Having done a few rivets in the aircraft maintenance world, may I suggest that you place ALL FOUR (or however many) into their holes BEFORE you pull any down? If the other holes are slightly misaligned when that first one pops, now you may have a lot more hassle to get the remaining rivets into place. Next issue is, you were fortunate that the nose of the puller was narrow enough to contact the rivet head down in between those fins or ribs, otherwise the rivet wouldn't be flush with the surface. Should you find yourself in a situation where the puller nose can't contact the rivet surface, sometimes you can stack a few small washers on the rivet stem until the puller nose makes good contact. Then the only issue is if there's enough stem length left for the puller to grip.
Toggle bolts do indeed have a larger grip behind the wall, but lots of smaller, lighter objects stay put just fine with pop rivets. Our fire extinguisher hasn't budged in 8 years, and our friends' central vacuum and bathroom shelf are still solid as a rock after 2 years. Vibration, humidity, or anything else will not automatically cause rivets to fail. Just don't overload them.
Suggestion: instead of 'regular' pop rivets, since you can't use a backing plate (washer) for your pop rivets - use "Load Spreading" rivets. Stanley the name brand "POP" rivets, plus other manufacturers make them. They actually spread out behind the wall and are much, much less likely to pull out and rip a hole in the lauan plywood/paneling in your RV.
Is this for an RV? And if so, will it be an inside wall or an outside wall? (outside walls have insulation in them) For something heavy, pop rivets are likely not large enough and could pull through. For an inside wall, I'd consider using a toggle bolt. For an outside wall, a toggle bolt might not "spring out" due to the insulation. In that case, whatever the largest size rivets you can find might be your only choice. (btw… TVs have to be mounted to wall studs to handle the weight).
@videogi We installed that central vacuum in a friend's RV. We'll drop them a note find out what brand it is and see if they like it. When we hear back from them, we'll let you know. We use a Eureka Whirlwind Superlight upright vacuum that we've had for 9 years and LOVE it.
If I have time I will take the wall panel off and attach a brace in behind with the framing. Good way to know how the RV is built and plus I can add insulation if the wall is open.
The metal is pretty soft, so it's easy to drill out the head of a pop rivet, then the body of the rivet just falls into the wall, out of sight. I generally only use pop rivets for permanent installations. If you're likely to want to remove it, I suggest a molly bolt or toggle bolt or other similar attachment method, if for no other reason so you don't have to drill it out.
I'm not familiar with Airstream screens, but if they have rivets, then a pop riveter is probably the right tool for the job. Just be sure to use the right size rivets. They should be the right diameter match the hole size as closely as possible, and I'm guessing a very short length for something as thin as a screen. Some pop rivets are very small, and I bet that is the case here. If you're able to bring the screen to your local hardware store, they can almost certainly tell the right size.
The walls of and RV are surprisingly strong. We have never had any of the numerous items we've pop-riveted in place come loose, and our friends that we attached the vacuum and bathroom rack for report the same. The trick is not to try to use this technique for anything so large or heavy that can't handle the weight. There are other methods that can handle more weight, like wall anchors, etc.
Shawn Cookson We'd suggest that anything that's particularly heavy should only be mounted to the wall of an RV if it's sitting on the floor, and the mounting is just used to keep it from shifting around. Pop rivets are only good for fairly light items, and even sturdier wall anchors will only hold so much. If your fireplace will be sitting on the floor, so that the rivets or wall anchors aren't supporting the weight of it, you should be good. The vacuum system installed in this video was actually quite heavy too, but since it was sitting on the floor, it was no problem. Hope this helps!
I love that you picked up on that.... not just the response from our friend, but that fact that we are due COOKIES! lol I am going to have to show her your comment, and say "WELLLL???" Thanks. :)
Looking for some kind a suggestion for removable bedrail for a upper bunk in my r pod. Doesn't have to be Burley just enough to remind the kids not to fall out. I was thinking about Z clips into the 3 inch wood trim facing of that bunk for thin peace of poplar that would slide up and out when not in use vs screw/ eye hooks into the wall with cargo netting. Maybe a better solution you have seen. Would pop rivets work for installing some sort of plastic or metal bracket into the RV walls that I could tie a strip of fabric or cargo netting to?
+Kathleen morton Hi Kathleen! We've never had to deal with that situation, so not sure what to recommend. So we'd suggest posting your question on the user forums at iRV2. There are tons of experienced RVers who would be happy to share their knowledge. It's free to join and post at irv2.com/forums. Sorry we couldn't be of more help on this one, but hope this gets you to the right answer.
I bought a Flush King from Camping World the first year we were on the road and used it once or twice. It didn't seem to do anything at all, and we just got rid of it.
I have a 2002 Trail-Lite Bantam B19. I want to mount a 32" flat screen TV above the emergency exit window / dinette. Total weight of the TV and bracket will be about 15 to 18 lbs. Since this was an outside wall, I was considering just drilling all the way through to the outside, and putting a lag bolt and washer on the outside and nuts on the inside. Another option would be to bond (liquid nails/3M 5200) a piece of luan plywood to the inside of the wall to reinforce it in the area of the bracket and mount it then with pop rivets or wood screws. The mounting bracket is about 8" X 8" and has holes for up to 6 bolts/screws/rivets. I'd appreciate your feedback.
Pop rivets are definitely not the way to go for anything that heavy. They're for lightweight stuff only. We would avoid drilling through to the outside wall, as that will just invite leaks at some point. What's really the best is to locate the wall studs, which are likely to be aluminum. They might be locatable with an electronic stud finder, but not sure. A reinforced piece of luan bonded to a large enough area of the wall might do the trick. But keep in mind that the vibration from driving puts added stress on the whole thing, so whatever you do, be sure it's stronger than in a regular house.
Just curious how far do you need to drill into the wall? I know my walls are foam waffers 22" thick, if I drill to far I will end up with a hole on the outside. How far do you need to drill for the pop rivet to be secured?
It is just noticed that you had to put four pop rivets in that fire extinguisher mounting bracket. Which would suggest that one pop rivet would not hold that much. When putting some thing that carries a bit of weight. As you said for that situation you would use wall anchors.
Personally, I would not attached something as heavy as a table into the the wallboard using pop rivets, wall anchors or anything else. You need to find and attached to the wall studs for something this heavy. Even if you use a line of rivets or wall anchors as additional support, securing to the wall studs as the main anchoring point is the way to go to avoid having your table rip off the wall at some point.
