Bathroom Privacy Panels

On our last trip I took the initiative to create attractive panels that fill in the tops and side of the bathroom for more privacy.  I used blue insulation sheeting (?) and with the help of a compass I took the measurements, cut the panels, and covered with identically matching woodgrain vinyl. I attached small strips of velcro along the plastic trip on the ceiling that holds the vinyl flap over the tops of the bathroom walls.  I attached the other side of the velcro to the panels in the same position to hold them in place.  Now, if someone wants to use the bathroom at night, they have more privacy and the light from the bathroom doesn't come out over the top or hit me in the eye when I'm laying in bed (I put a small panel strip in the corner where the bathroom wall meets the bedroom).  It has worked so well and is so easy to add to the set up that I am considering doing the same over the wardrobe as well as creating a door that will close off the bedroom.  I haven't made a pattern yet, but when I do I will make it available to those who want it. You don't have to worry should you forget to take the panels out when closing as they will most likely fall out as you are taking down the bathroom walls.  An easy, do-it-yourself job that provides privacy and is also aesthetically pleasing.

Would love to see pictures.  I wish TM would have put more thought into privacy.  Real privacy.

We're still waiting for some cool pics of the privacy panels.
Are they working out? Where do you store them?

Wade

Honest, I have the pictures but have had many problems with the format.  I don't have a digital camera and had the pics put on a CD.  I can put them into power point but can't seem to do much else with them.  I was able to load the pics (not the ones with the privacy panels) into a Yahoo group "Rversunder55" and they look great.  Guess I need to get crackin' now that Tretta has restored the pics file.  Give me a week.

Chris B.

P.S. They really are cool and work great.

Right click on the picture, select copy, then paste it into email or whatever.

Wade

[Civil_War_Buff]

Hey gang,

I was thinking about putting velcro on the "soft" panels and the wall to tighten the gap up, has anyone tried this? Then I thought that a fresh air vent could be put into the panel and could draw fresh air in through the top...although I don't want the odor to go the other way......hmmmm.

I was thinking about using some styrofoam and foam rubber to make some panels that I won't have to scribe as the foam will seal and conform...does this sound feasible?

I am going to just use thick foam at the side wall/bed gap area.

[rickst29]

Originally Posted by Civil_War_Buff

Hey gang,
I was thinking about putting velcro on the "soft" panels and the wall to tighten the gap up, has anyone tried this?

Yes-- I have a bunch of little velcro pieces attached along all of the top panel edges. Works, but DON'T DO IT THAT WAY! The standard glue on the back of the pre-glued stuff (Home Depot, Lowes, etc.) gets slimy in the heat, and pieces placed on the mock-leather start sliding around and even getting "left behind" when you want to take the bathroom down(stuck on the wall panels).

So, if you do it, spend a little bit of extra money and buy enough to make FULL strips. Even better, don't use the "pre-glued" stuff -- use something more hot-weather resistant. When I have time to re-do mine, I'll probably attach the mock-leather side via sewing next time. I wonder what TM uses at the factory?
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OTOH, it actually works really well. To complete the seal, you need to shove a couple of carpet-sample pieces (i.e., small "area rugs") under the gap in the doorway to the hall when your're not going through it, TM left about 1/2'' avoid scraping the floor on my vinyl-floored model. (Maybe the standard carpet is tall enough to fill most of this in, but I doubt it-- seems too tall.) Cutting a piece of doorstop weatherstrip to fit would also work down there. The other place to block out is the 3" gap to the back bed: I use a flap of "Easy-Liner non-adhesive shelf liner" from one of the big-box stores (I think it was Lowes). It's permanently attached along the rear folding wall, bed side, and after opening bathroom up I've got another velcro stripe along the TM wall (corner of the bed) to seal it up. It's light tight, too. The TM plastic baffle to the close the room from the kitchen sink area is pretty good in our 2619, and didn't need any mods. That isn't light tight, but because it isn't right on top of the front bed, it's a lot less bothersome anyway.
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Other replies, first about heating/cooling with the batrhoom complete closed up: I see no effect on heating/cooling of the rear sleeping area, really: the A/C vent blows down the hallway, not over the bathroom gaps. The TM gas heater totally doesn't go back there, without doing some actual ducting. Air flow into the rear is fairly poor at all times, from anything except the overhead A/C unit. In cold weather (near freezing, with snowstorms), I just stick in some stuff "insulation snakes" on the underside (the wrap-on fiberglass, not the much lower quality foam tubing) and put on another blanket. But we usually have electrical plugins, and a small ELECTRICAL!!! space heater does fine.

Second, about humidity: Living in NV and usually staying on the desert side of the Sierra, most of our outings have near-zero humidity. But with the bathroom isolated from the rest of the TM, as ours now is, you can get rid of any unwanted humidity (and chemical smells) REALLY FAST by opening the bathroom window and turning on the little under-the-trailer exhaust fan --- the entire room quickly gets sucked down and out, way faster and more effective than before. Sealing up the room makes that little fan work BETTER.

My thought on the panels is to use actual wall paneling (cut with a jig saw or small coping saw) with dense blue foam padding sandwiched between 2 pieces and held together with some kind of glue that would work with the foam. Since the panels are so small this would not add much weight, but would be fairly rigid to stay in place. Also considering some means to hinge them in place into the ceiling if there is enough clearance when the TM is folded (need to research this). When you're ready to close up, just hinge the panels upward toward the ceiling then fasten them with a strap which has a snap on it. That's the idea and of course at this point it's no more than just that until I do a feasibility test.

Wade

[Civil_War_Buff]

Wade,

I am trying to visualize "dense blue foam padding", is this like those fiber ceiling panels, or rigid foam insulation panels?

I like the hinging idea, as long as they won't get mangled, that would be easiest as they won't get lost or stepped on.

I am also thinking of a way to hinge them at the wall, and if you use just 1/8" wood paneling that could be done easily I believe.

CWB

CWB,

The dense blue foam I have in mind is simply a sleeping bag pad you can purchase at various sporting goods stores.





Wade