Forum Discussion

Dachristianman's avatar
May 19, 2013

Ceiling Drooping

Anyone have a technique to repair the upholstery (or whatever you call it) on the ceiling? Mine is starting to come down like an old car. Anyone ever have to repair this and if so, how?

Tom
  • It's a 92 Winnebago Brave, Class A. I think the backing is disintegrating and the material is falling down. It appears the material was put on before the walls were installed and it's only falling down on the large open space over the bed. The smaller spaces (bathroom) is still holding on, but can't be far behind.
  • Is it just the fabric coming down or the actual BACKING of the fabric coming with it?
  • After trying several attempts to reattach the drooping bits with limited success I finally found a satisfactory repair.

    With a sharp box cutter I cut the fabric around the room edges and where it tucked under the cabinets and closets.

    I pulled down one half of the ceiling fabric to the center line of the room. I then used a large putty knife to scrape off any loose dried glue and vacuumed the area. It appeared that only a modest amount of adhesive had originally been used.

    I sprayed both the ceiling and the fabric, but only out about two feet at a time from the center line. I used a fabric 3M adhesive. Starting at the center line and working outward a couple inches at a time, I used a small roller to press it into contact. Be sure to mask the walls and cabinets to prevent over spray. As long as one side of the fabric remains attached to the ceiling the fabric will remain in alignment.

    After the fabric is adhered to the ceiling use the box cutter and a straight edge to trim against the walls and cabinets as the fabric will streach a small amount. Just repeat the procedure on the other side of the center line.
  • Diplomat Don wrote:
    If it's just breaking loose and is not crumbling, sometimes you can buy some spray adhesive that has a straw spray nozzle and repair. Puncture a small hole in the ceiling at the center of the droop, insert the straw and spray liberally in all directions. Use something to support the ceiling while it dries.


    YES I did that same thing with my sedan. and it worked great.
  • If it's just breaking loose and is not crumbling, sometimes you can buy some spray adhesive that has a straw spray nozzle and repair. Puncture a small hole in the ceiling at the center of the droop, insert the straw and spray liberally in all directions. Use something to support the ceiling while it dries.
  • On our '87 Itasca the ceiling material was falling down when we bought it. I removed all of it and went to Winnebago and bought more modern material and glued it up with contact cement. It was still good when we traded it off 9 years later. It was a fairly big job but not too bad and well worth the trouble.
  • There is not going to be any quick fixes. Heat and time have conspired together to kill the glue bond. Take it all down, go find some new stuff and install it.