The most common way to install a TV in an RV is to replace an older one, using the mounting hardware that's already attached to the RV's structure. If you want to install a TV where there never was one before, you'll need to go into the studs. Not sure how to find those. I'd suggest checking out the forums on iRV2(dot)com, where there are a huge number of knowledgeable people (including RV technicians) who can answer your questions and help guide you.
Can this be used on an exterior fiberglass wall? The drip rail over the slide is coming down due to a stripped screw. I need to either see if a molly anchor or this rivet gun will work.
You could probably use a pop rivet, but if it were us, we'd screw it in. The only time we've attached something to an exterior fiberglass wall on our RV was to install a window awning, and screws worked great. Check out our video about that and see if you think the same way we drilled and screwed into the wall might work for you, too: ua-cam.com/video/cPh0dqtEIPo/v-deo.html
They do make power pop riveters, like this one: amzn.to/2q5kyg9 But they're pneumatic, so require and air compressor. They do make electric ones, but the only ones we've seen are insanely expensive.
I used to use a pneumatic pop rivet gun went I worked in a sheet metal shop. You just need to use a "test" piece of material to set the proper air pressure before it is used in a final situation.
Great idea and well appreciated. We want to convert our booth dinette to the dream dinette in our 2009 Fleetwood Expedition and wanted to know if the pop rivets are strong enough for the table? If not I was thinking about installing a backer board with wall anchors and then screwing dream dinette to it. What will be the best method and product for attaching dream dinette bracket? Thanks JST
won't work on stright wood pannling, just expanded to the button head and pulled out of the wood. it needs a backup washer to hold properly. pop rivets are great fasteners, heck they hold aircraft together. best luck i am having is 3M VHB tape used properly and the right type you cant beat it , plus no worries about what is behind the wall.
The caution with surface mount tapes in an RV is for non-paneled (i.e.- wallpapered) surfaces. The weight on the wallpaper can cause it to delaminate.from the underlying wall material. This isn't a problem for lighter loads though.
+Will Tatham I have countless items mounted with 3m tape and the commander system, from clocks to framed photos ect. not a one has "pulled" the inside wallpaper off. i tryed this method and as i said it just crushed the wood and pulled out. you HAVE to have a metal backing washer for the pop riv to hold properly.
Please don’t get me wrong can see that it works most things. Where there is no need to hold heavy things and looks pleasing to the eye understand. Anyway leave it at that, and thank you for your reply.
You should be able to insert a flush wand (available online or at places like Camping World) down the toilet, even if you don't have a black tank flush built into your RV.
I think I'll be using rivots more often know...Thanks! I have a rather heavy, box type, electric fireplace I'd like to mount to the wall. I was thinking about mounting a metal plate to give the wall more support and then adding on something that will hold the fireplace temporarily when not on the road. Any suggestions? Cheers!
OK thinking that you are putting these pop rivets in a wooden panel. Without any type of backing to stop the pop rivet from pulling though. That the pop rivet will eventually go loose and pull through in time. Would it not be more so if you are travelling on the road. It would come loose and fall off in time?
How well do you think plastic expansion anchors would do the job? They can be found fairly short and expand to a different in wall profile than pop rivets.
Not lucky.... RV walls are pretty damn strong. And not much of a safety issue here, since nobody rides down the road in the bathroom. I just read the entire thread, and what is clear is that there are lots of ways to attach things to RV walls. Please feel free to choose what you like best. Check out SurrealNotion's comment below.
After some time, vibration and humidity will enlarge the hole in the wood and the pop rivet will just come out loose because you could not put a washer at back to hold the rivet. The proper way is to use toggle-bolt anchors. They have a wide metal "wing" that opens at the back.
How do they hold up long term? I'm facing the challenge of my screwed in coat hooks starting to get wiggly. I have a foam side model trailer. Was thinking of gluing some toothpicks in the hole to create a more solid footing considering the foam will hold the toothpicks in position for me. I'll have to consider this method as I have a rivet gun. But all those rivets for the fire extinguisher? I don't sign off on work like that. Not your fault, the manufacturer, that should have a solid wood backing and two screws. I need to get some of this thin wood and do some testing with various size rivets for best clamping performance. I'd lean to longer rivets for flatter back side collapse at first swag. If you can get to the back of the panel, put the backing washers on for sure. The larger OD the better. Engineer here, I overthink a lot. If it's light stuff, this will be fine. Heavy stuff, test on some same kind scrap material if you can just to see how the back side of the rivet deforms and holds. You will find the best rivet this way. I'm subbing this channel and will share if I do test the rivets. I may have some 1/8" material in my plywood scrap test on.
@videogi Well I sure heard back from them fast! lol It's an Intervac Design Corp vacuum, model #H-120, and they like it. Just Google Intervac Design and they come right up.
This is a very good idea. The only question I have is what the hell do you do if you ever want to "unmount" something after riveting it in? I suppose you could drill the rivet out?
And I guess the hole they leave would be the same size as if you used a screw to begin with, but rivets are just more effective than screws. The thing about these RV walls is that you really can't do much after you put a hole in the wall. Again, it's not drywall so you can't spackle, sand, and paint over it. It's just a hole that stays there for eternity. Thanks again for the video. Good stuff!
Not sure if you're still answering comments on this video, but I'm looking for a way to remove our old window blinds and valances and replace them with roller shades. Would these hold the new roller shades as they are being pulled up and down? Probably not.... what would be better?
Hi Becky! If you were using strong pop rivets, (like stainless steel versus aluminum rivets), and were going directly into a metal surface, they would almost certainly be strong enough. But in this case, you can’t be certain that the material you’re going into is metal, since you can’t see behind the wall. We would suggest that some sort of screw would be more appropriate, similar to the type that are likely being used to hold your current blinds and valances in place. Generally, the best way to figure out the right way to attach it is to remove the blinds that are currently there and use the same type of fastener that was used to hold them on. If it’s like ours, they’re probably screwed into the wall. If so, we would recommend doing the same thing with the new blinds. The only thing to be careful of is the placement of any new screw. If possible, try to keep them close to where the old screws were, which will make it more likely that you will screw into a wall stud. Hope this helps!
