Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I have an old woody teardrop in excellent condition but the exterior roof to sidewall trim pieces(wood strips) have some areas with separation I would like to fill in. Could someone give me advice on how to do this? The gaps are anywhere from 1mm to 1/8" thick. Whatever I use will need to be flexible, waterproof and somewhat retain the natural wood look. I was thinking of using anything from brown colored caulk, construction adhesive or gorilla glue. I called Minwax and they said wood filler and then poly over, but I think that would crack again quickly. Thanks ahead for all your ideas and help.

Photos would help greatly!

Tony

If wood fill gets wet it fails in my experience. I would be inclined to use polyurethane caulk. But I am sure you will get better advice.

Look into 3M 4200 marine caulk/adhesive.

Here are some pics of where the wood trip is split slightly.

It's happening because the wood is moving as it expands and contracts from moisture (in the air).

I'd try to get as much polyurethane sealant into those seams as possible. I sure wouldn't use an off-the-shelf wood filler. You might toy with PL Premium polyethylene adhesive. Although it's marketed as a glue, it also makes for a good sealant and is tan in color and the consistency of caulk.

Tony

thanks! I'm thinking of using Gorilla glue for the small areas, it dries yellowish orange so it might blend in. I think I can put some glue in a syringe to squirt into the small areas. I will probably use some type of polyurethane sealant for the larger gaps.
Does anyone have a favorite finish for recoating the outside wood with? I'm thinking of using MinWax Helmsman.

I'm a big fan of polyurethane caulk. Rather than just filling the gaps, which can be messy and might let in water, place tape on either side of the gap. You can work in the caulk and smooth the surface. When the tape is pulled you will have nice crisp lines and enough caulk to keep water out. I'm thinking approximately inch wide lines over the seams. Get brown darker than the wood and caulk all along the seam/joint.

Gorilla glue foams like mad but it does penetrate wood. You might want to experiment with using some GG before the caulk. Better may be to use thinned polyurethane spar varnish drizzled into any open seam to penetrate and seal the wood before caulk. Spar varnish is what you will use to coat the wood and Minwax should be a good product. Even if your plan is merely to fill the crack with caulk I'd do the thinned poly first to seal any water damage.

T

thanks for the responses, great ideas. I hate how messy polyurethane caulk/adhesive is, I have used it on my old Airstream, but it seals works great. The tape is a great idea to keep it neat, and I will squirt some thinned varnish to help seal the wood.

Epoxy? It seals and bonds, and it is clear. Looks like you only need as much as in the "craft" kits for $20.

I am not a big fan of helmsman. I had horrible bubbling and orange peel. I would use thickenened epoxy.