I’ve been holding off doing a headliner and have given thought to just doing a vinyl wrap on the roof. Doing the ceiling is a great option I hadn’t thought of.
Vinyl can be either fun or frustrating to apply. Find a video on YouTube, get all your supplies, don’t be in a hurry, wait for good weather (not to hot/not to cold). I haven’t done as large of a space as the ceiling in the camper, just big decals on the hood of my Jeep, two good installs and one toss it in the trash (it was too hot out and the application fluid dried to quickly).
$200 sounds about right, time and tools, and the knowledge how to handle and apply it. To me is would come down to cost of materials and if it will still cost less than the $200 to reorder the wrap for a 2nd shot at it or if I just wanted to hand it off to get it done.
When I hear condensation problems, I think back to my experience building my last work shop. I put metal siding & roofing on it and I had to install a radiant barrier/insulation under the metal to prevent condensation and rusting. A very similar problem to this. The radiant barrier is essentially bubble wrap with a shiny aluminum covering that faces toward the outside of the enclosed space. You can get it with a white plastic inside face, so it would still be bright on the inside of the tent, or you can get it with aluminum facing on both sides and feel like you’re climbing into your spaceship when you go to bed. You won’t get any light showing through the roof due to the aluminum face (whether that’s desirable is up to you). It’s lightweight, so no worries about too much weight on the plastic roof, and while it’s most commonly available in a 48" wide roll, you should be able to get it wide enough to cover in a single piece. That would prevent any condensation inside and give you a little insulation on the roof for cold camping. You could easily hang it with some double-sided tape, spray glue, or other means. Here’s an example of what I’m talking about for anyone unfamiliar. You can usually find this at most building supply stores (incl. the big box stores like Home Depot & Lowes).
When I built my sauna I used stuff that looked like a blue tarp type of construction but made from mylar. That stuff reflects some heat whew that thing gets up to 120 in a snap and I need to crack the door
That’s definitely a cheaper option. Buying a whole roll of the stuff I linked would probably be enough to do 10+ GFCs. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find in smaller quantities because of the intended usage.
I actually talked to a guy recently who wrapped the inside of the rood. Said he removed the roof panel to have the wrap installed (so it wouldn’t have to be applied upside down on your back). Not sure if this is frowned upon by GFC, but I’ve seen a couple people on this forum mention removing the roof panel is fairly easy.
Well, I did it. I removed the roof following GFC’s video on how to replace a tent. I didn’t have a spot big enough to lay the roof on, so I covered my bed with an old sheet and got to work…
I am EXTREMELY happy with the way it turned out! I have never messed with vinyl before, and all I used was patience and a winter glove for smoothing. I didn’t even have a heat gun. There’s very small creases here and there, but you can barely see them in the tent unless you are searching for them.
I didn’t expect it to come out perfect, but I didn’t expect it to come out this good either
You won’t get any light showing through the roof due to the aluminum face (whether that’s desirable is up to you). It’s lightweight, so no worries about too much weight on the plastic roof, and while it’s most commonly available in a 48" wide roll, you should be able to get it wide enough to cover in a single piece. That would prevent any condensation inside and give you a little insulation on the roof for cold camping. You could easily hang it with some double-sided tape, spray glue, or other means. Here’s an example of what I’m talking about for anyone unfamiliar. You can usually find this at most building supply stores (incl. the big box stores like Home Depot & Lowes).