Hi Roy! If you have a fiberglass RV, like we do, we'd suggest that screwing into the fiberglass is the most common way to attach things to the exterior, and what we'd likely recommend in this case. You can wee how we drilled, then screwed into the exterior wall of our RV in this video, where we installed a new window awning: ua-cam.com/video/cPh0dqtEIPo/v-deo.html The same technique should work for your door catch.
LOL. I didn't buy it from Amazon, and I'm not selling off any inventory. I'm getting regular contact from people about how to find things I mention in my videos (LED lights, chrome shower dispensers, dogbone electric adapters... pop riveters, etc). I don't even remember where I bought most of it, but I found a ton of the exact stuff I own on Amazon.com, so I just added the links so people could find them. Nothing more sinister than that. :)
Love you video. I have a couple of questions? My husband doesn't want me to put anything into the walls for fear of hitting a water or electric line. Is there a way to figure out where the lines are? We are pretty new to this :) Also, how would you take the rivets out if you wanted to remove the item in the future?
I suppose it's possible to hit a water or electric line, but I've never hear of that, since I think they run a lot of the lines up from the floor. And water lines probably never run through exterior walls, to prevent freezing. You should only use rivets for permanent installations, but they can be removed by drilling out the heads.
I have to admit that I used 4 rivets because there were four holes, so my anal retentive nature being what it is, I had to use them all! lol Two surely would have been fine. Wall anchors are great too... your choice.
We don’t, and we wouldn’t recommend it. Something as heavy as a TV in an RV needs to be mounted much more firmly than to the typically flimsy hollow RV walls, or the vibration of driving will surely cause it to rip off the wall sooner or later.
If you have stud finder, there may be some solid mounting points behind that flimsy 1/8th stuff to secure to. Even if you find that, it probably won't be where you need it to be for a clean mount. In that case, you could laminate another 1/8-1/4" panel square or rectangle between your TV mount and wall to bolster up the strength and make it big enough to marry those sound mounting points into the surface behind your TV. Also, round those rectangle corners, it'll spread the stress of the load better in the long run. If you're super fancy, make it diamond shaped with points at NSEW directions. Still round those corners to minimize corner stresses. And make the mounting pad as big as possible to spread that load out. I'd glue and screw or otherwise make the mating surfaces not slip relative to each other. Rivets would be good, just haven't don'e any to comment. It kinda depends if/where those solid mounting points are. I have Keystone Passport, my outer wall are aluminum studs, my inner is pine or similar 3/4" stock behind that 1/8" plywood stuff.
I bought the expandable shower rod, and tried to install it with pop rivets..3 different times, the rivet came back out, stuck in the rivet gun. I spent most of my time, trying to remove the spent rivet from the gun...any idea what I was doing wrong ? I ended up using regular anchor bolts.
+c Shep With a shower rod, it's possible that the mounting holes are a little too deep for pop rivets to reach though them far enough to go all the way through the wall and get a good bite. Also, if there is hollow space under the mounting holes (certainly possible with a shower rod) that could be the culprit, as pop rivets need the flat surface on the underside of the item being mounted to press flat against the wall to prevent the rivet from pulling through during installation. Sounds like you got it installed in a good way though!
Question: My TV cabinet in the front of my motorhome started separating from my ceiling in the cab. This happened due to our TV is an old tube TV, pretty heavy, and more than likely from hitting the several bumps on I-95 this past weekend. It's not too bad but bad enough for me to have to remove the TV asap(and replace it with a mount for a flat screen). My question is can I use these pop rivets to re-secure the cabinets to the ceiling?
You definitely need something that can handle more weight than pop rivets. Some serious wood screws are likely the best way to go. And use more of them than you think you need, since that cabinet falling down while driving could likely be a life-altering (or life-ending) event! We've thought of that more than once on bumpy roads, and can't imagine the crisis that would take place if it fell.
Thanks. I thought as much. Any idea of what length of screw? I'd hate to see little points coming through our roof. Oh, and incidentally, what I plan to do is put a piece of plywood in place of the old TV, put a mount on it, and put the TV in place when we arrive to where we are camping as to not have the weight on it.
The main roof structure is likely 3/4" marine plywood, but we're of course not sure about that because we don't know your rig. The roof has to be fairly thick to allow room for insulation and you also likely have the thickness of the interior ceiling material, too. We really hate to specify a specific length of screw, because we just don't know for sure. Sorry we're not more help on this one. You might try posting a question on the user forums at iRV2 (irv2.com/forums where it's free to sign up and post). As far as the TV goes, rather than remove and replace the TV every time you travel and set up, we'd suggest that a flat-screen is probably light enough to stay up there once you secure the cabinets back into the ceiling.
Hi Mark. All depends on how heavy the curtain is, and how solid the ceiling material is. The stronger the ceiling material, the more weight we'd be comfortable hanging from it.
In regards to this video, i would like to hang some guitars on my RV walls using "guitar wall hangers" which is basically a little block of wood that's held to a wall using two screws and then an arm that extends out that holds the guitar from the neck. the weight of the guitar is about 10 pounds so there'll be about 10 pounds pulling down on the wall, would this method work for one of these type "guitar wall hangers" or is that too heavy of a weight load and do you recommend not doing it? to see the item i'm talking about you can type in "guitar string swing" in google and see what i'm talking about in the shopping section. my rv is a 2000 itasca sun cruiser class a. i'd really appreciate your input on this because i would love to do this but don't want to risk potentially ruining my rv. thanks for all your vids by the way too, big help!
Hi Matthew! There are stronger methods than pop rivets for attaching things to walls, such as mollies or toggle bolts. But use of those types of fasteners might depend on whether you're hanging your guitar on and exterior or interior wall. If I'm not mistaken, I think that Itasca uses vacuum-bonded walls, with the insulation foamed in. If I'm correct about that, it might prevent you from using a toggle or molly on an exterior wall, as they need open space to spring into place. An interior wall probably wouldn't be insulated, so therefore open space for one of those fasteners. If there's solid insulation in the wall, pop rivets are the easiest to use, but in the case of something heavier or more valuable (like a guitar), I'd suggest using the type of pop rivets that spread wider for better/stronger holding power. Your local home improvement store should have a selection of different types, and if you let them know you want the best holding power in a weak/this wall, they can hopefully direct you to the wide-spreading type of rivet. Best of luck! - Peter
How did you determine the length ("grip") size of the rivet to use for the interior walls? Mine are a sandwick of plywood, styrofoam then plywood. Thanks for the great idea. Anxious to use, but want to use the sizes...
