bed sheet and paint?

[48Rob]

Can someone point me to threads about using bed sheets and paint for waterproofing?

Thanks.

Rob

[Todah Tear]

I didn't use sheets and paint, but the rebuild of T1's hatch was canvas. I painted it with several coats of roofing elastomer and that did waterproof it.

Todah

[les45]

I can't help you with sheets as we are planning on using regular old bed sheets on our memory foam topper mattress.

Waterproofing is one of those things that everyone has an opinion on. If you are talking about painting wood skins, then the waterproofing should start with some sort of sealer. I used four coats of CPES on my weekender and then fiberglassed all the joints with 4" tape and layup epoxy. I'm waiting on the weather to cool a bit, but my plan is to use two coats of Zinsser oil based primer under two coats of Rustoleum. I'm still trying to decide on a color.

Some folks prefer the more expensive boat paints, but I'm not convinced that they are worth the extra costs if you have sealed the wood properly to start with.

Whatever you use, make sure that each layer is compatible with the next.

[loaderman]

You want the faomie section of this forum

[CliffinGA]

Rob send GPW a pm and ask him, he remembers all the foamie details and who does what. I do remember somebody experimenting with bedsheets and doing a trailer in it but don't remember who.

Cliff

[GPW]

Thanks Cliff !!! Bed sheets glued to the wall then painted ,is how I did my Foamie interior ...

[48Rob]

Thanks all!

Rob

[RAYVILLIAN]

Rob the new WW has epoxy sealer because I had some then used Zinsser Bulls eye latex primer under the bed sheet. Just roll or brush on a thick coat put the bed sheet on like you would wall paper . than put another coat of primer over the top as you smooth out the bubbles. After it dries I put on a second coat of the primer and than finished with a oil base porch paint. the cover on the AC on the WW that you have is done the same but without the epoxy sealer and It seems to be holding up pretty good but I like some sort of sealer under the paint at least on the plywood edges.

Gary

[48Rob]

Thanks Gary,

How was the body of the WW. done?
There are some areas I need to patch and it looks really nice and smooth the way you did it.

Rob

[RAYVILLIAN]

Rob the WW was done with marine epozy and glass tape on the corners and seams. It has 3 coats of marine epoxy last 2 had white coloring in them, that was suppose to help with the uv problem that bare epoxy has, and than covered with 2 coats of oil base porch paint. It's had a couple more coats of the porch paint since it was built. If you hadn't bought it I was thinking about covering it with the bed sheet and paint like I did my new WW.

Gary

[48Rob]

Gary,

Was the tape/cloth you used on the corners lightweight?
I peeled some off and it seems very thin, thats why I was thinking bedsheet.

I'm in a rush to get it done for a camping trip next weeekend, and so am using fiberglass and resin on the corners, but was thinking bedsheet on the sidewall with the delamination/splitting problem.
Maybe bedsheet and resin would work too...

Rob

[GPW]

Rob , there are probably a lot of better alternatives to using old bed sheets ... Perhaps a light canvas ...

[48Rob]

GP,

Why don't people just use fiberglass cloth, too expensive?

Rob

[GPW]

Rob , I dunno’ ... maybe ?? The Old Timers (pre fiberglass) used canvas for coverings ... so that worked for me ... and if you visit most any fabric store , there on the bargain table are all manner of canvas pieces ... Cheap ... most fairly large too , for trailer work anyway ... The thought of attaching it with T2 or common exterior Latex paint instead of a messy smelly resin seems most attractive ... and you can use the cheap reject color paint you find on big sale at most paint stores ...The whole canvas and paint thing is very Inexpensive and does hold up well ... my little test Foamie has been outside, uncovered, for about a year now in Sun and Storms , yet still looks Good , No leaks ... Canvas and paint ... I used left over Artist canvas and leftover house paint , so that basically cost nothing ... being retired , costs are always a consideration ...

For our humble application , fiberglass would be Expensive , messy , and stinky ... The smell of polyester makes me nauseous , and over the years , I’ve developed a sensitivity to Epoxy which makes me break out in red spots.. The Latex paint is waaay less toxic , and the natural canvas doesn’t release small glass particles to the air when you cut it...

Disclaimer: I did use fiberglass tape on the seams cause’ I already had a big roll of it ... glued down with T2 , painted over , very strong to this day , no separation ...

On my first wooden TD , I noticed after a short time splitting of the plywood on the bent ply roof (tension cracks ) , and I think now (hindsight ) that if I’d covered the wood with even a thin fabric coating , none of that would have ever had a chance to happen ... Would have helped prevent any leaks too ...

Also being a maker of Longbows (Archery) , I’ve used “backings “ on the bow wood , which keeps the wood from ever splitting , although it undergoes great stresses bending over and over ... So the idea seemed a natural for trailer work , and it turned out to work very well indeed

[RAYVILLIAN]

Rob the tape was pretty light weight. My thought at the time was that the lighter tape would add strength but not be to hard to cover up. the reason I went to bed sheet was verses fiberglass was the cost. Not on is the cloth cheaper but paint is alot cheaper than epoxy. I used the epoxy as a sealer on the new WW because I had 2 gals of resin given to me and all I had to buy was the hardener. I think that the paint and bed sheet adds some strength but the many purpose in my case was the continuous envelope to seal out moisture. It is faster than epoxy and fiberglass and easier to clean up after too.

Gary