Roof lining advice

[Hatti]

So I want to line the roof of my van with some PVC I got hold of, not too difficult a job I hear you say! Well thing is it'sa tiny Berlingo, and if I ply line the roof I lose a lot of head room.. Thinking of screwing batons to the sides and somehow trying to glue the pvc to these..?

Any ideas very welcome haha

Hatti

 

[Polar Bear]

Hi Hatti.
Have you thought about using something like this?

Boat Cover/Canopy Fittings - Snap fastener stainless canvas to screw kit & tools | eBay

 

[janner]

good quality heavy duty cable ties are great for these sort of projects,good luck,jan

 

[wiggy]

Hi you could sykaflex your batons onto roof making them same thickness as as your roof strengtheners then fix 4mm ply then covering

 

[derathe]

Use an impact adhesive and glue directly to the roof, obviously no insulation like that.

 

[molly 2]

Insulation is priority well worth losing an inch of headroom.

 

[Hatti]

Thanks guys - youre right molly I think insulation is a priority, trying to drill some batons to the roof struts and then going to wrap some 3mm ply and attach that to the batons.. God only knows if it's all going to hold though haha!

 

[n brown]

insulate, then screw the ply directly to the roof ribs using self- drilling screws, which do exactly what they say

 

[Hatti]

I can't screw to the ribs as it will reduce the space in the van far too much.. I've already insulated and tried to attach batons but with no luck, so going to screw ply panels directly to the roof of the van and use boat sealant to cover over the screws on the roof to prevent moisture getting in..

Thinking lots of people will be against this idea but I'm at a bit of a loss for what else to do.. I also intend to put a full roof rack on the van pretty soon so the screws will be covered over with that anyway so it won't look too horrendous haha

 

[janner]

I can't screw to the ribs as it will reduce the space in the van far too much.. I've already insulated and tried to attach batons but with no luck, so going to screw ply panels directly to the roof of the van and use boat sealant to cover over the screws on the roof to prevent moisture getting in..

Thinking lots of people will be against this idea but I'm at a bit of a loss for what else to do.. I also intend to put a full roof rack on the van pretty soon so the screws will be covered over with that anyway so it won't look too horrendous haha

hi,don't be too hasty,maybe a good look around the self build campervan type sites could help.all the best .jan

 

[n brown]

I can't screw to the ribs as it will reduce the space in the van far too much.. I've already insulated and tried to attach batons but with no luck, so going to screw ply panels directly to the roof of the van and use boat sealant to cover over the screws on the roof to prevent moisture getting in..

Thinking lots of people will be against this idea but I'm at a bit of a loss for what else to do.. I also intend to put a full roof rack on the van pretty soon so the screws will be covered over with that anyway so it won't look too horrendous haha

well that would work, but i can't see why you have a problem attaching ply or battens, i do it all the time using a combination of Stixall, to glue stuff, and hot melt glue, to hold stuff in place while it's gluing.
if you go for the screws through the roof ,which i don't have a problem with,i would seriously recommend a good blob of Stixall to seal the screws.don't use silicone

 

[hextal]

I can't screw to the ribs as it will reduce the space in the van far too much.. I've already insulated and tried to attach batons but with no luck, so going to screw ply panels directly to the roof of the van and use boat sealant to cover over the screws on the roof to prevent moisture getting in..

Thinking lots of people will be against this idea but I'm at a bit of a loss for what else to do.. I also intend to put a full roof rack on the van pretty soon so the screws will be covered over with that anyway so it won't look too horrendous haha

If you screw the lining to the ribs you'll only lose circa 6mm (or whatever the the lining thickness is). Is that going to make that much difference?

Where you say you're going to screw directly to the roof of the van, and I'm sure I'm misunderstanding, but you don't mean screwing through the roof do you? I just can't quite get my head around what you'll be screwing into if you haven't attached batons.

Batons will stick to the roof easily with sikaflex, you just need to prop them whilst it cures. Once in place it's epically strong. I needed to remove one baton so needed a pry bar and that baton broke before I could get the bond to fail.

 

[Tallyman]

Be careful you may be introducing future problems by drilling holes in the roof IMHO the baton sikaflex method gets my vote ?

 

[Polar Bear]

I can't screw to the ribs as it will reduce the space in the van far too much.. I've already insulated and tried to attach batons but with no luck, so going to screw ply panels directly to the roof of the van and use boat sealant to cover over the screws on the roof to prevent moisture getting in..

Thinking lots of people will be against this idea but I'm at a bit of a loss for what else to do.. I also intend to put a full roof rack on the van pretty soon so the screws will be covered over with that anyway so it won't look too horrendous haha

nooooooooooooooooooooooo use a good quality glue. Many modern cars are glued together these days!

 

[Hatti]

Okok haha maybe I'm just being lazy.. today going to cut out the insulation, sikaflex batons to the roof and then put the insulation back up (Can I use skiaflex for this too?) and screw the panels to the batons once it's all dry..!

How do I keep the batons in place while the glue is drying, any tips? I don't have many tools at all really..

 

[trevskoda]

If it were me i would use large head rivets to fix ply to roof braces using a lazy boy rivet gun £15/20 ,you put insulation up with spray glue in between roof braces then hold the ply up with sticks until you get the rivets in ,i would forget the plastic paneling as it will drip condensation so instead use lining carpet again spray glue and and use dry paint roller to put carpet up.
Thats the way i did my big bus and thought it was going to be hard but it was easy.

 

[janner]

Okok haha maybe I'm just being lazy.. today going to cut out the insulation, sikaflex batons to the roof and then put the insulation back up (Can I use skiaflex for this too?) and screw the panels to the batons once it's all dry..!

How do I keep the batons in place while the glue is drying, any tips? I don't have many tools at all really..

i will have another go..HEAVY DUTY CABLE TIES. just leave them there.

 

[Hatti]

But attached to what?

 

[n brown]

But attached to what?

put the glue on the battens,leaving a couple of bare areas,then use one of these HOT MELT GLUE GUN TRIGGER ELECTRIC ADHESIVE STICKS FOR HOBBY CRAFT MINI DIY | eBay squirt a couple of blobs on the bare bits, then, not hanging about , push the batten in place and hold it a few seconds till the hot melt glue cools and hardens . this will hold it in place until the 'proper' glue sets

 

[Darcar]

Couldn't you screw the batons to the side of the roof ribs? Which is what we did.