Since the styrofoam won't really provide any grip, it's only the thin wooden wall that will give any holding power. We went for slightly longer than needed for the wall thickness, so that when the rivet expanded, it would be a larger size behind the wall. That way, it provides more grip on the thin walls. We did kind of wing it, but they've worked really well for years now, with nothing pulling out. I'd say in this case to just go with slightly longer ones than you would if the walls were a stronger material, like metal.
Thanks so much...I've got some water damage to plywood in several areas. Any suggestions on how to repair. Not really large areas but they do require repair AFTER I find and fix the leak of course...:-)))
Daniel Layton Sorry to hear about the leak Daniel. :( We're better with mechanical stuff than woodwork, so you probably know more about this repair than we do. Hope you can find the leak without too much trouble.
Hi Paula! Pop rivets are removed by drilling them out. You just have to drill enough to get through the head, and then the shaft will just fall into the wall, which is harmless.
ok so what about a flat screen tv 24 inch light will the poprivet gun < lol work for this as thar is not stud behind my bedroom wall whar i will be putting my tv
I wouldn’t trust pop rivets for anything that large. You’re going to need very positive connection to wall studs, which can be challenge for an already-built RV. But once you find the stud, sturdy screws or bolts would be in order. If there’s no stud there, I’d find another location, or risk having the TV vibrate off the wall while cruising down the road.
thats what i was thinking but its the only spot for it to go and i was told by a shop to put 1 in i got a price of $400-$600 no way im not paying that for a stud i think its time to start opening the wall to see whats all in thar and if thar is a place to do anything or put in a frame and have the wall hold it thanks a lot i no what to do now home depot away lol
Thinking of mounting my 11.3lb tv to the wall of my rv using the ominmount omf (puck style) mounting hardware. Would the pop rivet gun hold this setup? Total weight is probably 12lbs.
The size of the rivet -- you're using 5/32 -- does that refer to the length or thickness of the rivet? How do I know what size rivet to use? I see rivets on Amazon up to 1/2 inch -- can that really be the thickness???
5/32 is the diameter. If you look just under the word "ALUMINUM" on the lane;, you can see that one package says "medium" and the other says 'long" on it. That refers to the length of the rivet. The 1/2" your seeing on Amazon is the length. They're just being more specific than "medium or long." Hope this helps.
Great question! Attaching to a stud isn’t needed in the walls of an RV. Anything that’s heavy enough to require a stud to support its weight is also heavy enough to require something more substantial than pop rivets.
A lot of that depends on the material that you are riveting into. RV walls are pretty lightweight, so hanging something that weighs much more than about 5 pounds would probably be the limit.
Pop rivets are easy to remove by drilling the heads out. Only takes a few seconds, especially with aluminium rivets, which are both soft, and the most common type.
@@kimberlygilbreath-barndoll5225 Pop rivets can be easily removed by drilling out the head. Of course that makes them single-use, so they’re really only for use and installations that are intended to be permanent. But if you change your mind, it takes about five seconds to drill the head until it separates from the shaft of the rivet.
I want to hang a closet rack; and I know that will get pretty heavy once I hang my clothes. Are there super heavy duty pop rivets or do I need to use something else? It seems it's possible to hang a clothing rack because people hang heavy TV's on the wall- right?
Guys, Guys, Guys, he's only showing a simple, easy and cheap way to attach a light weighted item to a thin panel wall in a camper where a stud may not be available. Common Sense says to mount anything of any weight to a stud and if no stud then get the proper mounting gear, find another area to mount it or simply don't mount it and do without and sulk about it over your camp fires.lol...RVgeeks is only trying to help and expand our knowledge base and also to give us something to watch n lol at.
Having done a few rivets in the aircraft maintenance world, may I suggest that you place ALL FOUR (or however many) into their holes BEFORE you pull any down? If the other holes are slightly misaligned when that first one pops, now you may have a lot more hassle to get the remaining rivets into place. Next issue is, you were fortunate that the nose of the puller was narrow enough to contact the rivet head down in between those fins or ribs, otherwise the rivet wouldn't be flush with the surface. Should you find yourself in a situation where the puller nose can't contact the rivet surface, sometimes you can stack a few small washers on the rivet stem until the puller nose makes good contact. Then the only issue is if there's enough stem length left for the puller to grip.
Or place one rivet and then drill the next hole and rivet and then the next hole.
Toggle bolts do indeed have a larger grip behind the wall, but lots of smaller, lighter objects stay put just fine with pop rivets. Our fire extinguisher hasn't budged in 8 years, and our friends' central vacuum and bathroom shelf are still solid as a rock after 2 years. Vibration, humidity, or anything else will not automatically cause rivets to fail. Just don't overload them.
Suggestion: instead of 'regular' pop rivets, since you can't use a backing plate (washer) for your pop rivets - use "Load Spreading" rivets. Stanley the name brand "POP" rivets, plus other manufacturers make them. They actually spread out behind the wall and are much, much less likely to pull out and rip a hole in the lauan plywood/paneling in your RV.
Exactly what I said in the comments below.
@@triplenickle6995 ~ And we're real proud of ya for it.
@@triplenickle6995 the hero we didn’t know we needed 👨🏻🎤
Is this for an RV? And if so, will it be an inside wall or an outside wall? (outside walls have insulation in them) For something heavy, pop rivets are likely not large enough and could pull through. For an inside wall, I'd consider using a toggle bolt. For an outside wall, a toggle bolt might not "spring out" due to the insulation. In that case, whatever the largest size rivets you can find might be your only choice. (btw… TVs have to be mounted to wall studs to handle the weight).
I need to add horizontal broom and rake hooks/clips to my cargo trailer. This is perfect!
Awesome! 👍
@videogi We installed that central vacuum in a friend's RV. We'll drop them a note find out what brand it is and see if they like it. When we hear back from them, we'll let you know. We use a Eureka Whirlwind Superlight upright vacuum that we've had for 9 years and LOVE it.
If I have time I will take the wall panel off and attach a brace in behind with the framing. Good way to know how the RV is built and plus I can add insulation if the wall is open.
Very useful video but the BEST part by far is the sound of amazement at 2:50 :-) Well done!
