Fabric Walls replacement

[owen92411]

We purchased a 1994 34' last year. it was in great shape, but had a "smell". we didn't fuss with anything last year, but decided to work on things this year. We have torn most of everything out except for the "fabric" walls. This fabric is glued to all the walls in our camper. I don't really like to use the word fabric, bc it is a mix between a carpet/fabric. Has anyone replaced this and what did you replace with? just paint? another type of fabric? stainless steel? aluminum?

[cwf]

Howdy! Well, glad you checked in!

You can peel off the 'mouse fur' wall covering. Clean the aluminum inner skin and leave it bare... or, recover. The fabric, as you pull it off is like a thin carpeting, almost like Astro turf... but thinner.

The inner with only aluminum will be cooler and warmer... depending upon ambient temp.

You may not want to paint... but depends on if you want to try to retain the stock look.

I would put back a Mouse fur.. you can try cleaning the fur.... at least that way, it may prove cleanable... and save you a world of trouble..

Good luck! Let us know how you do..

[Melody Ranch]

OK.....here is my take. I had a 1994 21ft Sovereign and it had wall liner. Not mouse fur, which is a much smoother fabric used for other purposes. I was not in love with it because I am more into Vintage....with bare aluminum walls. THEN.....I bought a Vintage Flying Cloud which had been updated in the late eighties and the owner had put in hull liner on the walls...just like the new Airstreams of the time. I did not like it because I was not used to it. Now...after a few years of using that Cloud in all sorts of climate..Hot, Cold, damp, dry, etc. and environments..loud campsites, for example, I find that I really like that interior covering. I acts as a superior insulator of both climate and noise.....it is an obvious difference from an aluminum interior. The end caps are still uncovered but the walls and ceiling are. The cabinets are installed over the liner. It also eliminates the cold butt syndrome of Airstream beds in the Winter. Hull liner comes in colors and installs easily if your interested.

[owen92411]

Do you know where I can purchase new mouse fur? (Love that name by the way)

[Hometeam4]

I'd like to peel off the mouse fur and leave the aluminum bare. However, I need to clean the spray glue off. Do you know what I could use to clean it without harming the luster of the aluminum?
Thanks

Originally Posted by cwf

Howdy! Well, glad you checked in!

You can peel off the 'mouse fur' wall covering. Clean the aluminum inner skin and leave it bare... or, recover. The fabric, as you pull it off is like a thin carpeting, almost like Astro turf... but thinner.

The inner with only aluminum will be cooler and warmer... depending upon ambient temp.

You may not want to paint... but depends on if you want to try to retain the stock look.

I would put back a Mouse fur.. you can try cleaning the fur.... at least that way, it may prove cleanable... and save you a world of trouble..

Good luck! Let us know how you do..

[SeeMore]

There are mouse fur choices as it is just a thin carpet. Check out the marine suppliers who generally carry the widest variety.

Others mentioned removal and cleaning the surface. That is a task which involves hours of work and a lot of frustration as the old glue may or may not come off easily. A lot depends on age and if the surface 'baked' on the top and side areas exposed to the sun.

I chose removal and an attempt at cleaning before deciding returning another material to the surface was my best choice. A contributing factor was my belief that the additional material did add a marginal insulating factor, especially on the metal walls which can be either cold or hot in extreme temperatures.

I installed ultra leather in the living space and chose a thick, cloth backed vinyl elsewhere. Vinyl landau roof adhesive works well as the glue as well as contact cement which is much less forgiving when the surfaces touch initially.

[Hometeam4]

I am going to try a faux leather vinyl from Miami Corp used for dash boards in cars. Not sure how it will hold in the curved corners of the AS so I ordered a sample book for color and I'll test the adhesives. It comes in 54" rolls so I probably need to use the plastic T borders to break it up. I wanted to just go with the bare aluminum walls but it seems that the original piecing of the aluminum for the inside skins was a rush job. Any suggestions or warnings would be appreciated. Thanks

[badkat]

I do no want to come unglued with our mouse fur but would like to clean it. Is the GreenMachine which I read about before a great option? It needs to be cleanedd but I do not want to remove it. thanks

[goofus delux]

I have a '95 21' Sovereign that had mouse fur. I removed it and painted and am very happy with the way it looks. It's obviously easier to clean, doesn't hold on to smells, and cleans up the inside of the trailer nicely.
The mouse fur pulls off easily. I used Citristrip to get the adhesive off. First apply Citristrip with a brush, let it sit overnight, then scrape it off with a plastic scraper. Wear gloves. Then I cleaned it with a TSP-like cleaner and then buffed the surface with a scotch pad on a wheel attachment on my drill. I primed with Zinzer 123 and then painted with a nice super-durable epoxy paint. It was a mess, but not as bad as getting the vinyl headliner off, which I did at the same time.

