Patching cracks in interior walls?

[WindyPerseids]

Hey there! I’m new! I have a 1969 28ft Travelcader that was gutted by a previous owner.

There are a handful of splits, or cracks, in the interior walls. Do you have suggestions for how to repair? They’re few, and far between, so I’d rather not remove the entire panel. Is it possible to suitably patch it while it’s up, and then paint/wallpaper over it?

I should mention that our Avion is retired from the road. We’ve just gotten it set up on concrete blocks and have it permanently parked to use as a guesthouse. We also live in the high desert with virtually no humidity, if that informs your recommendations.

Thanks for reading!

[RISK]

Hi Wendy,

The typical method to arrest cracking aluminum it to drill an 1/8” hole at the end of the crack and put a pop rivet in said hole. Even though your coach is retired from the road, I imagine there are significant temperature swings that could further your cracks along, as it were.

A good vinyl wall covering will go a long way to covering all the unsightly aspects of the walls, but those compound curves would be a nightmare.

Best of luck, let us know what you come up with...

Ian

[WindyPerseids]

Thanks for the reply!

I should clarify, there are no cracks in the aluminum. Only the interior skin. Do you still recommend the drill and rivet method to stop the cracks? Am I wrong to think some type of epoxy couple be spread in a thin layer over the cracks before wallpapering?

[slowmover]

What’s the material? Things changed over the years.

[WindyPerseids]

Hi slowmover, thanks for the reply.

Best as I can tell the material feels almost plastic-like? It's very thin, pliant, and does not appear to be wood.

Here are a few pics.

[slowmover]

I don’t have a specific product for you. But obviously it needs to be of several parts: materials & a glue. Some sort of patch. Or panel replacement (cut out).

If the panel can be removed and repaired from the back side, that’s where I’d be planning.