That was Pat!!!! 😂
The metal is pretty soft, so it's easy to drill out the head of a pop rivet, then the body of the rivet just falls into the wall, out of sight. I generally only use pop rivets for permanent installations. If you're likely to want to remove it, I suggest a molly bolt or toggle bolt or other similar attachment method, if for no other reason so you don't have to drill it out.
I'm not familiar with Airstream screens, but if they have rivets, then a pop riveter is probably the right tool for the job. Just be sure to use the right size rivets. They should be the right diameter match the hole size as closely as possible, and I'm guessing a very short length for something as thin as a screen. Some pop rivets are very small, and I bet that is the case here. If you're able to bring the screen to your local hardware store, they can almost certainly tell the right size.
The walls of and RV are surprisingly strong. We have never had any of the numerous items we've pop-riveted in place come loose, and our friends that we attached the vacuum and bathroom rack for report the same. The trick is not to try to use this technique for anything so large or heavy that can't handle the weight. There are other methods that can handle more weight, like wall anchors, etc.
I think I've had that riveter longer than Amazon has been around. LOL! Still working great. :)
Shawn Cookson We'd suggest that anything that's particularly heavy should only be mounted to the wall of an RV if it's sitting on the floor, and the mounting is just used to keep it from shifting around. Pop rivets are only good for fairly light items, and even sturdier wall anchors will only hold so much. If your fireplace will be sitting on the floor, so that the rivets or wall anchors aren't supporting the weight of it, you should be good. The vacuum system installed in this video was actually quite heavy too, but since it was sitting on the floor, it was no problem. Hope this helps!
Thank you so much for making this video.you are helping so many of us RV newbies :-)
Really cleaver! I never would have thought of it. Thanks so much guys.
That's the Arrow RHT300 Twister Rivet Tool. It's widely available online for about $20 TO $30, including shipping.
I love that you picked up on that.... not just the response from our friend, but that fact that we are due COOKIES! lol I am going to have to show her your comment, and say "WELLLL???" Thanks. :)
That’s pretty good, thinking we’ll probably do this for important additions. Thx!
Looking for some kind a suggestion for removable bedrail for a upper bunk in my r pod. Doesn't have to be Burley just enough to remind the kids not to fall out. I was thinking about Z clips into the 3 inch wood trim facing of that bunk for thin peace of poplar that would slide up and out when not in use vs screw/ eye hooks into the wall with cargo netting. Maybe a better solution you have seen. Would pop rivets work for installing some sort of plastic or metal bracket into the RV walls that I could tie a strip of fabric or cargo netting to?
+Kathleen morton Hi Kathleen! We've never had to deal with that situation, so not sure what to recommend. So we'd suggest posting your question on the user forums at iRV2. There are tons of experienced RVers who would be happy to share their knowledge. It's free to join and post at irv2.com/forums. Sorry we couldn't be of more help on this one, but hope this gets you to the right answer.
I bought a Flush King from Camping World the first year we were on the road and used it once or twice. It didn't seem to do anything at all, and we just got rid of it.
Love it, I was worried about using wood screws. Thanks!
I have a 2002 Trail-Lite Bantam B19. I want to mount a 32" flat screen TV above the emergency exit window / dinette. Total weight of the TV and bracket will be about 15 to 18 lbs. Since this was an outside wall, I was considering just drilling all the way through to the outside, and putting a lag bolt and washer on the outside and nuts on the inside. Another option would be to bond (liquid nails/3M 5200) a piece of luan plywood to the inside of the wall to reinforce it in the area of the bracket and mount it then with pop rivets or wood screws. The mounting bracket is about 8" X 8" and has holes for up to 6 bolts/screws/rivets. I'd appreciate your feedback.
Pop rivets are definitely not the way to go for anything that heavy. They're for lightweight stuff only. We would avoid drilling through to the outside wall, as that will just invite leaks at some point. What's really the best is to locate the wall studs, which are likely to be aluminum. They might be locatable with an electronic stud finder, but not sure. A reinforced piece of luan bonded to a large enough area of the wall might do the trick. But keep in mind that the vibration from driving puts added stress on the whole thing, so whatever you do, be sure it's stronger than in a regular house.
Perfect! Thank you for the instructional video.
This is excellent advice for beginner RV'ers!
You truly think of everything. good job.
Just curious how far do you need to drill into the wall? I know my walls are foam waffers 22" thick, if I drill to far I will end up with a hole on the outside. How far do you need to drill for the pop rivet to be secured?
+Earl Balentine RV wall material is quite thin. 1/2 inch or so is more than enough for the bit to make it all the way through most interior walls.
It is just noticed that you had to put four pop rivets in that fire extinguisher mounting bracket.
Which would suggest that one pop rivet would not hold that much.
When putting some thing that carries a bit of weight.
As you said for that situation you would use wall anchors.
Personally, I would not attached something as heavy as a table into the the wallboard using pop rivets, wall anchors or anything else. You need to find and attached to the wall studs for something this heavy. Even if you use a line of rivets or wall anchors as additional support, securing to the wall studs as the main anchoring point is the way to go to avoid having your table rip off the wall at some point.
The most common way to install a TV in an RV is to replace an older one, using the mounting hardware that's already attached to the RV's structure. If you want to install a TV where there never was one before, you'll need to go into the studs. Not sure how to find those. I'd suggest checking out the forums on iRV2(dot)com, where there are a huge number of knowledgeable people (including RV technicians) who can answer your questions and help guide you.
Can this be used on an exterior fiberglass wall? The drip rail over the slide is coming down due to a stripped screw. I need to either see if a molly anchor or this rivet gun will work.
You could probably use a pop rivet, but if it were us, we'd screw it in. The only time we've attached something to an exterior fiberglass wall on our RV was to install a window awning, and screws worked great. Check out our video about that and see if you think the same way we drilled and screwed into the wall might work for you, too: ua-cam.com/video/cPh0dqtEIPo/v-deo.html
Do they make a power riveter? I don't have enough hand/wrist strength but I like the idea.
They do make power pop riveters, like this one: amzn.to/2q5kyg9
But they're pneumatic, so require and air compressor. They do make electric ones, but the only ones we've seen are insanely expensive.
I used to use a pneumatic pop rivet gun went I worked in a sheet metal shop. You just need to use a "test" piece of material to set the proper air pressure before it is used in a final situation.
