FRP paneling & fiberglass outgassing

[Terrainist]

I'm getting ready to panel the inside of the camper in FRP and the stench coming off the panels is overpowering. I'm wondering if anyone knows how long it takes for fiberglass to cure or stop putting out so many fumes. Or if there is anything that can be done to speed the outgassing process up. Maybe wipe it down with something? Sealer, vinegar, simple green?

I have a panel cut and ready to install, but I'm sort of waffling on doing it because of the stench. I would like to panel the whole inside of the camper, a callen cabover, in FRP. But I am going to have to spend time in there with the doors closed at some point, and the fume build up is noxious. I'm not talking a little aroma here, it's overpowering.

Using the search function, someone mentioned that their Bigfoot camper still smelled like fiberglass three years after they bought it. I don't want to have to deal with the fumes for that long. Anything anyone has to say about the situation is appreciated.

 

[Terrainist]

It occurred to me I have the AZ sun at my disposal. A week in the sun should cook the stink out of them. If that doesn't do it, nothing will.

 

[Terrainist]

Will do. I'm going to let all the panels baste in the direct sunlight, well ventilated and highly heated for a couple weeks. The side of my house is a veritable solar cooker, gravel and white reflective walls. It has to be 150 degrees out there. We'll see what happens.

 

[Capt Eddie]

I used FRP in a houseboat. The smell went away in a few days after it was all finished. I think it is the cutting that makes the smell. I used a cutoff wheel.

 

[Terrainist]

That's encouraging. I've had these panels for 5 days now, and they still stink.

 

[HMR]

I used FRP to redo the bathroom in our Tiger. I forgot all about the strong smell until I saw your post. I'm guessing I used 40 sq.ft. of FRP. That's probably a small fraction of what you'll use but, once installed, the smell inside our camper went away quickly. We don't notice it at all. Have you decided on what adhesive to use?

PS- Can you post pictures of your Callen? Did you have it custom made or buy it used? We're considering using them for another project and I'm looking for whatever feedback I can get from customers.

 

[Terrainist]

Great, someone else saying the smell goes away. I used FRP adhesive. The gurus at the home improvement centers said if it wasn't used then there was a risk of bleed thru. I'm using the existing panels and gluing FRP to them. If all goes well, the paneling won't have the flex and give that it would have if I used straight FRP. So far I have glued up one panel, and it seems to be working great.

I bought the Callen used. Felt fortunate to find one that fit the truck correctly, had everything I was looking for, and was even the right color. It's undergoing a complete overhaul. New butyl, paneling, insulation, kick plates and other mods before the interior build - skylights, roof fan. Having taken the thing apart, I'm satisfied with the construction.

I'm not having any luck getting a photo posted.

 

[Hootowl]

It would probably be good to contact the manufacturer(s) tech support for your paneling and adhesive to discuss what you're doing and what you're observing. Almost certainly, they will have some very useful advice and quite possibly some written instructions or other documentation that you should have. The adhesive particularly concerns me as these usually have some volatile components in them and have the potential to be a health hazard in an enclosed space while the adhesive cures.

 

[Terrainist]

No worries, the panels get glued up outside the camper then they can be installed after 24 hours per adhesive manufacturers recommendations. It isn't the adhesive that's putting out the fumes, it's the fresh fiberglass and plastic.

I printed out four pages of industry standard installation instructions for FRP and they go way beyond what anyone would think to do with it. Installation in car washes, bathrooms, on walls, sink surounds, etc. Allowing for expansion and contraction. How to use FRP molding and adhesives, etc.

No manufacturer would ever admit that their product emits toxic cancer causing fumes, wether initially or over time. So that's sort of a mute point. The adhesive is the least of my worries.

Walk into any large home improvement center, Lowe's, Home Depot, and walk up to where they have the FRP stacked. Within 5 feet of it you will walk into the could of fumes. 10 feet if it's fresh. And those panels are stacked on top of each other. Pull 5 panels off, open them up to the air, enclose them and the stench is unreal.

The panels are airing out right now. I'm not going to be in the camper for months, so that will give them the time to cure as well. I just wanted to make sure that the stench is going to go away or that I can make it go away, so I'm not stuck with a camper I can't use for the smell. And the testimony is that it will.

 

[Terrainist]

Leaving the FRP panels in the sun (az) for two and a half days seemed to cut the smell in about half. So I'm going to install them now, hoping the smell will continue to lessen.

Didn't want to leave them in the sun any longer as I was worried about sun damage.

 

[harryllama]

I'm curious how this worked out for you, Terrainist. We recently installed FRP panels in a tightly sealed room in a garage, with a heated pool in it -- and after a few months, the odor is still overwhelming! Did this ever go away in your camper?