Start of rear vinyl project

[428street]

Update. No pics but I took all the old glue off over the weekend. I used 3M adhesive remover (red and white can) and brushed it over the old green glue. I started to use a scraper but found in the end my fingers, specifically my thumb was the best tool. Looks like there never was glue on the panels before. After this I applied a coat of black silicone over the gaps in the panels to try and smooth out as much as I can. I'll need to make a couple of passes to build it up.

This week I'll apply the white foam back (about 1/16 of an inch) to the vinyl I bought from ERA...then the fun begins!

My thought is to glue it on in stages. I'm going to glue the humps first, let it sit and work my way out to the edges. I don't think it would be wise to do them all at one shot as those humps could be tricky.

[DanEC]

Frank - do you have a heat gun? You may need one for around the wheel well humps to work the underlayment and the vinyl in smoothly. I'm anxious to see how it turns out.

[PaulProe]

I have installed vinyl on my backwall. It's been in service for two years now, I have some tips for you to consider:

1. The glue you use should be a high temperature type for interiors. There are different types and even some of the hi-temp contact cements will not hold.
2. I found the edges, if trimmed close to the carpet edge, tend to pull up when the glue softens or the vinyl shrinks. I ended up using a strip of aluminum to serve as a trim piece that doubles as a clamp.
3. If you don't want the edges to have trim or some form of clamping device, lap your edges under the carpet three or four inches and let the carpet serve as a hold-down

It looks great, but isn't an easy install and can be problematic if not done properly.

Paul