You guys just showed me how my rivet gun works!!! Thanks!
+So Happy To Sew Awesome! 😊
So glad I found this helpful information! Thank you!
Great idea and well appreciated. We want to convert our booth dinette to the dream dinette in our 2009 Fleetwood Expedition and wanted to know if the pop rivets are strong enough for the table? If not I was thinking about installing a backer board with wall anchors and then screwing dream dinette to it. What will be the best method and product for attaching dream dinette bracket?
Thanks JST
I'm interested in doing this setup how do you get such a long pull out without it hitting the top of the Aliner
@stainedglass9794 Glad you liked them. Thanks so much for the comments. "Beware the Pyramid" indeed! :)
TY! This was a super smart idea. Ty for sharing!
won't work on stright wood pannling, just expanded to the button head and pulled out of the wood. it needs a backup washer to hold properly. pop rivets are great fasteners, heck they hold aircraft together. best luck i am having is 3M VHB tape used properly and the right type you cant beat it , plus no worries about what is behind the wall.
The caution with surface mount tapes in an RV is for non-paneled (i.e.- wallpapered) surfaces. The weight on the wallpaper can cause it to delaminate.from the underlying wall material. This isn't a problem for lighter loads though.
+Will Tatham I have countless items mounted with 3m tape and the commander system, from clocks to framed photos ect. not a one has "pulled" the inside wallpaper off. i tryed this method and as i said it just crushed the wood and pulled out. you HAVE to have a metal backing washer for the pop riv to hold properly.
Please don’t get me wrong can see that it works most things.
Where there is no need to hold heavy things and looks pleasing to the eye understand.
Anyway leave it at that, and thank you for your reply.
You should be able to insert a flush wand (available online or at places like Camping World) down the toilet, even if you don't have a black tank flush built into your RV.
Love the "You're my hero" sigh! What kind of cookies did she bake you?
I think I'll be using rivots more often know...Thanks! I have a rather heavy, box type, electric fireplace I'd like to mount to the wall. I was thinking about mounting a metal plate to give the wall more support and then adding on something that will hold the fireplace temporarily when not on the road. Any suggestions? Cheers!
OK thinking that you are putting these pop rivets in a wooden panel.
Without any type of backing to stop the pop rivet from pulling though.
That the pop rivet will eventually go loose and pull through in time.
Would it not be more so if you are travelling on the road.
It would come loose and fall off in time?
How well do you think plastic expansion anchors would do the job? They can be found fairly short and expand to a different in wall profile than pop rivets.
There are lots of options out there, and expandable wall anchors are also a viable choice.
Not lucky.... RV walls are pretty damn strong. And not much of a safety issue here, since nobody rides down the road in the bathroom. I just read the entire thread, and what is clear is that there are lots of ways to attach things to RV walls. Please feel free to choose what you like best. Check out SurrealNotion's comment below.
After some time, vibration and humidity will enlarge the hole in the wood and the pop rivet will just come out loose because you could not put a washer at back to hold the rivet. The proper way is to use toggle-bolt anchors. They have a wide metal "wing" that opens at the back.
How do they hold up long term?
I'm facing the challenge of my screwed in coat hooks starting to get wiggly. I have a foam side model trailer. Was thinking of gluing some toothpicks in the hole to create a more solid footing considering the foam will hold the toothpicks in position for me. I'll have to consider this method as I have a rivet gun. But all those rivets for the fire extinguisher? I don't sign off on work like that. Not your fault, the manufacturer, that should have a solid wood backing and two screws.
I need to get some of this thin wood and do some testing with various size rivets for best clamping performance. I'd lean to longer rivets for flatter back side collapse at first swag. If you can get to the back of the panel, put the backing washers on for sure. The larger OD the better.
Engineer here, I overthink a lot. If it's light stuff, this will be fine. Heavy stuff, test on some same kind scrap material if you can just to see how the back side of the rivet deforms and holds. You will find the best rivet this way.
I'm subbing this channel and will share if I do test the rivets. I may have some 1/8" material in my plywood scrap test on.
We have used them in many places on the RV and not one has ever loosened up.
What about for a gun rack? Any recommendations?
I would use nut certs in this case, you can unscrew it if need be. Harbor freight makes a kit that is cheap & works well ;)
I'd love to know the make and model of that rivet "gun". I've never seen one with a swivel head--that's pretty neat.
@videogi Well I sure heard back from them fast! lol It's an Intervac Design Corp vacuum, model #H-120, and they like it. Just Google Intervac Design and they come right up.
This is a very good idea. The only question I have is what the hell do you do if you ever want to "unmount" something after riveting it in? I suppose you could drill the rivet out?
Exactly! They drill right out.
And I guess the hole they leave would be the same size as if you used a screw to begin with, but rivets are just more effective than screws. The thing about these RV walls is that you really can't do much after you put a hole in the wall. Again, it's not drywall so you can't spackle, sand, and paint over it. It's just a hole that stays there for eternity. Thanks again for the video. Good stuff!
Very informative, I am ordering a pop rivet tool.
Not sure if you're still answering comments on this video, but I'm looking for a way to remove our old window blinds and valances and replace them with roller shades. Would these hold the new roller shades as they are being pulled up and down? Probably not.... what would be better?
Hi Becky! If you were using strong pop rivets, (like stainless steel versus aluminum rivets), and were going directly into a metal surface, they would almost certainly be strong enough. But in this case, you can’t be certain that the material you’re going into is metal, since you can’t see behind the wall. We would suggest that some sort of screw would be more appropriate, similar to the type that are likely being used to hold your current blinds and valances in place. Generally, the best way to figure out the right way to attach it is to remove the blinds that are currently there and use the same type of fastener that was used to hold them on. If it’s like ours, they’re probably screwed into the wall. If so, we would recommend doing the same thing with the new blinds. The only thing to be careful of is the placement of any new screw. If possible, try to keep them close to where the old screws were, which will make it more likely that you will screw into a wall stud. Hope this helps!
Thanks for your response. I keep thinking I should just take the old blinds down to see how they were put up in the first place! :)
Would you use them on the exterior? I'd like to install a catch to hold an outside door open.