[Hometeam4]

That looks really good. I'm a little worried about taking off the foam backed vinyl on the ceiling because of the haphazard piecing of the inside skins. It may be worth it though as your walls look good. Can you send a picture of the ceiling?
Thanks!

[Nomad518]

Originally Posted by badkat

I do no want to come unglued with our mouse fur but would like to clean it. Is the GreenMachine which I read about before a great option? It needs to be cleanedd but I do not want to remove it. thanks

We have a Rug Doctor carpet cleaner with upholstery cleaning attachment. I used it to clean our mouse fur wall covering with good results. For stubborn stains I used a diluted bleach water spray (maybe 10% bleach to water). The Rug Doctor leaves the surface nearly dry to the touch when done. You can rent these almost everywhere if you don't own one.

[Cardinal283]

SeeMore and Dufus Deluxe. I love both of your installs! Can you provide more pics of your wall liners/coatings? I have been debating what to do with mine. I've considered mouse fur, zolatone, faux leather, marine carpet, and wood veneer. Just haven't been able to settle on what I want/like. Your input is very helpful though.

[SeeMore]

I'm not sure what detail you'd like to see. Here's a pic of the dinette area completed. I also re-covered the cushions & frame, plus installed luxury vinyl flooring in a stone pattern.

For the cushions, I used new thicker, high density foam, wrapped in cotton casings under the outer layer of upholstery fabric. It makes sitting for hours on rainy days comfortable and without butt contact from the plywood substructure. The frames are covered in a medium grey vinyl as opposed to the ultra leather I put on the wall.

Clean up is greatly enhanced as a wet/damp wash cloth can be used on the ultra leather and vinyl. It is far better than the original cotton/polyester cloth and mouse fur that trapped dust and grime so easily.

At the moment, I am wrapping up the gaucho/folding couch re-upholstery job in a brownish/black leather. It, too, got all new foam as well as additional wire ties to better restrict spring compression. I used three weights of foam (extremely firm, very soft, & memory) glued/sandwiched together to create firmer seating, enhanced lumbar support, and a taller front bolster roll so we can recline more comfortably.

I just received 15 yards of polyester web backed, light grey vinyl in a faux leather grain that I will be applying to the bedroom walls in the next month or so. The old adhesive is just too hard to remove completely so the silvery grey vinyl will have to do for an 'aluminum' look. What can I say, my wife wants the new bed spread, shams, and curtains I made match the look of the newer trailers with shiny aluminum walls when it is all complete.

[goofus delux]

Hometeam4: The panels on our ceilings (again, for a '95 21' Sovereign) were not haphazard at all. They were in full sheets and well installed. I had to replace a few rivets, but I think that's to be expected.

Cardinal283: The first photo below is from during the remodel so you can see the ceiling after I took off the mouse fur/ vinyl headliner and removed the adhesive. The second photo is obviously with the epoxy paint, but I hope it shows the ceiling well enough.

I can't remember which epoxy paint I used, but I think as long as you use something high quality it should be fine with a good primer like Zinzer 1-2-3 and a good buffing with a scotch pad or sandpaper.

[Cardinal283]

Thanks guys. Those both look great. I have some new decisions to make now. Haha.

[HeikeET]

Stick on metal tile worked great for me. I have a bunch leftover if anyone is interrested

[SeeMore]

The brushed aluminum look of the tiles adds a nice ambience.

[sdt2017]

I'm considering buying a 2007 19' bambi with a Midnight Sun with Tropical Oak wood finishes interior. The original brochure says the walls are fabric covered - they look off-white or white.

The pictures show strips that look like they may be holding the sections of the interior wall coverings together. Is the fabric glued into place?

Anyone have experience removing the covering to return to an aluminum interior?

Do you think this covering explains the really good price of this unit?

Thanks!

[sdt2017]

Forgot to add a picture....

[HeikeET]

I have a 2003 Bambi and took the carpet off it did not look like you could make the wall skin nice and shiny ... there is sprayed on glue and things on it. I put stick on tiles over it and am very happy with the results. See my post with pics on this forum. I actually have enough of the tile left and can sell it to you if you do decide to go this route ��