Hi I'm in search of detailed info from those experienced in removable of the elephant skin walls. Ours has water damage from previous leaky windows. Can the cabin be insulated and covered with something that isn't elephant skin or carpet? So the walls could look more solid and be easily painted? Please help with answers or guidance to previous forums containing this information. I'm not very experienced and doing this mostly alone. I want to do the best job possible and make the scamp last for years to come.
Tue, 01/21/2020 - 12:26
#1
Remove elephant skin.
Most ensolite can be salvaged repaired and made too look pretty good. Relining a shell can be quite a task, a lot of trailers are sold as projects after removal of the lining. Removal mechanically is your best procedure, people have not had much luck with chemicals.. Use a multi tool with a scraper blade to remove the lining and most foam. Then use a twisted wire brush on a 4.5" grinder to get the foam and most glue off the inside of the shell.
Good luck
Eddie
I know the removal will be tough. I'm worried about all the water damage to the ensolite and it has been painted over multiple times so the paint is peeling off. The seems are all bad too. I'm at the start of this renovation and the scamp is stripped of almost all interior so I want to remove this or repair it first and I want this build to look really nice at the end. Has anyone used Luan in a scamp with another insulation? I haven't seen anything but ensolate and carpet but I'd love to know if there's another option bc I don't like the look of either.
Victoria Nixon
Littlescamper, if you have to use a rotary brush or anything that is going to throw particles into the air - even any kind of sander - be sure to use a respirator. A dust mask would be minimal, but a well-fitting respirator (3M for instance) would be better. Indeed, in my opinion, absolutely necessary. You'll be in a confined space and dealing with a lot of synthetic materials with who knows what in them. From your picture, you look like a young woman/women, which means whatever you pull into your body now is going to have plenty of time to take effect. Protect yourself/selves!!
I speak from experience, having done a lot of sanding on a fiberglass sailboat before I knew anything about the risks I was taking. The hull was painted blue - I thought - but maybe it was blue gelcoat. In any event, I blew blue crap out of my nose for a few days after that, and coughed a lot. No long term effects yet experienced, and it was 25 years ago, but who knows what's coming down the pike.
Don't let anything like this happen to you.
Your restoration sounds like a major project, which when you get through to the end, will be something you can be totally proud of! Just - protect yourself along the way. Don't be in a hurry. Take care!
Some have tackled it over the years, but getting the cuts done properly and cementing are quite labor intensive. Most go with an automotive headliner material and there are lots of choices in that category. I would definitely put an insulation layer of something like reflectix first before my headliner material. Take lots of pictures and walk us through your replacement so folks can see what you ultimately do.
In my 1981 13, I cleaned the hide and used Zinnser Perma White which seals and protects against mold. For the seams I used 50 year paintable caulk and smoothed it to match the hide pattern. Once painted you couldn’t see the seams. It’s still looking great today and I did the hide in 2005.
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Scamp uses refletix insulation glued behind a marine hill liner both are contact glued in place. The hull liner is a thin polyester fabric that can stretch to help fit the compound curves. Casita uses a foam backed carpet kind of heavy but much better than you would expect to clean and does not hold odors as some would expect. Escape uses a soft vinyl with a foam backing some have experienced separation on curved surfaces but Escape does not have many exposed curves inside. Costco and Lowes sells rolls of thinish polyester carpet (6x9) this could be glued to the walls but I suspect it is too heavy to to be glued over reflectix. The carpet may help with condensation but have little insulation value. The Scamp/Casita and carpet linings are a much better feel if you lay against them while sleeping. Some have lined trailers with sheet cork and others used the puzzle joint foam floor mats. Just consider cost and relining a trailer is a major undertaking
Eddie