Evening Folks (and merry crimbo) ive managed to get hold of a campmobile interior and would like to restore some of the faded/damaged formica. ive read a few posts on samba and late bay but they are all a good few years ago now. does anyone have any experience of restoring these and know where to get hold of the formica (not the £200) a sheet kind. any pictures of folks that have done just this would also be awesome thanks ashley
There is a supplier of the right veneer on the net somewhere. I forget who posted a link, but is it the wood veneer you want or the formica top veneer
whats the difference? is only the worktop formica and the rest veneer? i wondered about taking a high quality bunch of photos and stitching them together. then getting it printed on vinyl wrap. thoughts?
Formica is fairly tough and the NLA VW material seems to be Formica, and the price is about the same as buying any Formica. I have been considering this for my Devon interior where a light oak formica veneer was badly painted over in pale blue by a previous owner, so I sanded that and then painted it with crimson gloss paint - at the time it worked with the dark blue metallic exterior of my bus. Now it clashes with the Orient Blue. And it chips, but it keeps the Devon weetabix chipboard dry. Vinyl wrap is OK until you hook something sharp into it and drag it across the surface. Then you have a difficult to hide scar, or you scratch or rub off the printed coating revealing white plastic underneath. It might also have issues with high temperatures and the adhesive if you choose a dark colour and it is a sunny day as the air in the interior of the bus gets to over 40 degrees C before adding sunlight to the mix. It will also show up where you have any irregularities in the surface underneath if it has any glossiness to it. Light ply with a veneer surface with a polyurethane varnish/sealer might be better because you can patch scuffs, or exterior grade MDF (in case of damp/condensation) with preparation and paint to provide a smooth coloured finish. There is a reason decent quality interiors cost a fair amount - there is fair amount of labour involved and the durable materials cost money. Ask yourself how perfect you need it to be: faded Formica is still a better surface than modern cheap plastic covering on kitchen units. If a bit is chipped : how badly? : be creative : can you cover it over with a strip of something that looks like it was meant to be there ? Stick stickers all over it and hide the chips ? The patina look may be your cheapest friend..
