TOP Covering, wild idea,

[johnp]

Top covering.
im doing a woodie sides, but was thinking,,(bad john),,,

i used to do alot of laminate on kitchens, and i always ended up bringing the scraps home, theyed sit outside for ever till we finaly got them to the dump,

it was always still in good shape,

any thoughts on using a nice 5X 14 sheet on a top? a nice polar white?
it could be glued down with construction adhesive,

the edges would be sealed with the trim,
and you could wax it,

only downside would be if it got hit hard, itd crack,

,
just thinkin
hell you could even do the sides,



johnp

[doug hodder]

John, I had given some thought to doing the same thing. You can really get some great patterns, but it doesn't take too much of a hit to chip the top color coat. You could probably put a nose bra on the front of the trailer and good flaps on the tow vehicle, and if you got tired of the color you could always laminate another sheet on it. Just make sure you have a good substrate to attach it to. That's the only thing that is going to give you the strength. Doug Hodder

[David Grason]

They make laminates that have the pigment all the way through....although those may be pricey. But it's a cool idea.

[Nick Taylor]

What about the newer laminates that look like brushed stainless steel or other metals? Are they actually metal? I've seen them used as backsplashes in kitchens or even for counter tops.

Nick.

[Guy]

What if you glassed and epoxied them?

[johnp]

What about the newer laminates that look like brushed stainless steel or other metals? Are they actually metal? I've seen them used as backsplashes in kitchens or even for counter tops.

Nick.

Nick i priced a brass sheet of laminate a year ago for one of my telescope tubes, thought it would look cool,

it would look cool,

the price wa awfull, it as more than 150.00 for a 4X8 sheet,
and yes it scratches,

johnp

[doug hodder]

Nick, I have looked at trying to get some of the laminate patterns that you are talking about. I ran into all sorts of problems, out of stock, discontinued etc.... I ended up getting a bunch of drop aluminum and putting my own scuff finish on them and using them on my kitchen cabinets in the last house I did. That was however back in 93, also tried to locate some in 01 without much luck. Probably a poor supplier. They aren't very impact resistant, and I think that coating them with epoxy will be a problem as it needs some sort of tooth to bond to. I plan on getting a piece of stainless bent up for my counter top and doing my own finish on it. I think I may go ahead and do my scuff treatment on the other metal if I decide to go that way and clear coat it out. I've done this before and it has held up for at least 12 years on kitchen cabinets but I have no idea how it would do in an exterior use. Doug Hodder