Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

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?

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

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.

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.

Dan

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.

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

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.