I Made A Stupid Mistake--glue advice

[stumphugger]

I don't know where else to ask. You are the foam experts!

I ordered a hot tub cover. I mis measured. It came today, is non-returnable. I'm thinking about purchasing some foam and gluing a six inch strip all the way around to the vinyl. There is an overhang of vinyl that should work. I know this isn't trailer stuff, but it is practice. What kind of glue works for gluing foam to vinyl? Your suggestions will ease my sick stomach.

[wagondude]

You will need to do some tests. The 3M 30NF (I think) contact cement might work, but being water based would need to be completely dry before putting into service. Also, good old Gorilla Glue seems to stick to just about everything and would be worth a try. Someone else used Great Stuff in a can as an adhesive with good results. Just have to punch it down untill the air is out of the foam. There is a glue sticky at the top of the page with most of the glues discussed.

Bill

[eaglesdare]

i am no expert, not a technical person either but something like this, i would more than likely give the gorilla glue to use here. i like you idea about just adding the foam to the vinyl.

this sort of reminds me of when i moved out of the house, my dad gave me a repair/fix it kit. it came with a hammer, some nails, duct tape and glue. he said that is about all i would ever need.

good luck, i hope that works well for you.

[GPW]

Back in the early 90’s we bought a little house that came with a Hot Tub .... But there was no cover and all the Hot would leak out ... So I made one out of the usual 2” foam sheets and cheap vinyl tablecloths (solid color) glued with “ Southern RC Sorgum" , which was a wb contact cement for foam airplane models ... worked great , when I sold the place the cover was still good as new , some 9 years later ... Those covers can be ridiculously Expensive for what they are ....

[stumphugger]

Back in the early 90’s we bought a little house that came with a Hot Tub .... But there was no cover and all the Hot would leak out ... So I made one out of the usual 2” foam sheets and cheap vinyl tablecloths (solid color) glued with “ Southern RC Sorgum" , which was a wb contact cement for foam airplane models ... worked great , when I sold the place the cover was still good as new , some 9 years later ... Those covers can be ridiculously Expensive for what they are ....

Yes. This cover was to replace a home made one. I live in the wet part of Warshington. Rain was finding a way through the blue tarp and foam, and filling up the hot tub. The heat and humidity made it so the tarp would not stick to the bottom of the foam, so I had a heavy water balloon form and then little tarp threads floating. Eventually, there was a dreaded cracking noise as I slid the heavy conglomeration off the tub.

My plan was to study the trailer stuff on here, and when it gets warmer, fiberglass over the old foam cover. My shop building is not heated or insulated. We are having low temps and snow lately.

I didn't sleep too well last night. I will head into town--60 miles one way, and see if there are any better tarps or table cloths to be had than the home depot/walmart types. I got the cover to fit on the very edge, but the rain will still enter the tub. If I can't find a good tarp, I'll order some heavy duty vinyl....kind of heavy tablecloth.

Thank you.

I was dreaming of building a standie trailer, but this hot tub fiasco has me thinking I'm too stupid to build anything.

[GPW]

Stump , I can relate to your weather , I lived in Seattle for 6 months (some time ago) and it was always raining ... probably as much as here... The thing is , you can make foam edges that wrap down and over the rim of the HT keeping everything out ... although tree frogs always found their way in somehow ...
Check the Dollar Stores for cheap tablecloths... You don’t need anything expensive or Heavy , if it leaks , it just leaks on foam underneath , which is waterproof and unaffected ... (blue Foam) Try to find some with the woven fuzzy backing ... glues better , feels better ...

That is unless you’re trying to impress somebody with your Snazzy HT cover... which the first time somebody scratches it or rips the top , you’ll be PO’d Big Time ...

[GPW]

You kow , you could make a cool HT cover , much in the same manner as you’d make a Foamie trailer ... the glue and canvas bit , and you could even hinge it for easy removal and storage .... sorta like making a Galley hatch on a TD (but Flat ) ... Good Practice for Trailer making ...

[atahoekid]

I was dreaming of building a standie trailer, but this hot tub fiasco has me thinking I'm too stupid to build anything.

[/quote]

I think it might be easier to scrap the mistake, start from scratch with some blue or pink foam, some gorilla glue and some vinyl cloth. Might try the internet for vinyl cloth sources. You should be able to get it in pretty wide widths The foam is pretty easy to work with and if you weren't trying to patch it, you might gain enough skill and confidence to go ahead with your build. You might just be overthinking the issue. Take the course of least resistance. You could even make a simple hinge as GPW suggested using just the fabric. The only problem is that you've got $$$ invested in the cover and you'd hate to just toss it aside. Maybe you can find another use for it????

[working on it]

If you decide to build a new hot tub cover from scratch, then why not incorporate the "mistake" into your trailer build. I find myself looking at everything as a possible TTT part. Surely you could use it as a "pop-up" cover on your standy, or as a really big roof vent cover.

[SteveW]

I wonder if you could use this?

[eaglesdare]

that stuff looks pretty cool. wonder if it bond foam to foam?

[stumphugger]

I wonder if you could use this?

I wonder??? In tearing apart the old cover, most of the gorilla tape has held up well. Most...It was the tarps that were problematic.
The foam pinkboard I used, broke in two. I am thinking it will be salvageable when I get it dry. That might take a while.

[stumphugger]

Here's the temporary fix. The new cover is below as it fits on top of a bit of the tub. I bought a cheap tablecloth, and fastened it down to the tub using some industrial strength velcro with adhesive. From my experience in using the velcro in the teardrop, I added some Gorilla Glue to the side that the tablecloth is stuck to.

Here's the biggest portion of the 3 year old home made foam top. Some info--the Great Stuff foam that I used to fill in some voids rotted away. The glue held pretty good. The problem was tarps that wore out fast. It looks to be almost the right shape for a teardrop side.