Patching screw holes in ceiling?

Thanks for the fastcap link. They have a lot if interesting items.

bhh wrote:
RE: Invisible clicky


You might look at Fastcap's screw covers or Softwax kit

RE: Invisible clicky


You might look at Fastcap's screw covers or Softwax kit

JJBirish, I can't believe I actually did this... I tried toothpaste on a scrap piece of wall paneling. Don't have any white ceiling scraps. The toothpaste hasn't dried in about 12 hours but it *seems* to be sticking well and *seems* to look okay. Appears to be quite sticky stuff. Could probably texture it a bit at 12 hours. Will now have to keep a tube of toothpaste in our travelling emergency kit along with chewing gum and duck tape...

westend, obnoxious would be a good description for me. The pancake style lights have been around for decades now. With the new LED puck lights going into units now, the old pancake lights seem so yesterday. Even with the change to LED lights, many RVs are still using the pancake style with LEDs in them. Why? They could come with lots of interesting light fixture designs if they wanted to. I've been to RV shows and have seen the same pancake lights in $20,000 TTs and $200,000 MHs. I may be one of the few looking up at ceilings though. Something along the lines of a plate may be the way to go. I did find one large diameter round light but it only had a chrome or brass finish and it was expensive. I may try and find an ordinary residential light and convert it to 12V LED.

bhh, I may look at colored wax filler as you suggest and possibly the others, but as you say, I have a feeling no matter what it is, it would be hard to make a 1/8" or so hole left by a #8 screw invisible. I'm not sure how well anything will stick to the plastic coating on the luan. I tried to affix self-adhesive velcro to paneling in our old TT and there was no way I could make it stick. It's almost like the finish was teflon. At least with a hole, a filler can get anchored into the luan somewhat.

myredracer wrote:

westend wrote:

I have my reservations about a recessed fixture for RV applications. It will need to be rated for heat transmission and might give up a lot of insulation space. If it's too deep, it might make an area prime for condensation because of the temp differential from the fixture to the roof skin.

I was thinking about the possibility of installing recessed LED puck lights which are only about an inch deep. Our 2013 KZ TT had them. We are getting a new 2014 KZ shortly and for 2014 they now have arched ceilings. We wanted the puck lights in the arched ceiling but they said they couldn't because it had something to do with how their units go down the assembly line and the ceiling panels are glued to the trusses and they can't install anything recessed into the ceiling. Seems a bit odd since there will be recessed speakers. I used to design lighting systems as an engineer. The interior of the TT looks really nice but the old style of pancake lights seem so "yesterday" and out of place and it will bug me forever... :(

Understood, as a guy that used to design lighting systems, the cheap-ass plastic fixtures, I'm sure, would be obnoxious.

If you have good clearance, a 1" depth should be fine. The LED's, in ranges for most area lighting, don't develop near the maximum temps as their incandescent counterparts.

Another idea would be to fashion a plate that uses the same screw holes for mounting. I used a .125" aluminum plate for mounting two of my card frame fixtures in the center hall location. This plate hides access to two 4" boxes that serve as distribution for my AC and DC wire runs. I even have an empty conduit in the ceiling for any future additions to the electrical runs.

Probably the easiest for a novice are the wax sticks. If it's a wood grain, you should get two or three in the right range of colors and blend them. Do an initial leveling with a plastic spatula (get a lottery scratch-off at your local convenience store). Then take a dollar bill or paper grocery bag or white scotch brite and buff them out. There are other techniques, but they have a stiff learning curve. You can get limited versions at the home centers, or more color variety with Mohawk Finishing or Fastcap Softwax systems.

Invisible is probably not possible.

myredracer wrote:
I like invisible and not something that looks like a patch job. Most may not notice, but I would at least. Once in a while you can make it look right by say, the right fastener & washer or a plug but this isn't one of those times. Any thoughts on patching small holes in a TT ceiling? If it has a plastic coating, maybe epoxy and paint it but matching the color if off-white might be difficult.

If I could find a shallow square recessed (or semi-recessed) LED light, that would work but there doesn't seem to be much of a selection out there.

bhh wrote:
As someone who does wood furniture touch up repairs, there is "inconspicuous" and there is "invisible." The difference is often in the eye of the beholder, and sometimes whether or not you know about the damage, or remember it a year later.

myredracer wrote:

JJBIRISH wrote:
in a white celling I have already just used toothpaste to patch a small screw hole and you would never know it was there years later…

Interesting! Crest or Colgate? :R

instead of the rolling eyes, try it, it works, it last, and you already have it…

JJBIRISH wrote:
in a white celling I have already just used toothpaste to patch a small screw hole and you would never know it was there years later…

Interesting! Crest or Colgate? :R

in a white celling I have already just used toothpaste to patch a small screw hole and you would never know it was there years later…

I like invisible and not something that looks like a patch job. Most may not notice, but I would at least. Once in a while you can make it look right by say, the right fastener & washer or a plug but this isn't one of those times. Any thoughts on patching small holes in a TT ceiling? If it has a plastic coating, maybe epoxy and paint it but matching the color if off-white might be difficult.

If I could find a shallow square recessed (or semi-recessed) LED light, that would work but there doesn't seem to be much of a selection out there.

bhh wrote:
As someone who does wood furniture touch up repairs, there is "inconspicuous" and there is "invisible." The difference is often in the eye of the beholder, and sometimes whether or not you know about the damage, or remember it a year later.

As someone who does wood furniture touch up repairs, there is "inconspicuous" and there is "invisible." The difference is often in the eye of the beholder, and sometimes whether or not you know about the damage, or remember it a year later.