Replacing Headliner with Wood Panelling

[Reo Baird]

I want to replace the headliner (currently ugly acoustic tiles with water damage due to leaky flybridge/deck which has since been redone) with wood paneling something like this:

The picture is of the same model boat, so the final look i'm going for will be very similar.

My plan is to use 1/2" "purple" (the high density and high R-value kind) foam and stick ~1/4 wood paneling over that. I do, however, have some concerns... so if there is anyone who has experience doing something similar, please chime in.

What I am unsure on is how best to attach the foam/paneling to ensure it does not come off. My current thought is to use contact cement between the foam and ceiling, and then contact cement again between the paneling and foam, along with perhaps some brad nails (although this is probably un-necessary?)

-Is this type of foam compatible with contact cement or will the solvents melt it?

-The fiberglass beneath the existing tiles is not perfectly smooth (its rough, bare fiberglass), will the contact cement still create a sufficient bond?

-Do you think contact cement strong enough in general for this purpose? I am sure the stuff will stick up (and that is easy enough to test), but what i mean is standing up to the forces generated during a heavy sea way.

-If not, what about using both a general-purpose construction adhesive + contact cement to remove the need for propping pieces up while adhesive sets up?


Also, if there are any other suggestions/thoughts/potential pitfalls, I'd like to hear them.

[Astral Blue]

I replaced my boat's entire ceiling in the salon two years ago. It had a hideous ceiling liner; and I replaced it with bead board and stained it to match the wood appointments throughout the cabin.

The project is extensively documented in the Bayliner Owner's Club. Here is the link to the thread:

BAYLINER® OWNERS' CLUB

You need to be a member to be able to view it. Here are a few before and after pics:

[tropicalescape]

I have 1000s of 2 inch wide and 1 inch thick 110 yr old yellow heart pine "tongues" that I salvaged from a cotton mill...they went between the pine decking that was used for the celings of the mill...I have been trying to find a use other than tomato stakes...yellow pine is normally considered soft wood but this is a varity of pine(long leaf yellow) that is pretty much extict as far as lumber is concerned and is all heart, therefore considered as a hard wood..The only way to get it is either to demolition a old factory,house or barn... or buy it from a retailer of antique("old wood" to hear my friends say it) timber products...If you are interested I will give you enough to do your boat for a few good photos before and after the installation and the price of shipping...It is a very high quality and beautiful wood...I also have 10s of thousands of board feet of the heart pine decking in 3x8s,6s,5s and 4s that could be resawn to your specs...I could send a sample if you like .....Good luck,DVC

[Reo Baird]

Thanks for the offer, unfortunately with my schedule shipping and milling would have meant i could not complete the project in the time i had.

I ended up buying some ceder paneling locally.

Some photos from the project:

Before:


During:


After (still need to reinstall lights/veneer and finish speaker boxes):




The method i used:

-1/2" R3 high density foam insulation held up with PL Premium "Fast Grab"
-1/2 furring ripped out of standard 1/2" plywood sheet and held in with PL premium and brad nails into the beams
-5/16" thick ceder panels from local hardware store fastened with PL premium and brad nails into the furring.

I am contemplating rubbing some tung oil or something into it to give it a finished look, but i'll probably leave it raw for a while.


Now my next battle: what do with the faded and water-damaged walls (old carpet trapped moisture against the bottom inch or so all around, and a couple leaky window seals damaged the saloon veneer). I am leaning towards paint at the moment, after trying unsuccessfully to restore the water damage (dark spots/unevenness remain even after bleaching). Replacing the veneer is more work than i have time for (will involve pulling out all the teak trim).

[osirissail]

As to holding up polystryrebe "blue-board" (or it used to be "pink-board") to FRG hull interior was a problem when I tried it on my boat. Contact cement definitely did NOT work. Both the weight of the materials "hanging" from the ceiling and the irregular surface of the FRG inner hull prevented the maximum adhesion.

So I made up a mixture of epoxy and used phenolic micro-spheres to thicken the "glue" then glued the panels to the ceiling (overhead). I first removed the thin plastic film that comes on the polystyrene boards so that the "glue" could grab onto the actual panels. Then I used a forest of sticks and flat boards to hold up the panels against the ceiling until the "glue" cured.

So far, 15 years later, the panels are still firmly attached to the ceiling (overhead) and none have fallen down or come loose. Here is a photo of the idea - it is for the installation of the panels on the curved sidewalls, but the ceiling process was identical.

[micah719]

Some nice timberwork there....mmmmm, love the smell of cedar. Still thinking of how to get a similar insulation/timber aesthetic but still be able to have easy access to the steel...perhaps glue the foam to dismountable wood panels.

[Reo Baird]

If i was to do it removable, i would make the furring, foam, and panels all one, then fasten those to the roof using countersunk visible screws installed nicely.

The PL "Fast Grab" definitely works great for the foam (cutting it so it sits snug also helps). Didn't have to use any support for the foam boards, despite a very irregular surface behind it.

[ssanzone]

i am about to start the same project.

just a thought... tung oil is REALLY combustible and just a soaked rag can spontaneously ignite.

combine that with the need to reapply and i would steer you away from using tung.

you might try waterlox which is like a tung & poly blend of sorts. i used it on red pine floor in a residential renovation and liked it.