Suggestions please for replacing plywood ceiling panels

[dankilb]

What do you cut it with?

1/4 router trim bit in the end, with the bearing following battens hot glued in place. A bit of a faff, all told, but result was neat (making templates to send off for CNC machining new Perspex windows).

Circular saw cut it cleanly enough (on a very shallow cut) for rough shaping the pieces.

Jigsaw tended to shred/splinter the edges, but probably could’ve been made to work with care.

It really is thin. Just three approx 1mm ply layers!

 

[dankilb]

We’ve currently got all our headlinings down (41’ awb) and so do have a more relevant perspective to share on this -

All linings were thin ply. A few surviving factory ones with foam backed vinyl (unserviceable condition) and various previous owners’ replacements in hardware shop ply with some sort of clear wood sealant (mostly in reusable condition - but look hideous).

Our plan is to reuse as much of the ply as possible (luckily the previous replacements were cut neatly and fit as well as I could aim to replicate from scratch).

For aesthetics/serviceability/longevity I’m going to laminate the ply panels in Formica. Our choice is a sort of flat gloss/high satin pure white. Will stick on with contact adhesives and use router trim bit to ‘machine’ to the shape of the panels. Another layer of (any old cheap…) backing laminate is required to prevent the panel warping, but will also seal the back face from any condensation, future leaks etc.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with ply for this application - nor even perhaps anything better, for the price (which is on the up for most materials mentioned above).

Router trim bit - as per my previous post - also always a good bet to cut new panels/sheets using the old ones as templates.

 

[StefanSG]

Thanks for all the ideas. I am probably going to replicate the ply/vinyl combination which has lasted so well and matches the headlining. Thought I’d share some of the things I found on the way, Morland Board which seems pretty cheap, 3mm Morland Board and Caravan Wallboard, also available in 3mm, with various textured finishes in Vinyl (suits my 70’s interior ?) one advantage being you can get matching trim pieces, for vertical joins, edging, exposed corners etc. Wall Boards - they also sell just the textured vinyl wallpaper and the mould/moisture resistant glue

 

[salar]

When I did a refit I used the traditional ply covered by vinyl. You can get modern sheet material but the problem is getting a neat-looking edge unless you are battening the joins and edges. I use white PVC foam boards for another (business) purpose and that material has potential. White PVC Foam Board Cut To Size