Masonite

[loaderman]

Has anyone used this for the outside of the trailer?
Tempered or regular?

[jstrubberg]

I remember they used to use masonite for siding on houses. My folks had it on their place for a while, adn I remember it being easily damaged and very hygroscopic once the finish was comprimised.

That's early 80's. I don't know how much masonite has improved since then.

[DMcCam]

Hi Loaderman,

The main reasons for not using Masonite on a teardrop is weight then there's that it's a compressed board (so fasteners don't hold well) and that it's hard to keep waterproof. 1/8" of birch ply is very strong dimensionally, weighs much less and holds finishes well.

Cheers,

Dave

[len19070]

I like Masonite, use it all the time...as a sheathing. As an outside to the elements on a moving vehicle.....I don't know?

Its not the product its self (with a good Paint) Its the edges and how there treated that would concern me.

That said I have an observatory dome at our summer camp we built in 1968. We painted it every 3-4 years and now its been fallow for the last 7 years.

Still looks good.

Everything has an application.

Happy Trails

Len

[robfisher]

Here's my early 40's built Jim Dandy, masonite skin and all. It's held up rather well for 60 or 70 years.

[robfisher]

And here's a link to a masonite trailer nearly 80 years old

http://www.thewallacecollection.net/htm ... _blow.html

Masonite has been around since 1924. It was a wonder product when invented, made much better when they learned how to temper it.

[DMcCam]

Thanks for the links Rob,

I had no idea anyone would have used it for exterior sheathing let alone on a trailer. I've used Masonite as a support for paintings and with the right preparation it will last for probably centuries sheltered from the elements. It seems, depending on your location and weather conditions, it could work well but might require more maintenance to keep it ship shape. On a side note, do you still have the Jim Dandy and what maintenance do you do?

You learn something new all the time around here!

All the best,

Dave

[GPW]

Dave , I also use Masonite for painting on , have paintings over 40 years old ,in fine shape so far ...

[CarlLaFong]

And here's a link to a masonite trailer nearly 80 years old

http://www.thewallacecollection.net/htm ... _blow.html

Masonite has been around since 1924. It was a wonder product when invented, made much better when they learned how to temper it.

Those folks were really vacationing in style in 1936 in their 1940 Chevy

[loaderman]

Maybe coat it all with "the MIx" that homebrew waterproofing

Tempered or untempered?

[sagebrush]

My Dad made a pickup camper in 1959. Sheated with tempered masonite and sealed with oil base house paint. We used it for about 5 years , mounted it on a trailer and sold it to a sheep rancher .Saw it about 1985 at a an auction, still in pretty good shape. Went for a lot more than in 1964.

[GPW]

The “mix” on the untempered Masonite should work fine to make it waterproof ... probably couldn’t hurt on the tempered either ... I used Masonite for my first TD , as a ceiling inside ... worked great , bent easily ... no problems , even when my vent leaked (accidentally left it partially open ), other than the white covering on the masonite staining a little ... Had I waterproofed it , would not have even seen it .. Seems a much better product that todays “Luan" ...

[aggie79]

From the Library of Congress, this picture shows "war housing' being construted by Western Trailer Company. They installed Masonite as an outer sheathing over plywood.



Apparently, the Masonite gave a better paint ready surface.

If you search "Western Trailer Company" under pictures on the LOC site, you'll see some other fascinating construction details. The roof is fabric material. The wheelwells and roof corners were formed out of paper soaked in glue.

Fascinating.

[angib]

The wheelwells and roof corners were formed out of paper soaked in glue.

Which is pretty much what Masonite is, but not made in a factory, yeah?

[GPW]

Since paper is made from the same basic material as wood , might it be reasonable to say paper mache or Masonite is as alien to a tree as say plywood ... So whether you cover your trailer with Masonite , plywood or the morning news, all still need to be waterproofed ... given the same density , all should perform much the same ...

Makes me think of paper mache fenders ???