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Old 12-10-2009, 09:31 AM   #1
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Ideas for a thin, yet insulating "headliner"?

I wasn't planning on insulating the ceiling of my bus at all because I simply cannot afford to lose any headroom. I will use those insulating beads in the paint on the top of the roof though. But today I got to thinking, what if I were to use some sort of ultrathin material (maybe 1/4" thick) that could be glued onto the ceiling? I'm thinking of not only insulating against heat/cold, but also sound absorption. The substance that comes to mind is cork. Anyone have any other ideas?

Edit: In fact, I remember now someone here was thinking about cork flooring as well. I just found this website that has all kinds of cork products: www.corkstore.com, and now I'm thinking of using the sheeting on the ceiling, and the tiles on the floor.

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Old 12-10-2009, 10:06 AM   #2
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Re: Ideas for a thin, yet insulating "headliner"?


I second the idea of noise-deadening interior materials, and that huge metal ceiling would be a good place to start. The noise inside Millicent at 60 MPH makes it difficult to have a conversation or listen to music, and we put a lot of miles on.

Some years ago, I covered a wall in a house with 12 inch square tiles of cork -- maybe half inch thick. They were light enough that it seems realistic to glue them to a ceiling, and if one or two fall down occasionally, nobody is likely to get hurt.

So I like your idea.
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Old 12-10-2009, 01:23 PM   #3
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Re: Ideas for a thin, yet insulating "headliner"?

That sounds like a good idea Smitty, but I'm not sure I want to get into the job of pulling the ceiling panels. I know there is some sort of insulation up there, so while I could probably increase my R-value by replacing with better material, well... I don't know if the net gain is worth it to me. As usual, I'm looking for a half-assed solution that helps a little but doesn't cost much in the way of $$ or time.

...but in my defense, I'm not full-timing in this bus, so I really don't have as much incentive to spend that extra $$ and time.
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Old 12-10-2009, 03:55 PM   #4
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Re: Ideas for a thin, yet insulating "headliner"?

I hear ya Smitty! Do it right the first time is a lesson some of us never learn.
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Old 12-10-2009, 07:46 PM   #5
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Re: Ideas for a thin, yet insulating "headliner"?


Good on ya, Mdpolakow, for dampening the noise this way. I always worry that in the battle between gravity and glue, gravity always wins -- sooner or later. But with physical fastening in addition, it might stay there a while.

Based on my 18.000 noisy miles in Millicent, I heartily recommend sound-absorbing interior surfaces.
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Old 12-11-2009, 11:01 AM   #6
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Re: Ideas for a thin, yet insulating "headliner"?

Felt automotive insulation @ $5.00 per yard.

http://www.perfectfit.com/
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Old 12-11-2009, 06:24 PM   #7
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Re: Ideas for a thin, yet insulating "headliner"?

Glue this to the ceiling.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...025&lpage=none
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Old 12-11-2009, 07:38 PM   #8
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Re: Ideas for a thin, yet insulating "headliner"?

Quote:
Originally Posted by TygerCub
Wow, that would sure make for a shiny ceiling! I suppose it would also help to reflect light around the bus. But I'm afraid it's just a little too "shiny" for my personal taste. My wife always teases me because I seem to have an aversion to bright colors and otherwise shiny objects. Most things I own are either black, brown, white, or some earth tone or other muted color. I'll keep that stuff in mind though if I need a radiant barrier or thin insulation in some place that isn't part of my decor.
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Old 12-12-2009, 05:50 AM   #9
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Re: Ideas for a thin, yet insulating "headliner"?

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Wow, that would sure make for a shiny ceiling!

Wouldn't it though?!!!

Something else I've seen another person do on this forum is remove the panel right above the window and slide this stuff into the ceiling void. This would give you a radiant barrier, but would keep your ceiling from looking like one huge disco ball.
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Old 12-12-2009, 11:20 PM   #10
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Re: Ideas for a thin, yet insulating "headliner"?

Yeah, that was mine. It is working very well so far. A considerable drop in the summer heat in the bus. Not only insulates, but is a great radiant barrier. I did not have factory insulation up there before though. Here are the pics from mine.





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Old 12-13-2009, 09:58 PM   #11
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Re: Ideas for a thin, yet insulating "headliner"?

