I have a friend who decided to replace all of the carpet in the cuddy cabin of his boat.

He replaced it all except for the ceiling - There are a couple of different angles and curves involved.

He's not quite sure how to keep the carpet pressed against the ceiling while the adhesive dries (I'm not sure what type of adhesive he is using, but I can find out if necessary).

Has anybody else done this type of thing? Any suggestions on how to do it?

My thought is that he might need a quicker drying adhesive - any suggestions on what to use?

Any guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Bob

Contact cement would be the first thing I'd try.

Here's a great writeup: http://www.bcae1.com/carpetenclosure.htm

Thanks Dave!

I think that write up was very informative.

I could be wrong, but quite a few mfg's kinda want you to spray one side then the other that you are gluing to. The stuff I used wanted you to wait til at least one side was almost dry or tacky.. That way when you stick it together the two sides stay stuck. Upside down, gluing to sides or on a floor.

Or what the above link said..

One issue with contact cement is that when you place it - whatever it is sticking to is there to stay. You cannot remove the item and re-adjust it.

On the other hand, the spray on adhesive, such as 3M's adhesive, can sometimes allow the carpet to be lifted off and reapplied if you didn't get it right the first time.

I would think you might want to use contact cement on areas that are relatively flat and won't need to be repositioned, but spray on 3M adhesive for areas that might need to be fitted.

I have not used contact cement with carpet, so this is conjecture on my part. My experience with contact cement is with gluing wood veneers and Formica.

Why is it that everyone always has a 'friend' that is experiencing boating issues? We have a 'friend' with a cracked engine block, and now a 'friend' trying to carpet the ceiling. I thought carpeting usually goes on the floor (!!!)

These 'friends' should step forward and deal with these issues first-hand.

However, if you must carpet the ceiling (usually it is covered with headliner, not carpet) I would go with a very strong adhesive - perhaps a polyurethane-based adhesive. In similar applications, I have used "Great-Stuff" (that foam insulation stuff at Home Depot) as an adhesive. Pretty much permanent.

As far as holding something up to a contoured ceiling while it dries, I would try a large inflatable ball, tube, derigible, etc. that would expand and conform to the headliner contour. That's all I got on this subject...