get a good waterproof surface.

FF

[driftwood]

balrgn,

Did you ever discover the efficient method of removing the delaminated wall covering?

[balrgn]

Originally Posted by driftwood

balrgn,

Did you ever discover the efficient method of removing the delaminated wall covering?

Yes, sorry I should have posted...

I used a Heat gun, on low setting and it peels away very nicely. Just apply heat to the back side, as in the pic on the link and pull lightly it will peel. Don't pull too hard it will remove some of the wood....

One thing, you can only go for about 5 minutes and then take a break for a minute or so as the surface gets too hot and has a tendency to melt through.

http://www.balrgn.com/Argosy/DSC02583.jpg
This is of the door, which I removed. I did the wall adjacent to the tub in place yesterday. Took maybe 10 minutes..

[driftwood]

What about glue residue? Does it come with the covering, or is there residue left on the primary surface that you have to remove.

If so, have you perfected a technique for that procedure?

(My 61 had similar laminate peeling off it in the bathroom. I ended up peeling it all off and found mohagany plywood underneath!)

Actually what you've uncovered is Lauan, which has no realation to true Mahogony. What the lumberyards sell as Lauan is no longer true Lauan as most of the larger commerical trees in the Philippines have been cut and the species in now near extinct. Most of the wood sold as Lauan or Philippine Mahogony is any number of woods harvested in Indonesia or Malaysia and none of them are Mahogony

[balrgn]

Originally Posted by driftwood

What about glue residue? Does it come with the covering, or is there residue left on the primary surface that you have to remove.

If so, have you perfected a technique for that procedure?

Not yet, sorry to say. I have tried sanding it with 120 grit, it only take the high spots off. I do not want to use any chemicals on the wood.

However my plan is to adhere something to that finish, like a thin paneling I saw at Home depot.

[ticki2]

I know this is an old topic , but has anyone found the solution to the glue residue ? I've tried , contact cement remover , paint thinner , sanding , and washing , to no avail . Removing vinyl is fairly easy with just a hair dryer.Thanks , BTW , great site , could have used it years ago .

[juel]

I could not actually remove the glue under the vinyl wall covering. I put new vinyl wall covering up on the walls using the covering you have to dip in water and also using wallpaper sizing to make sure it sticks. The pocket door had very nice wood, which the walls did not, so I put two coats of Bullseye Shellac over it and that was well over a year ago with no sticky feel. I think there is no way to get the glue off, but covering it has worked wonderfully for me. As for the ceilings that feel sticky in these old trailers, I used Pro Marine Clean. It is the only thing you need and worked great. Forget all the other cleaning products you can buy. Marine Clean has to be rinsed off, but that is a minor problem. I also put the new vinyl wall covering by the entrance door since the wood there was not good looking.

[ticki2]

Juel , looks really good . Did you find a matching vinyl in large sheets or does it come in rolls like wall paper?

[juel]

It comes in rolls. Got an off white at Lowe's that looked great with what little was left from the original. Remember it's VINYL wall covering and not wall paper. Get a plastic scraper, and little box knife to work with it. I have done some wall papering in the past, so I had fun with it. It doesn't take all that much skill. Get something that does not have a pattern you need to match. Something textured and with a design that is non-descript. If you don't get it right the first time, pull it off, get another piece and try again. Of course with the Argosy, off white was great. Haven't tried anything in the Airstream yet. Used an Almond caulk to fill in the edges and any little tears, and used a roller for wallpaper to roll the seams. By the way, the Marine Clean is made by Por-15 and not Pro. Sorry. Got any pictures of what you're doing. The forum loves pictures. Look up in this post for balrgn. He's great with renovatons and in NH too. He can answer most questions you'll have along the way.

[Jim & Susan]

Originally Posted by juel

...... As for the ceilings that feel sticky in these old trailers, I used Pro Marine Clean. It is the only thing you need and worked great. Forget all the other cleaning products you can buy. Marine Clean has to be rinsed off, but that is a minor problem.....

Juel, now that it has been a while since you used the Marine Clean, how does the vinyl look now? I've used a couple of different products to try and clean mine (they were in VERY bad shape from nicotene, etc.). I haven't really been able to get them completly clean, and after a couple of months, they look just as bad as before I cleaned them (disclaimer: my walls are still out of the trailer in the garage, not yet re-installed). I'm concerned about delaminating the the vinyl from the aluminum if the cleaner is too harsh.

Thanks for the help.

Jim

[ticki2]

I'll try to get some pics this spring , right now it's in winter mode .This has been a 20 year love affair , the first 10 was lusting after it . It was in a field not far from me and being used as a summer camp. Finally met the owner and made a deal in '96 , have been tinkering on it ever since. After moving the mice out and a week of cleaning it turned out to be in pretty good original condition.Have done numerous take apart-clean-put back together projects .Right now it is very road worthy and all system are functionig. Inside I have to resolve the peeling vinyl and the platic T moulding along the credenzer and beside the refrigerator . Out side is good except for some peeling clear coat. Would love to have that redone . I like the look and the ease of cleaning .

Jim and Sue , the best cleaner for inside and out that I have found is Spray 9 , another good one is plain old Windex , good luck