What's the best material to use for cabin ceiling inside? It's in sheets and maybe 5mm thick? I used mdf 2 years ago which looks good, was really easy to cut, especially around tricky corners, but now it's edges are fraying due to water getting in.

Tony, a good very thin high quality plywood with an 'A" bond, faced with melamine makes a great, durable headliner.

Thanks Bob. The mdf I used had a melamine coating on one side. I was wondering if theres a material thats "water resistant" maybe.

If you want to go retro I have a lovely white shag pile carpet headliner circa 1984 that still looks nice

Regards Don

lamipanel , used in building construction in showers good stuff , its total water proof .

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Donk107 said..
If you want to go retro I have a lovely white shag pile carpet headliner circa 1984 that still looks nice

Regards Don

My mate had a panel van lined with that!

here are 3 that i use and why
nycel from sharp plywood 5 mm pvc solid white plastic you can cut with a knife or power tools lightweight waterproof satin finish cheap disadvantage slightly soft so prone to scratching
alu panel aloy either side of pvc white gloss is reasonable price if buying colours it gets dear can paint with 2 pack or enamel cut with router or power saw superior finish buy from sign writers slightly heavier than nycel
lamipanel cut with power tools waterproof fairly hard and scratch resistant a bit heavy not so nice to work with

my choice would be nycel

The shower product is called "Lamipanel" and is by far the best product

There's also a product called "Wallart" which Bunnings sell that is similar to lamipanel. Bit heavy and pricey, but looks great and will never rot. It can be worked without too much trouble with wood working tools.

What about HDPE sheets, comes in most colours and is UV and waterproof. You can buy it in all the sizes and thickness as what you can get plywood in and more. If you have a rounded roof you could go something like 3mm thick and it will easily curve into shape. I done a quick google search for NSW to get you started and came up with www.dotmar.com.au/contact.php and www.tridentplastic.com.au/. Also depends on where you go i came up with 2000mm x 1000mm white HDPE sheet 3mm thick $150 to give you some idea of cost. Or 3000mm x 1500mm 3mm thick $180. www.plasticwholesale.com.au/.

Thanks all, plenty to try out.

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Donk107 said..
If you want to go retro I have a lovely white shag pile carpet headliner circa 1984 that still looks nice

Regards Don

reminds me of a stationwagon I had once.....ahhhh...the memories lol

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MrMac said..

Donk107 said..
If you want to go retro I have a lovely white shag pile carpet headliner circa 1984 that still looks nice

Regards Don

reminds me of a stationwagon I had once.....ahhhh...the memories lol

It works pretty well down here as the boat stays dry and mould free inside over winter with nothing open other than a small louvre vent in one of the wash boards where as some of the other fibreglass ones down here with no headlining end up with condensation dripping from the cabin roof and mouldy inside

The carpet looks like it is pretty good quality and is quite plush

Regards Don

You could have a look at alupanel. 3mm thick, aluminium composite. Light and cheap. Comes in lots of colours and mainly used for signage.
www.sassignage.com.au/

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Feralfather said..
You could have a look at alupanel. 3mm thick, aluminium composite. Light and cheap. Comes in lots of colours and mainly used for signage.
www.sassignage.com.au/

thats a good idea !!!!!

One word of caution with Alupanel. The black core that has been around for a while is not fire rated and will possibly accelerate a fire if one breaks out. There is however a new white core available that is fire rated and is becoming the standard for all building cladding. There are plenty of distributors around, and there are two versions of Alupanel. The standard premium which has thicker Aluminium and the Alupanel lite, which is a thinner aluminium, but the same sheet thickness of 3mm. We use Sign Sheet Distributors in Blacktown. Sheets come in 2440 x 1220, 3000 x 1500 and 4000 x 2000. Although the colours are usually only in the 2440 sheets. They'll cut to size, and can also rout different shapes if you provide them with a vector file.

You can cut both with a stanley knife if you're cutting a straight line. Score it a couple of times and it will snap. Intricat cuts will need a router or a jigsaw, but it's messy. Do all the machine work outside the boat if possible. There is also edging and sheet joints available from Bunnings that is usually used for the timber grooved panelling.

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Trek said..
What's the best material to use for cabin ceiling inside? It's in sheets and maybe 5mm thick? I used mdf 2 years ago which looks good, was really easy to cut, especially around tricky corners, but now it's edges are fraying due to water getting in.

why not just flow coat it?