B190 Enthusiasts

We have a 1995 B190. When we bought it the headliner was completely gone from over the bed section and is falling down in other sections. We just got a quote of $2,300 to repair it!! So I am just wondering if anyone ever tried to repair their headliner themselves?
Thanks

Is the wood there? Or is it just the fiberglass top?

The '96 B190 we recently purchased had headliner issues too. Namely the channels had come separated and the panels were saging at the joints. From what I could tell the glue had failed and upholstery tape was used to keep the panels connected. We took our unit to the shop & they cut 3" wide plywood strips and glue nailed them to the existing plywood to provide a better base. They stapled the ceiling to the new strips and finished the covering with custom strips. total cost $400. Looks great, we're happy. Photos to gallery soon.

My question to start with would be the same as skater asked..

$2300 is ridiculous...!

You need to get some other price quotes, I'd start there with some boat upholstery outfits as its similar

A 1995 has the vinyl headliner, that vinyl had a thin foam backing glued to it and that was then spray-glued to the thin plywood headliner material....in places where there are high temps in the summers (like Florida for example) that glue didn't hold well......we've seen lots of rigs with headliner problems

From my earlier post on this topic here a photo of the new custom ceiling channels. They are made from 3" masonite strips. Buttons cover the screws. Headliner was reglued and stapled to underlayment.

That looks great!

Thanks Jay..... it looks well done to me also

Just in case someone has the same problem. We have a 95 also, and same problem with the headliner. There is wood above the liner that
the liner was glued to. Anyway we bought some plastic "rose buttons" at the lumber company. They are about the size of a quarter, white, with
a hole in the center. We spaced them out about a foot, and screwed them in over the headliner to hold it up and in place. Kind of a cheap and dirty
fix. But it works and looks pretty good.

Hello David,

Can you post a photo? We have the same problem in our 94 and want a quick repair solution.

Thanks

Mike

edit: PS, what length or size screws did you use?

Used 3/4 to 7/8 screws. Plenty of room above the wood.

I will try to get a pic on soon. It,s put away for the winter, and I have to get it uncovered.

Thank you, David. Can't wait to see. Ours is still put up for winter too and I have a bunch of stuff on the list before I can get to that. Probably won't take her out til mid-May.

Any tips on reattaching a sagging plywood ceiling panel to the fiberglass? Glue? Screw? My fear with screws is cranking one through the fiberglass roof.... Has anyone screwed into the wood members embedded in the fiberglass (i.e., above the thin plywood)?

VanDownByTheRiver wrote:Any tips on reattaching a sagging plywood ceiling panel to the fiberglass? Glue? Screw? My fear with screws is cranking one through the fiberglass roof.... Has anyone screwed into the wood members embedded in the fiberglass (i.e., above the thin plywood)?

My first thought would be to check to ensure it's not sagging because of water damage. But I would have the same concern you do about running screws up into the fiberglass roof.

It seems the headliner coming down is an issue in a lot of B190s. It was coming down in mine as well through out the entire van. Over the kitchen area there was water damage as I found a hole in the fiberglass. I sealed the hole and replaced all the damaged plywood with new insulation. I used 1/4" plywood and it may have been a little too thick because getting the cupboards back in were a huge pain. Above the thin plywood is a thin layer of pink insulation. There is some plywood supports through out the fiberglass and then the fiberglass it's self.

To attach the headliner I used spray adhesive and made my own trim on the seams by wrapping headliner material over pieces of threshold. To attach the trim I used screws painted grey (matches pretty well).

Pictures below are before, during, and after.

Before: During: After: