Headliner Sagging

[alscottfree]

The 1997 25' Safari That We Are Picking Up Sunday Has The Headliners Coming Down In Some Areas. We Are Assured There Were No Leaks, Just Extreme Heat & Cold - But We Have No Idea What Product Or Process To Use To Reglue Or Reattach This. Help????
Thanks, Al

[maxandgeorgia]

Droopy ceilings are not uncommon in the '90's trailers. If you use the search tool found on the menu line on the home page, using key words such as your thread title or "droopy ceiling," you'll find several discussions and proposed solutions for the problem. Some replace (BIG project), some reglue (glue often fails when reapplied), some tack up the ceiling using 5/8 inch screws and screw covers (the method we used), and others use various different approaches. Try the search tool and see if you can find a solution that would work for you. Best wishes! ~G

[k44g]

So maxandgeorgia, did your headliner shrink to a degree that it would not extend to the plastic trim on either edge, leaving a gap? If so, how did you deal with that?

Seems like one solution would be to use a vinyl tape along the edge of the headliner such that the tape would in effect extend the headliner to reach under the trim. Do you know where I can buy replacement trim?

[RedBlur]

At first, I tried to re-glue in our 1995, but that soon failed again. So, I used screws and screw covers to fix the headliner. It is a pain to do, but after three years, it is still holding. I stretched as I applied the screws, so I had to deal with a very small area of shrinkage at a trim seam, to which I applied a white silicone bead. That also worked out ok.

[alscottfree]

We Did A Reglue For Instant Fix - It Of Course Is Starting To Come Down, But In Only 1 Small Area That Leads, Of Course, To The Bigger Area Next.....so, We Will Probably Do The More Secure Route This Time - I Think The 113 Degree Days Last Week Started The Unglue - I Think, As Often, The Shortcut Was Not The Answer.(but Felt Really Good For Awhile.

[bake315]

Short of adding a bunch of screw holes to the ceiling, once the foam under the vinyl fails (and it is the foam failing - not the adhesive), the only real (read, proper) recourse is to remove the cabinets, along with the vinyl, then strip the ceiling until it's entirely free of glue and foam. I'm in the middle of this right now - and Georgia is right - it's a huge mess, and a huge pain. But in the end it's going to look like brand new, because it will be brand new. With any luck, I'll never have to fool with it again, and the (someday) subsequent owner won't have to, either.

[94Tri]

I had to deal with the sagging ceiling issue in the 94 tri axle I bought last summer. The previous owner had put rivets and screws every place it sagged...it had gotten pretty ugly. My fix was to strip all the headliner out. I then took a wire wheel on a small hand grinder and stipped off as much glue and padding as possible. This was an extremely messy venture. I even went as far as stripping all the fuzzy material off the wall surfaces. I ordered several sheets of thin aluminum from Aircraft Spruce in Georgia (chek them out online). I then added a second layer of aluminum to all ceiling and wall surfaces. I carefully cut the wall material and used it for templates on the new aluminum. I riveted everything in place and now have a shiny aluminum interior that is very clean and matches the exterior. It was a great deal of work, but it gets really good comments.

[Inland RV Center, In]

According to Airstream, the cause of the material drooping, is the failure of the adhesive.

Back then the Feds demanded that a water base adhesive be used.

In time, it was determined that that was a big joke.

We all have seen automobiles with defective paint jobs from that same era. The clear coat finish on those vehicles, as mandated by the Feds, was also water based.

Water based adhesives, will fail in time.

The fix, unfortunately, is to remove the wall covering, and then remove the old adhesive.

New wall covering material should be used, since some of the bad adhesive is on it as well.

During the warranty period, Airstream also provided new wall coverings and instructed dealers to throw away the original coverings.

Common sense says that "all" the old adhesive must be remove from everything. The problem was and still is, that removing the adhesive properly and completely from the foam that's on the back side of the wall covering, is impossible.

Like so many other things, starting all over, from the very beginning, is the only long term real answer.

Such is the case with that vinyl wall covering.

Needless to say, the water based adhesive and paint idea, was scrapped years ago.

Andy
Andy

[ritasmith52]

I tried to re-glue in our 1995, but that soon failed again. So, I used screws and screw covers to fix the headliner. It is a pain to do, but after three years, it is still holding. I stretched as I applied the screws, so I had to deal with a very small area of shrinkage at a trim seam, to which I applied a white silicone bead. That also worked out ok.[/quote]

[pcool3066]

I have a 28', 1996 Excella and the ceilings are starting to come down. I like the screw idea and would like to know where to find the screws and caps. Thanks to everyone for the advise on this problem.