Ceiling coating material rippling

I don't think it is water either, since I don't see any water type stains in the photo. The hard part is that this material is most likely glued. You may be able to use steam to loosen the glue and then try and smooth it out to the seams and then cut it to fit again. My guess is you will have to try and pull it off and then use some 3m spray glue to reapply it. I don't think it will shrink with the steam and without getting it glued again you would have the same issue.

Good luck.

It almost looks like a heavy snow stretched the coating when the weight flexed the roof.

Is there fiber or insulation above it and its glued on like a car headliner? I've fixed the liner in a couple of my old pickups by loosening an edge and spraying headliner adhesive between. Available at chain auto stores. Maybe too stretched? Just an idea.

Hi Team,

Thanks for the responses. The ceiling is plywood, no styrofoam which some pop ups have. This is one of the "older" ones. I can screw into the ceiling with 1/4 screws, which I have done to hang collapsible shelves.

The ceiling - plywood base - is very flat with no sags anywhere. I first noticed the ripples about a year ago on a camping trip. I tried to smooth it out with my hand, and it stuck back, but the next day it did the same thing as seen in the images. Heat is definitely the catalyst for the ceiling material failure.

My most recent attempt at smoothing out resulted in a 3 inch rip just 10 days ago. The sagging material is like a wall paper almost, but wall paper is thicker. This stuff is really paper thin.

I suppose I could undo anything screwed into the ceiling like the roof vent and door clips from the ceiling and gently pull it down and spray with a suitable headliner adhesive as suggested and then reapply. That adhesive would have to have some sort of working time so I could move it around. However, I kind of think anything I do is going to have to be for the entire ceiling not just where it's coming down. The other issue with a spray is overspray onto anything with fabric. I would have to mask heavily and any over spray might create a problem the next time the trailer top pops up. Could the canvas adhere to itself.

I don't know if the hypodermic idea would work. I just am leery of putting holes in it even tiny ones that might turn into tears.  Dunno, though.

I see three choices.
1. Leave it as is and hope for the best. Sell it? My boys really like it's expansiveness and that it's been in the family while they grew up. I was actually hoping to sell it next spring, but who knows.

2. Attach and run some thin molding strips across the roof every foot or 18 inches to support the ceiling material. Currently 3 or 4 molding strips run across the ceiling. You can see one in the images.

3. Rip it all off and paint the ceiling.

4. I got the same question posted on two pop up forums, but older "vintage" pop ups are harder to find these days. Stuff is generally newer and constructed differently, so I think people with first hand experience are few and far between.  This might be a Starcraft exclusive ceiling treatment?

Cheers,

Rod

Another solution might be to get some of that vinyl material, like what is in a shower surround, and screw it to the ceiling.
If phillips head chrome headed counter sink screws are used then the chrome counter sink washers, It would not appear to be something that had just been added.

Hi Friends,

UPDATE: An upcoming camping and mountain biking trip with my sons required taking the old girl out of the mothballs and here is what the ceiling looks like 7 months later. More wrinkling and now some sagging and separating.



Notice the gap opening up on one of the seam strips.  A closer look yielded what I believe is a Poor Man's Mahagony.  AKA luan. Under the gap, it looks pristine.  



So, now, that I know what it probably looks like under there. I am looking at two options.

1. Leave it and let it fall apart and then just peel it off and then leave it as is. I would hope there is  no water damage around the roof vent.
2. Paint it after the ceiling liner is removed.  I like the light that is reflected off the light ceiling.

My best hope is that when the lining gets pulled off, it looks as nice as it does in the gap.  I will have seam strips that are white, but maybe the contrast won't look so bad.  Thoughts?

Cheers,

Rod