Bodach na mara
Well-Known Member
Old headlining glue is terrible stuff to remove. In fact, anything to do with old headlining is terrible. I know (well, I do own a Westerly!) The first problem is the bits of old foam, which is crumbly and black and you think you can just brush it off and sweep it up. NO!!! It turns tarry and smears everything it touches. I got most of that off the ceiling using a vacuum cleaner and a flat metal nozzle. The stuff that was smeared over the berths and floor was washed off with white spirit followed by water and detergent. My wife preferred to use meths for removal but that was before I read the HAZCHEM advice for the stuff. Having removed the foam (or most of it) you are left with the impact adhesive residue. The only thing I found that worked was an angle grinder fitted with a wire brush. After that, you still have the problem of clearing up the mess of dust and bits of rubbery stuff. The clear-up took ages even though I had used dust sheets over the berths and floor. I had removed the cushions before touching anything fortunately.
So I gave in and used battens sprung into place and a few strategically placed screws to hold it up. It is still up and looks good, even if I say so myself. I am not the first however, I think it was Searush who posted giving me the idea.
