New vinyl on interior walls

[dineairs]

Getting ready to install new vinyl wall covering. What would you guys recommend to get vinyl to adhere to the walls?

If I use contact cement there is no room for error. I am not perfect.

[Belegedhel]

Welcome to the Forums!

It would help a lot for us to know what trailer you have, and what the present condition of the walls is (painted, bare, vinyl coated, etc.).

[dineairs]

Thanks. 1976 sovereign 31'.
The walls are bare aluminum.

[perryg114]

You mean the sticky back stuff? I don't know what the process was for the original walls but it does not come off easily. I don't think it is a do-it-yourself coating.

Perry

[Belegedhel]

Are you installing this vinyl with your interior walls in place, or will your skins by out of the trailer? What product are you planning on installing? Do they have a recommended adhesive? You might check out the automotive "wrap" business--I think those vinyl wraps are all self-adhesive, though. Do a search on ebay for "automotive vinyl wrap adhesive" and you may get some inspiration. I gave serious consideration to using the automotive vinyl wraps to do my plastic end caps, but I couldn't get enough confidence that it wouldn't end up a train-wreck, so I painted instead.

good luck!

[Sharkboards]

'72 Sovereign, factory original vinyl covered walls in good condition. Really on the fence about replacing entirely with new everything, or preserving the original...

[Glenritas]

Originally Posted by Sharkboards

'72 Sovereign, factory original vinyl covered walls in good condition. Really on the fence about replacing entirely with new everything, or preserving the original...

To remove the factory vinyl is a BIG and dang near impossible task with MAJOR time and frustration for a not to good result.

I found that the sticky surface residue that the factory vinyl seems to bleed can be cleaned and held at bay with a box of Magic Erasers from Mr. Clean. Just dampen the pad and go for it then wipe down with a damp cloth .

[Sharkboards]

Thanks, Glenritas. Is priming and painting the original surface as good as covering the original with some other material?

[Glenritas]

Originally Posted by dineairs

Getting ready to install new vinyl wall covering. What would you guys recommend to get vinyl to adhere to the walls?

If I use contact cement there is no room for error. I am not perfect.

I saw a bomb shelter that was decorated using vinyl wrap with a printed scene of the sky that was applied to the walls/ceiling. The shelter is shaped like the Airstream and you would never know you were under ground.

Check out vinyl wraps for cars and trucks.

[Ibenoverland]

but you keep telling me you are PERFECT. Maybe you should get your boss to do it!
OL. You are the best, you will come up with the best option.

[Isuzusweet]

I personally used a product called 3M Di-noc Weave pattern. It has a texture and is self adhering and comes in a 54" roll. That being said I did contact a professional car wrapper installer to do the installation. I had all interior gables out except for the back wall of the shower and bathroom.
The 3M stuff is quite pricey that's why I only applied to surfaces that were seen. Inside the bathroom cabinet I didn't care about.
The job took 9 hours with me cutting the material, my wife prepping surfaces and the installer laying it up.

DON'T TRY THIS YOUSELF, especially if you get this vinyl as it's pricey but fantastic.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f311...s-97332-4.html

Cheers
Tony

[perryg114]

I would worry that self adhesive would tend to loose it's stick over time from heat and chemical changes in the plastic.

Perry

[thesignlady]

Originally Posted by Sharkboards

'72 Sovereign, factory original vinyl covered walls in good condition. Really on the fence about replacing entirely with new everything, or preserving the original...

Sharkboards, since you say yours is in good condition before you do anything drastic, I highly recommend going at it with a heavy duty cleaning. On mine I used Mr. Clean magic erasers sponges and bathroom spray with bleach. (Tilex mold and mildew remover and when I ran out of that Scrubbing bubbles with bleach) In this pic the panel to the right has been Mr.Cleaned and bleached and the left just washed with soapy water




Don't worry about hurting the vinyl that stuff bullet proof. I brought a piece to work to torture just to see what it can handle even scrubbing my test piece in lacquer thinner for a minute didn't hurt it. pretty impressive stuff

Then just for fun I took the upholstery attachment of my carpet cleaner to the area of vinyl wall behind my stove that hadn't seen the light of day in 40 years to, here's the results of that

[thesignlady]

Originally Posted by Sharkboards

'72 Sovereign, factory original vinyl covered walls in good condition. Really on the fence about replacing entirely with new everything, or preserving the original...

Sharkboards, since you say yours is in good condition before you do anything drastic, I highly recommend going at it with a heavy duty cleaning. On mine I used Mr. Clean magic erasers sponges and bathroom spray with bleach. (Tilex mold and mildew remover and when I ran out of that Scrubbing bubbles with bleach) In this pic the panel to the right has been Mr.Cleaned and bleached and the left just washed with soapy water

Attachment 235043


Don't worry about hurting the vinyl that stuff bullet proof. I brought a piece to work to torture just to see what it can handle even scrubbing my test piece in lacquer thinner for a minute didn't hurt it. pretty impressive stuff

Then just for fun I took the upholstery attachment of my carpet cleaner to the area of vinyl wall behind my stove that hadn't seen the light of day in 40 years to, here's the results of that

Attachment 235044

After all that, any areas that had that sticky feeling so common in things exposed to grease splatter and possible nicotine stains for 40 odd years I scrubbed the walls down with a Mr. Clean sponge soaked in rapid remover which is an industrial adhesive remover I use here at work and it took the stickiness away

[thesignlady]

Originally Posted by perryg114

I would worry that self adhesive would tend to loose it's stick over time from heat and chemical changes in the plastic.

Perry

As per Perry's concerns, Sign grade vinyl won't fall off, but yes indeed most of the vinyl that sign shops use has a tendency to shrink over time. If you went that route you would need to ask the supplier if shrinkage and therefore pulling away from the seams may be a problem over the long term. There are many different grades of product and you should expect they would need to order special order stuff in....With standard sign shop vinyls you can also have issue of the vinyl developing ripples from the repeated expansion and contraction that is goes through with temp changes. In short, most of the products I use at my sign shop I wouldn't recommend for that kind of application.

In playing with that factory original sample piece I cut off of my 1969 safari's wall and brought in to work I can actually see it has fabric fibers literally weaved through it, its not just a texture look. If that is what the fellow above who took his stuff to a sign installer to apply found, that would be the route I would recommend.