Hi Roy! If you have a fiberglass RV, like we do, we'd suggest that screwing into the fiberglass is the most common way to attach things to the exterior, and what we'd likely recommend in this case. You can wee how we drilled, then screwed into the exterior wall of our RV in this video, where we installed a new window awning: ua-cam.com/video/cPh0dqtEIPo/v-deo.html The same technique should work for your door catch.
I just bought an old airstream, and noticed the bathroom screen is missing some rivets. Could I use this to reattach the screen?
LOL. I didn't buy it from Amazon, and I'm not selling off any inventory. I'm getting regular contact from people about how to find things I mention in my videos (LED lights, chrome shower dispensers, dogbone electric adapters... pop riveters, etc). I don't even remember where I bought most of it, but I found a ton of the exact stuff I own on Amazon.com, so I just added the links so people could find them. Nothing more sinister than that. :)
Really hey. That's a bummer I was really hoping that would be the answer to cleaning my black tanks. Any ideas?
Brilliant!😍
Love you video. I have a couple of questions? My husband doesn't want me to put anything into the walls for fear of hitting a water or electric line. Is there a way to figure out where the lines are? We are pretty new to this :) Also, how would you take the rivets out if you wanted to remove the item in the future?
I suppose it's possible to hit a water or electric line, but I've never hear of that, since I think they run a lot of the lines up from the floor. And water lines probably never run through exterior walls, to prevent freezing. You should only use rivets for permanent installations, but they can be removed by drilling out the heads.
okk thank you. one more q's. you have any good thing say about the flush king? for back flushing!
good info. will give it a try
I have to admit that I used 4 rivets because there were four holes, so my anal retentive nature being what it is, I had to use them all! lol Two surely would have been fine. Wall anchors are great too... your choice.
Do you have a video on putting a tv mount on a hollow wall?
We don’t, and we wouldn’t recommend it. Something as heavy as a TV in an RV needs to be mounted much more firmly than to the typically flimsy hollow RV walls, or the vibration of driving will surely cause it to rip off the wall sooner or later.
If you have stud finder, there may be some solid mounting points behind that flimsy 1/8th stuff to secure to. Even if you find that, it probably won't be where you need it to be for a clean mount. In that case, you could laminate another 1/8-1/4" panel square or rectangle between your TV mount and wall to bolster up the strength and make it big enough to marry those sound mounting points into the surface behind your TV. Also, round those rectangle corners, it'll spread the stress of the load better in the long run. If you're super fancy, make it diamond shaped with points at NSEW directions. Still round those corners to minimize corner stresses. And make the mounting pad as big as possible to spread that load out. I'd glue and screw or otherwise make the mating surfaces not slip relative to each other. Rivets would be good, just haven't don'e any to comment.
It kinda depends if/where those solid mounting points are. I have Keystone Passport, my outer wall are aluminum studs, my inner is pine or similar 3/4" stock behind that 1/8" plywood stuff.
I bought the expandable shower rod, and tried to install it with pop rivets..3 different times, the rivet came back out, stuck in the rivet gun. I spent most of my time, trying to remove the spent rivet from the gun...any idea what I was doing wrong ? I ended up using regular anchor bolts.
+c Shep With a shower rod, it's possible that the mounting holes are a little too deep for pop rivets to reach though them far enough to go all the way through the wall and get a good bite. Also, if there is hollow space under the mounting holes (certainly possible with a shower rod) that could be the culprit, as pop rivets need the flat surface on the underside of the item being mounted to press flat against the wall to prevent the rivet from pulling through during installation. Sounds like you got it installed in a good way though!
So looking at amazon and apparently that riveter and ever the rivets are junk.
Is your's still working?
Question: My TV cabinet in the front of my motorhome started separating from my ceiling in the cab. This happened due to our TV is an old tube TV, pretty heavy, and more than likely from hitting the several bumps on I-95 this past weekend. It's not too bad but bad enough for me to have to remove the TV asap(and replace it with a mount for a flat screen). My question is can I use these pop rivets to re-secure the cabinets to the ceiling?
You definitely need something that can handle more weight than pop rivets. Some serious wood screws are likely the best way to go. And use more of them than you think you need, since that cabinet falling down while driving could likely be a life-altering (or life-ending) event! We've thought of that more than once on bumpy roads, and can't imagine the crisis that would take place if it fell.
Thanks. I thought as much. Any idea of what length of screw? I'd hate to see little points coming through our roof. Oh, and incidentally, what I plan to do is put a piece of plywood in place of the old TV, put a mount on it, and put the TV in place when we arrive to where we are camping as to not have the weight on it.
The main roof structure is likely 3/4" marine plywood, but we're of course not sure about that because we don't know your rig. The roof has to be fairly thick to allow room for insulation and you also likely have the thickness of the interior ceiling material, too. We really hate to specify a specific length of screw, because we just don't know for sure. Sorry we're not more help on this one. You might try posting a question on the user forums at iRV2 (irv2.com/forums where it's free to sign up and post).
As far as the TV goes, rather than remove and replace the TV every time you travel and set up, we'd suggest that a flat-screen is probably light enough to stay up there once you secure the cabinets back into the ceiling.
Again, thanks. Makes me feel better that I can fix my own problem this time. Oh, I have a 2004 Fleetwood Southwind in case I didn't say before.
Would this work for hanging a privacy curtain from the ceiling?
Hi Mark. All depends on how heavy the curtain is, and how solid the ceiling material is. The stronger the ceiling material, the more weight we'd be comfortable hanging from it.
In regards to this video, i would like to hang some guitars on my RV walls using "guitar wall hangers" which is basically a little block of wood that's held to a wall using two screws and then an arm that extends out that holds the guitar from the neck. the weight of the guitar is about 10 pounds so there'll be about 10 pounds pulling down on the wall, would this method work for one of these type "guitar wall hangers" or is that too heavy of a weight load and do you recommend not doing it? to see the item i'm talking about you can type in "guitar string swing" in google and see what i'm talking about in the shopping section. my rv is a 2000 itasca sun cruiser class a. i'd really appreciate your input on this because i would love to do this but don't want to risk potentially ruining my rv. thanks for all your vids by the way too, big help!
