Falling over bed interior fabric panel falling

dyuri

Hi everyone, I just noticed the fabric panel over the bed on my Tab 400 came loose.  

I see 2 two places on the side it was attached with screws, and one of them has pulled out of the wallboard. The hole that holds the screw is now too big.

I'm very inexperienced in handy work. Any recommendation on how to fix this would be a great help. What type of material or product could I use to fix this? Any advice would be a great help.

Thank you!

Daniel

[Deleted User]

Mine is doing same thing! Hadn't had a chance to post. I tried silicone and propped tight with long piece of wood against it for few days..... didn't hold!  I will await a reply too! My next thought was using drywall anchors but I don't think that will work in the material it screws into.  Mine is loose over tv.

Sharon_is_SAM

Here is a post from another thread:

vhollow Member Posts: 34

 September 2020 24.155.247.32

I replaced a panel after repairs. My back (over bed) driver-side panel vibrated loose, partially detaching and stripping the screw-hole threads in one corner. I sealed the damaged holes with JB Weld (epoxy resin putty), re-drilled them, with a smaller diameter hole, then replaced the panel and screws.

dyuri

Thank you for your comments and for sharing the info @Sharon_is_SAM @TabbyShack.

I also got some responses from Facebook group. Here are other repair ways from more Tab owners.

TNOutback

You could apply an old cabinetry trick for the existing screw and hole:  apply some glue in the hole, break off a toothpick into the glued hole and let it dry. Then go back into the hole with the screw, which will now have something to bite onto.

[Deleted User]

TNOutback in going to try your idea. I actually have wood dowels of various diameters, so I'm going to use that. I think that is going to work! 

One of the challenges though is getting access to the problem hole without pulling out additional screws! I guess I should remove nearby screws first but then that will loosen their tightness upon reinsertion to some degree. 

Denny16

Another option, not as elegant, would be to use a pop rivet in the oversized hole, and glue to cover button over the rivet head.  A short aluminum pop rivet is going to hold a long time under most conditions… 
 cheers 

vhollow

A problem with the dowel/toothpick fix is that the skin you are drilling into is quite thin. If you build it up with epoxy putty (JB weld) or that and a patch of fiberglass mesh (all under the fabric panel) you have more strength for the snap screws to grab. For the original poster, it looks like a screw holding the shade/screen is coming loose. The same repair can be made, as long as you can access the problem area with a putty knife. Also you can order more snap screws (the cloth heads hide a snap with a screw inside it) from your dealer (send them a picture of what you have). Then, you can add some additional fasteners in the problem area. I did this. It worked well.

Gherzig

I have the same issue on the corner screw above the bed on a 400 (got to be a more secure system with failure happening so often). I have hesitated to remove the cloth cap covering the screw.  How is this removed - just pry it off?

bergger

Yes just pry it off with a flat head screw driver.  After 2 years I had one coming loose just the other day.  I popped off the cap, it takes a little pressure but trust me they pop right off, and was able to screw it back in and so far it is holding tight.  

dyuri

UPDATE: I ended up using JB Wood epoxy to re-fill the screen hole. After 2 hours I re-created the hole with the screw. Additionally to this, I added some extra support to the pannel by attaching a 3m velcro (same as used for hanging pictures). 

Now it looks fairly steady, however, I was surprised by how thin and fragile the holding panels are. The thickness and shape look like a waffle cracker. I'm very impressed by the overall build and design of the TAB, but this part I feel could be better.

Thank you all for sharing tips and helpful information.

[Deleted User]

so if you use the JB Weld, then you don't need to put a toothpick in the hole first?  Is this the right stuff?

vhollow

Yes, that will work. Sometimes it comes in two separate squeeze tubes with caps. That version has a much longer shelf life after opening it than the one pictured. Just drill a pilot hole smaller than the snap screw diameter, or hand thread the snap screw back in, with no pilot hole, if you can. No toothpicks or shims needed.