Woody

Finishes, paints and coatings

Woody

Postby Starseeker » Wed Apr 23, 2014 2:33 pm

I'm sure that this has been covered a hundred times but my dense gray matter has not been able to locate it. Could someone please explain the process of installing, prepping and protecting the exterior wood on a TD?
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Re: Woody

Postby ctstaas » Mon Jul 28, 2014 1:09 pm

Hi Aaron, My walls are3/4 marine grade ply wood with a couple of coats of spar varnish. Latex paint does not stick to varnish well,so I have some paint re-work to do. Live and learn.
Enjoy, Chris
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Re: Woody

Postby NCBooger » Tue Jul 29, 2014 12:58 pm

Hey Star, Rookie here too. From what I've read there are several methods:
Aluminum skin, Penetrating epoxy followed by paint, fiberglass, varnishes, canvas... several different methods depending on the final "look" of the TD and the skill level / budget of the builder.
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Re: Woody

Postby kayakdlk » Tue Jul 29, 2014 8:41 pm

If you don't want aluminum (I didn't due to all of the hail in Colorado) then for the longest lasting (not cheapest) finish I think you need to use epoxy (soaks into wood), fiberglass cloth (prevents plywood checking) , more epoxy to fill cloth weave, and then coat with varnish for woody look or paint (both provides UV protection).

Page 4 of my build journal last post explains the process I used for covering my teardrop in epoxy and cloth. I painted mine to match my Jeep but could have just as easily clear coated with auto paint or varnished for a woody look.

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Re: Woody - use marine epoxy

Postby ChasCABQ » Sat Oct 04, 2014 8:05 pm

I'm planning on building a woody and will fiberglass and epoxy all exterior joints then epoxy all walls and roof. Boat builders recommend and I'll use epoxy (marine grade), then varnish from local boat store. I have experience with epoxy (built some surfboards when I was a teenager) and local teardrop builder Capt. Bob says it's the only way to really protect a woody. Also, my woody will be covered when not in use.

When first using epoxy pay attention to the temperature since amount of catalyst is temp. dependent. Mix a small amount to get a feel for how fast it sets and paint some waste material with it. Do small areas at a time. Sanding smooths everything out just fine.
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Re: Woody

Postby doug hodder » Sun Oct 26, 2014 5:55 pm

On using epoxy on a woody, make sure that you ease or round over any hard 90's. Epoxy will fail on those sharp corners over time, and don't use an oil based stain. FWIW. Doug
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Re: Woody

Postby working on it » Sun Oct 26, 2014 6:52 pm

kayakdlk wrote:If you don't want aluminum (I didn't due to all of the hail in Colorado) then for the longest lasting (not cheapest) finish I think you need to use epoxy (soaks into wood), fiberglass cloth (prevents plywood checking) , more epoxy to fill cloth weave, and then coat with varnish for woody look or paint (both provides UV protection).
I also didn't want aluminum (due to all the hail in Texas), and though I really liked the look of polyurethane coated wood (even plywood looks great, shiny and new), I had done research and concluded that the woody look wouldn't hold up here without constant attention. I coated mine with outdoor proven silo paint and tractor paint. My fall-back position was to top that with Dura-bak, or like kayakdlk did, Monsta-liner? or other super-duty bedliner-type coating, if the paint failed. But, I opened up a garage bay for my trailer to reside in, out of the weather and sun, so the point is moot. Good luck with your woody.
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