If you coat the outer roof with an elastometric roof coating (at least 2 coats) it will help deaden the sound a little plus keep the bus cooler in the summer. (I like Snow Roof products) You might want to do that no matter what you stick up on the ceiling.
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Old 12-13-2009, 10:38 PM   #12
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Re: Ideas for a thin, yet insulating "headliner"?

I'll have to check and verify whether or not I have insulation in my ceiling. If not, I'll definitely consider sliding in some stuff like that radiant barrier, or the stuff with the air bubbles in the middle and shiny foil outside. I'll definitely put some sort of coating on the outer roof. Not sure yet if it will be the elastomeric stuff or the insulating paint beads. And the cork sheeting idea is really growing on me, mainly for sound proofing, but also for the little bit of extra insulation without adding any real bulk. I don't plan to insulate the floor, again due to height clearance issues, and was thinking about cork tile on top of 3/4" plywood. But another option would be just putting a few thick coats of polyurethane right on the plywood and let that be the floor with some area rugs, especially over any joints. Someone I knew once did that in a building, and it didn't look that bad really. Perhaps a little primative, but this bus is going to be a camper, not a luxury liner. Any tile I use is going to run a couple hundred dollars and reduce my headroom. Why bother? So long as the rugs are easily removable for cleaning I think that would feel nice and homey, plus more sound deadening. My neighbor is always going to auctions - I might ask him to keep an eye out for some cheap oriental rugs. That would be sweet!
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Old 12-16-2009, 07:38 PM   #13
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Re: Ideas for a thin, yet insulating "headliner"?

I scored some insulation used in aircraft. I do not know what it is called, what the r factor is, or what the sound deadening factor is. I obtained two different styles. One relatively heavy(more soundproof?) and one light weight one.

In fact, I scored a lot of stuff for airplane construction and remodel. Honeycomb panels, rolls of naugahyde(off white and burnt orange), wire, overhead bins, foam, roll of thin rubber like material, wire loom, etc.

You are welcome to whatever I do not use. I plan to start building by spring.

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Old 12-16-2009, 09:15 PM   #14
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Re: Ideas for a thin, yet insulating "headliner"?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Elliot Naess

Some years ago, I covered a wall in a house with 12 inch square tiles of cork -- maybe half inch thick. They were light enough that it seems realistic to glue them to a ceiling, and if one or two fall down occasionally, nobody is likely to get hurt.
Some years ago, I lived in a college town rental house with 3 roomates (one being my then gf). The upstairs attic bedroom had had square mirror tiles glued to the ceiling at one point. One night we were asleep in our bedroom below the attic bedroom, and we heard shouting and cursing. Our other roommate's boyfriend had one of the tiles fall and break over his head (it landed flat, fortunately) during...aerobics. We went running up to see what was wrong...ooops.

There is 1/4" polystyrene fanfold insulation that comes in 50' x 4' wide sheets all folded up. It's easy to glue to the ceiling with foamsafe construction adhesive, but you'd have to put something on top of it. It only has an R-value of 1, though.

I think cork sounds like a good idea. Seeria was talking about using it, as well, in her bus.
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Old 12-16-2009, 10:35 PM   #15
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Re: Ideas for a thin, yet insulating "headliner"?

Hi all, my idea for a thin layer on the ceiling is a closed cell foam and then wood window blind slats glued over that, they are light weight, paintable and flexible. The old ones from this area were cedar. We have here in Portland a wonderful salvage yard and there are stacks of them cheap! I will trim them down to do away with the parts that have the cord holes in them and will still end up with a lot of useable slats. Your local blind installer will probably have extras or wrong sizes laying around and might be willing to part with them. They also come in several widths, could make an interesting paneled affect. Could also be used on the walls. Leslie
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Old 12-17-2009, 12:43 AM   #16
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Re: Ideas for a thin, yet insulating "headliner"?

I like the idea of the recycled window slats. Reduce (cost), reuse, recycle. Good idea.
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Old 01-04-2010, 03:45 PM   #17
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Re: Ideas for a thin, yet insulating "headliner"?

If you will have A/C in your bus, then the insulation will definitely help in the summer, and certainly not hurt. If you don't have A/C, then I suppose the insulation could trap heat inside the bus. But on the other hand, it would prevent heat from entering from the roof as well. Maybe it would be a wash? I suppose if you did not have A/C, you would at least have lots of open windows and fans for when you are not moving. That being the case, I think the insulation would not have any negative effect in the summer. But I'm just brainstorming here, and have no particular expertise in this area.
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