Major ceiling problem!

[MSHappyCampers]

I have had a problem with a roof leak for a long time!  I have resealed all the openings, or thought I did, but I kept getting water dripping from the bathroom ceiling with a heavy rain.  It was leaking from around the two vent fans and along a trim strip between two sections of ceiling.  Well, I finally I got my son up there, thinking two sets of eyes are better than one, and he found a potential problem with the caulking around the vent above the fridge.  He resealed it and SHAZAM, the problem is gone!  That's the good news.

Now for the bad news!  The ceiling material is vinyl with a 1/4" foam backing.  I let the problem go on so long that I now have two more problems.  The water caused the material to shrink, pulling it out from the trim strip, AND there is extensive mold on the foam backing!

I contacted a local cleaning company that deals with mold problems and they will be coming out next week to assess the mold problem.  I've got to replace the ceiling in the bathroom but I'm concerned that the water may have migrated above the ceiling in the kitchen and caused mold there also.  There were no actual leaks except in the bathroom, but if there is mold above the kitchen ceiling then I want to find out how serious it is.

I found replacement ceiling material on Amazon but immediately saw a problem with installing it.  I found out that the entire ceiling, front to back, was installed before any cabinets, walls, etc. were put in.  I'll have to use a razor knife to cut the old ceiling material all around the room.  The problem is how to conceal the edges of the new material.  I can't put up small quarter round since some of the walls are wood and some are white board, plus it would be a real pain to get all that moulding fitted around the doors, etc..  I think I can start gluing the material at the wall, leaving a small gap, maybe 1/8", and leaving about 1/4" of material hanging down.  Then I will use a wide flat tool to push the 1/4" excess up into the 1/8" opening, hopefully giving me a finished look.  Have any of you ever replaced this type of ceiling material and if so, how did you do it?

Any advice on this whole project will be greatly appreciated!  

Joe

 

Edited October 3, 2020 by MSHappyCampers

[Dennis H]

Joe, while I've never tackled the project in a motorhome, there are many alternatives available for other applications. I see no reason why your idea will not work. Another option is to simply seal the material near the edge and cover that with a piece of moulding. You could wrap/glue the moulding with the same material as the ceiling and it would give you a finished look. Hopefully the mold issue will be confined to the bathroom area. Mold can be treated and it's good you're having a professional look at it. Best of luck. Be sure to post before and after pictures.....Dennis

[Guest Tim503]

I have a 98 and low and behold my rubber roof failed and my whole ceiling is stained. The rubber roofing looks okay until you look close and see micro holes in it. My shower skylight was breaking apart from deterioration but was not leaking. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. It depends if I keep it. I have the textured material they used in the cupboards and asked a shop and they said nothing can be done. I tried cleaning the stains and gave up on that.

What is under the foam, Luan board? That padded ceiling is done in 4 foot sections with a nailing molding between them? I think I might try taking it out and painting it with a night star scene. You could even try gluing on some ceiling tiles or ask a designer what would look good and be unique. Otherwise take the roof off and the ceiling. Recover it and bolt it back down. The nice thing with RV's is the projects are small and easy to change. If you have a rubber roof get it recovered or maybe re-coated as they only lasted 15 years

[MSHappyCampers]

7 hours ago, Tim503 said:

I have a 98 and low and behold my rubber roof failed and my whole ceiling is stained. The rubber roofing looks okay until you look close and see micro holes in it. My shower skylight was breaking apart from deterioration but was not leaking. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. It depends if I keep it. I have the textured material they used in the cupboards and asked a shop and they said nothing can be done. I tried cleaning the stains and gave up on that.

What is under the foam, Luan board? That padded ceiling is done in 4 foot sections with a nailing molding between them? I think I might try taking it out and painting it with a night star scene. You could even try gluing on some ceiling tiles or ask a designer what would look good and be unique. Otherwise take the roof off and the ceiling. Recover it and bolt it back down. The nice thing with RV's is the projects are small and easy to change. If you have a rubber roof get it recovered or maybe re-coated as they only lasted 15 years

The ceiling has a layer of thin particle board above the padded vinyl.  

12 hours ago, Dennis H said:

Joe, while I've never tackled the project in a motorhome, there are many alternatives available for other applications. I see no reason why your idea will not work. Another option is to simply seal the material near the edge and cover that with a piece of moulding. You could wrap/glue the moulding with the same material as the ceiling and it would give you a finished look. Hopefully the mold issue will be confined to the bathroom area. Mold can be treated and it's good you're having a professional look at it. Best of luck. Be sure to post before and after pictures.....Dennis

That moulding would be a PITA with the door frames, etc.  It will definitely be a last resort!  

[throgmartin]

Believe it or not your very best source of information will be a marine upholsterer. They deal with these types of ceilings all the time in boats and yachts. They also deal with mold issues.

While I am an upholsterer my specialty is NOT marine fabrication. There are tricks to the trade and these types of ceilings have many tricks including sourcing the right materials such as glues, vinyl, scrim/foam, etc. If you have a marine upholsterer close to you who does boat interiors you may want to check with them. Sorry I cannot be of much help.

 

[MSHappyCampers]

54 minutes ago, throgmartin said:

Believe it or not your very best source of information will be a marine upholsterer. They deal with these types of ceilings all the time in boats and yachts. They also deal with mold issues.

While I am an upholsterer my specialty is NOT marine fabrication. There are tricks to the trade and these types of ceilings have many tricks including sourcing the right materials such as glues, vinyl, scrim/foam, etc. If you have a marine upholsterer close to you who does boat interiors you may want to check with them. Sorry I cannot be of much help.

 

Thanks for the tip!

[vanwill52]

My 2000 Dynasty came with an Ozite (polyolefin) carpeting material as the ceiling covering.  It was glued to the plywood ceiling panels and was dingy from Day One.  I cut it out around all the outside edges with a box cutter and pulled it all out.  I replaced it with FRP wall panels from Lowe’s that were bright white with a pebble pattern.  Glued it into place and used the moldings supplied to join sheets.  Around the edges I put quarter-round molding.  Getting the panels installed was quite a job, but adding the moldings was not difficult.

It was a major upgrade!

https://www.lowes.com/pd/48-in-x-8-ft-Embossed-White-Wall-Panel/1000174771