Hi Matthew! There are stronger methods than pop rivets for attaching things to walls, such as mollies or toggle bolts. But use of those types of fasteners might depend on whether you're hanging your guitar on and exterior or interior wall. If I'm not mistaken, I think that Itasca uses vacuum-bonded walls, with the insulation foamed in. If I'm correct about that, it might prevent you from using a toggle or molly on an exterior wall, as they need open space to spring into place. An interior wall probably wouldn't be insulated, so therefore open space for one of those fasteners. If there's solid insulation in the wall, pop rivets are the easiest to use, but in the case of something heavier or more valuable (like a guitar), I'd suggest using the type of pop rivets that spread wider for better/stronger holding power. Your local home improvement store should have a selection of different types, and if you let them know you want the best holding power in a weak/this wall, they can hopefully direct you to the wide-spreading type of rivet. Best of luck! - Peter
wow thanks Peter for taking the in depth time for answering my question, very much appreciated!!!! happy and safe new years to you!!!!!
How did you determine the length ("grip") size of the rivet to use for the interior walls? Mine are a sandwick of plywood, styrofoam then plywood. Thanks for the great idea. Anxious to use, but want to use the sizes...
Since the styrofoam won't really provide any grip, it's only the thin wooden wall that will give any holding power. We went for slightly longer than needed for the wall thickness, so that when the rivet expanded, it would be a larger size behind the wall. That way, it provides more grip on the thin walls. We did kind of wing it, but they've worked really well for years now, with nothing pulling out. I'd say in this case to just go with slightly longer ones than you would if the walls were a stronger material, like metal.
Thanks so much...I've got some water damage to plywood in several areas. Any suggestions on how to repair. Not really large areas but they do require repair AFTER I find and fix the leak of course...:-)))
Daniel Layton Sorry to hear about the leak Daniel. :( We're better with mechanical stuff than woodwork, so you probably know more about this repair than we do. Hope you can find the leak without too much trouble.
ok, thanks
Great video
How do you undo pop- rivets if you need to?
Hi Paula! Pop rivets are removed by drilling them out. You just have to drill enough to get through the head, and then the shaft will just fall into the wall, which is harmless.
Thank you for your reply!
ok so what about a flat screen tv 24 inch light will the poprivet gun < lol work for this as thar is not stud behind my bedroom wall whar i will be putting my tv
I wouldn’t trust pop rivets for anything that large. You’re going to need very positive connection to wall studs, which can be challenge for an already-built RV. But once you find the stud, sturdy screws or bolts would be in order. If there’s no stud there, I’d find another location, or risk having the TV vibrate off the wall while cruising down the road.
thats what i was thinking but its the only spot for it to go and i was told by a shop to put 1 in i got a price of $400-$600 no way im not paying that for a stud i think its time to start opening the wall to see whats all in thar and if thar is a place to do anything or put in a frame and have the wall hold it thanks a lot i no what to do now home depot away lol
How do you remove it if you have too?
can you remove them if you need to change something out in the future? If so, how?
+Who I Am Yup! Pop rivets can be removed by drilling them out.
ok thanks because that seems like a good solution.
Not sure... but I would use an awful lot of rivets on that one!
Good tip. Thanks!
Thinking of mounting my 11.3lb tv to the wall of my rv using the ominmount omf (puck style) mounting hardware. Would the pop rivet gun hold this setup? Total weight is probably 12lbs.
+Mr. B Too heavy for pop rivets!
+RVgeeks ok thanks! What about toggles?
+Mr. B Maybe. Just be sure the wall itself can handle it, what with how thin they are and the vibration of driving.
+RVgeeks Alright I will probably remove the TV for travel. Thanks for the replies
The size of the rivet -- you're using 5/32 -- does that refer to the length or thickness of the rivet? How do I know what size rivet to use? I see rivets on Amazon up to 1/2 inch -- can that really be the thickness???
5/32 is the diameter. If you look just under the word "ALUMINUM" on the lane;, you can see that one package says "medium" and the other says 'long" on it. That refers to the length of the rivet. The 1/2" your seeing on Amazon is the length. They're just being more specific than "medium or long." Hope this helps.
great idea
Do the rivets have to go into studs?
Great question! Attaching to a stud isn’t needed in the walls of an RV. Anything that’s heavy enough to require a stud to support its weight is also heavy enough to require something more substantial than pop rivets.
@@RVgeeks Do you know the weight limits for using a pop rivets?
So how would one mount a 21 inch in a 5th wheel
Can i mount a tv usingg these???
great tip thanks
Good ideas ..thx for sharing! :-)
How much weight can this hold?
A lot of that depends on the material that you are riveting into. RV walls are pretty lightweight, so hanging something that weighs much more than about 5 pounds would probably be the limit.
And when your vacuum system breaks and you need to get them out?
Pop rivets are easy to remove by drilling the heads out. Only takes a few seconds, especially with aluminium rivets, which are both soft, and the most common type.
Are these removable?
@@kimberlygilbreath-barndoll5225 Pop rivets can be easily removed by drilling out the head. Of course that makes them single-use, so they’re really only for use and installations that are intended to be permanent. But if you change your mind, it takes about five seconds to drill the head until it separates from the shaft of the rivet.
I want to hang a closet rack; and I know that will get pretty heavy once I hang my clothes. Are there super heavy duty pop rivets or do I need to use something else? It seems it's possible to hang a clothing rack because people hang heavy TV's on the wall- right?
How do you remove them if you don’t want them there anymore ?
Drill them out.
@@RVgeeks - Get some good needle nose vise grips to hold the outside of the rivet or it will just spin when drilling. Especially mounted in wood.
I've never heard of pop rivets... what are they exactly..
www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/faqs/pop-rivet
Another home run RV Geek!
so how did you buy that riveter from Amazon, or are you just trying to sell off your inventory?
That has to be the most sold rivet gun in the world.
Sweat about those thing on tv command tacks or something hold like 50lbs and it just tape
2:50 *ohhhhh* She sounds pretty turned on about that rivet. Great video, thanks.
Butterfly anchors or use a dozen rivets!😬😬😬😬
Only if you want it to come crashing down! lol
Guys, Guys, Guys, he's only showing a simple, easy and cheap way to attach a light weighted item to a thin panel wall in a camper where a stud may not be available. Common Sense says to mount anything of any weight to a stud and if no stud then get the proper mounting gear, find another area to mount it or simply don't mount it and do without and sulk about it over your camp fires.lol...RVgeeks is only trying to help and expand our knowledge base and also to give us something to watch n lol at.
It sounds like someone REALLY likes rivets