redoing interior

hemogoblin

New member
Jul 9, 1998
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We are contemplating redoing the interior of our '77palm beach. Any
sugestions on whether reupholstry or a total
furniture replacement(flexsteel) would be better??Weight issues re
furniture has been discussed-any input would be helpful.

adry

hemogoblin
 
We are now redoing our interior. I suggest reading that excellent article
regarding insulation at http://www.gmcws.org. With your interior stripped
it is easy to improve the insulation which reduces the load on your A/C
units and makes your coach more comfortable in summer and winter.

It is interesting how infra red radiation passes through white gel coat,
fiberglass, balsa and plywood cores, etc. Yet a thin layer of aluminum foil
seems to reflect it back. The GMC end caps are plastic as are the skins
below the waist so radiation will be coming through the skin and foam in
those areas.

On our GMC, I foamed those areas the GM workers missed. Between the
aluminum stringers and frames I added a layer of Reflectix Insulation
purchased at Lowes Hardware. This is bubble wrap with aluminum coatings on
each side and has a high R value considering it is only about 3/4" thick.

We glued a layer of aluminum foil to the top surface of our original ceiling
panels. We glued a layer of 1/8" thermal insulation cloth to the bottom
surface. (This is the stuff women use inside quilts I think.) Next we glued
a layer of off white cotton velour cloth which has a fuzzy surface like the
headliners in many cars. My wife bought these items at a sewing goods
store. This headliner treatment adds insulation and soaks up noise to make
the interior quieter.

I varnished the existing subfloor to help prevent any future water damage to
the plywood.

Next I put down a layer of aluminum foil with shiny side down, then a layer
of Armstrong 1/16" foam vapor barrier that is used under hardwood floors,
next a layer of aluminum foil with shiny side up.

This same 3 layer insulation system continued up the sides but there it is
over top a layer of reflexic insulation.

We prefer hardwood to carpet flooring, so I used 1/4" marine teak plywood
with holly strips. The floor insulation helps reduce radiant energy from
hot asphalt, exhaust pipes and engine air in summer and helps keep the floor
warmer in winter.

A good window tint is 3m Scotchtint Plus All Season. Amber (LE35AMARL) is
advertised to reduce summer heat gain by 73% and winter heat loss by 30%.
It is a construction material rather than automotive.

Our boat got a similar insulation treatment several years ago and became
much more comfortable in both summer and winter. In that instance the
improvement was easily worth the time and effort as we cruise in all
seasons.

Our Flexsteel furniture was replaced with home built plywood. Custom foam
cushions are being made by a local upholstery shop. Make sure all furniture
is well anchored in case of an accident. Some of our flex steel was held
down by lag screws. Certainly not up to aviation standards. Through bolts
with large heavy washers are better.

Don

- -----Original Message-----
From: hemogoblin
Date: Wednesday, August 12, 1998 14:49
Subject: GMC: redoing interior

>We are contemplating redoing the interior of our '77palm beach. Any
>sugestions on whether reupholstry or a total
>furniture replacement(flexsteel) would be better??Weight issues re
>furniture has been discussed-any input would be helpful.
>
>adry
>
>hemogoblin
>
 
Sounds excellent and I would make only one change. I did not put varnish on
the floor. My floor was rotten in the rear of the coach and I had to replace
the complete floor. I used 3/4" plywood but soaked it before installation
with cuprinol Green to not only prevent rotting from water but also protect
it from fungus. After treatment with the green Cuprinol you can keep it
soaked and it will not rot. varnish will not do the same thing.

>We are now redoing our interior. I suggest reading that excellent article
>regarding insulation at http://www.gmcws.org. With your interior stripped
>it is easy to improve the insulation which reduces the load on your A/C
>units and makes your coach more comfortable in summer and winter.
>
>It is interesting how infra red radiation passes through white gel coat,
>fiberglass, balsa and plywood cores, etc. Yet a thin layer of aluminum foil
>seems to reflect it back. The GMC end caps are plastic as are the skins
>below the waist so radiation will be coming through the skin and foam in
>those areas.
>
>On our GMC, I foamed those areas the GM workers missed. Between the
>aluminum stringers and frames I added a layer of Reflectix Insulation
>purchased at Lowes Hardware. This is bubble wrap with aluminum coatings on
>each side and has a high R value considering it is only about 3/4" thick.
>
>We glued a layer of aluminum foil to the top surface of our original ceiling
>panels. We glued a layer of 1/8" thermal insulation cloth to the bottom
>surface. (This is the stuff women use inside quilts I think.) Next we glued
>a layer of off white cotton velour cloth which has a fuzzy surface like the
>headliners in many cars. My wife bought these items at a sewing goods
>store. This headliner treatment adds insulation and soaks up noise to make
>the interior quieter.
>
>I varnished the existing subfloor to help prevent any future water damage to
>the plywood.
>
>Next I put down a layer of aluminum foil with shiny side down, then a layer
>of Armstrong 1/16" foam vapor barrier that is used under hardwood floors,
>next a layer of aluminum foil with shiny side up.
>
>This same 3 layer insulation system continued up the sides but there it is
>over top a layer of reflexic insulation.
>
>We prefer hardwood to carpet flooring, so I used 1/4" marine teak plywood
>with holly strips. The floor insulation helps reduce radiant energy from
>hot asphalt, exhaust pipes and engine air in summer and helps keep the floor
>warmer in winter.
>
>A good window tint is 3m Scotchtint Plus All Season. Amber (LE35AMARL) is
>advertised to reduce summer heat gain by 73% and winter heat loss by 30%.
>It is a construction material rather than automotive.
>
>Our boat got a similar insulation treatment several years ago and became
>much more comfortable in both summer and winter. In that instance the
>improvement was easily worth the time and effort as we cruise in all
>seasons.
>
>Our Flexsteel furniture was replaced with home built plywood. Custom foam
>cushions are being made by a local upholstery shop. Make sure all furniture
>is well anchored in case of an accident. Some of our flex steel was held
>down by lag screws. Certainly not up to aviation standards. Through bolts
>with large heavy washers are better.
>
>Don
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: hemogoblin
>Date: Wednesday, August 12, 1998 14:49
>Subject: GMC: redoing interior
>
>
>>We are contemplating redoing the interior of our '77palm beach. Any
>>sugestions on whether reupholstry or a total
>>furniture replacement(flexsteel) would be better??Weight issues re
>>furniture has been discussed-any input would be helpful.
>>
>>adry
>>
>>hemogoblin
>>
>
>
>
 
A big question! As far as the rear seating goes, new material can be
used if the cushions are flat and reusing them would be preferred as
opposed to trying to size new ones.

As far as the driver/ pass. seats go, let me ask this, Do you like the
way they sit? If so and the backs are in half way desent shape you
could get the pair recovered for about $300-350. New seats will cost
$600 and up for a pair. You will get different styling and a reclining
feature, but I just reworked the interior on a unit that the owner liked
the fact that the arm rest made a wider seat when it was down, a great
option that no new seat that I know of will do!

You also need to deside the material you want to use, if you do the
whole coach, I would use the same material for all the seating.

Jim Bounds www.gmccoop.com

>
> We are contemplating redoing the interior of our '77palm beach. Any
> sugestions on whether reupholstry or a total
> furniture replacement(flexsteel) would be better??Weight issues re
> furniture has been discussed-any input would be helpful.
>
> adry
>
> hemogoblin