© 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 by Man of the Cloth Productions
After I secured the front spars and the exterior plywood skin with screws and glue, I installed the same kind of insulation in the nose of the trailer that I used in the walls.
Subfloor adhesive holds the insulation panels in place.
I spread a zigzag of adhesive on the front spars to hold the cabin’s first interior skin of oak veneer. I considered this panel to be the start of the ceiling, even though it was placed at the deck level. Starting from this point, I installed the ceiling skins, working my way from the front to the back.
It took me the better part of a morning to build the shelf in the picture (right). I cut pine shelf supports to match the angles in the front of the trailer. The two holes in the front of the shelf will hold 12 volt DC receptacles, so I can plug in reading lights or a fan. I predrilled holes in the underside of the shelf, through the ceiling skin and the support spar. These holes were for the electrical wires that I would install later to energize these receptacles.
I used precut props to hold the ceiling in place. With the skins propped, I applied glue from above, and secured the ceiling skins from below with brads nailed into the spars. I left the props in place for 24 hours.
The look of the curve of the ceiling against the wall pleased me. The shelf was anchored to the walls with brads. If I decide later that I need them, I will build small cabinets on top of this shelf.
I stained the ceiling with two coats of Zinnser Bull’s Eye amber shellac.
With the ceiling skin in place, I started insulating the roof. I used 3/8" Owens Corning fan-fold insulation. It was more flexible than the 3/4" rigid styrofoam insulation I used in the walls.
I cut the sheet to fit the opening between the spars. Starting at the point in the front, I used brads and a hammer to hold the edge of the sheet in place as I bent it toward the top. Brads also hold the top edge. I measured again and repeated the process, ending up with two or three layers of the Owens Corning insulation, as space allowed.
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