Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Okay ,,,, my other thread had helpful info http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=9881&highlight=


but here's another specific question

I went to a real Lumber yard, Forest Lumber in OKC this morning and they have in stock some good 1/8" mahogany for about $11 / sheet. I went out to the yard and looked at it and does have a good bend going crossways, which I need. Across the 4' not the length .

Then the guy suggested the masonite. So I looked at that , it's $8-something, and it has about the same amount of bend. Only thing is the one side is smooth and will need a little grit and good priming and I want the paint to stick good in the weather.

QUESTION -- With either of these, I'll use a double layer, to make it 1/4" for sturdiness but I'm thinking the mahogany would be better suited for the exterior and weather.

You wood working pro's --- let me know !!! Thanks!!!
I hope to get this next week or after.

julie

you'll be sorry....

Julie,

Masonite has it's place...........and will certainly work on teardrops, but check the weight. It's a whole lot heavier than plywood.

and if water ever gets into it...it turns into mush and swells up, screws will just tear right out...I'd get the solid material...iffn it were me....Doug

doug hodder wrote:and if water ever gets into it...it turns into mush and swells up, screws will just tear right out...I'd get the solid material...iffn it were me....Doug

...quadruple dittos...get the wood, you will be mucho happier, now and years from now.................................

I used 1/8 masonite for my roof. It's actually paneling with a "picture" of wood on one side and regular masonite showing on the back side. I use the back side out, so it would be smooth.
I put four coats of spar varnish on it and then three coats of paint. It's very sturdy as it is, but you wouldn't want to walk on the roof!

Before I did this I soaked a small piece of the masonite in water for three days. Nothing happened to it at all!
I wonder if modern masonite is made differently than the old stuff that would swell up when it got wet.

Of course, I could be in for a surprise some day down the road, but I can't find any problem with the masonite. A sheet of the stuff weighs less than 40 lbs, but still more than ply.

I'm not an experienced wood worker, or teardrop builder, and am just putting this here as a comment to the thread.
My tear is less than two months old, but I have been through two really bad downpours with nothing to report regarding the masonite.

One other thing. The masonite bent very easily around a 12" radius. Pretty flexable stuff.

Dean...you have a good point in that it didn't break up on you with 3 days of soaking....I'm sure they are using a lot better glues nowadays on the material... the short fibers making up the board make it flexible...but like I say...I've had screws tear out in other applications...there were a number of older tears built using the material and they are still on the road, so I'd think that with proper maintenance and care, it ought to hold up...I'm just an old school type of person though...I do wood...and does anyone know what the "official" difference is between masonite and hardboard? I don't use the material except for bench tops in the shop...Doug

Julie,
I wonder if it wouldn't be cheaper to go with the wood in the long run. By the time you 3 coat with varnish and several of paint it might be close to the same.

Miriam

I've used masonite for lots of things. Its great for drawer bottoms, and bench tops. I also used it on my teardrop, but only on the roof which I'm covering with alluminum. I had enough CPES left over from my sides to put a coat on. One thing is I've used nails and staples and construction adhesive. The staples would blow through unless the I turned the air pressure down to about 50psi. The CPES degrades the adhesive. The dust from routing the edges was ridiculous, it was like routing thick cardboard. I've got it on now so I'm staying with it but if I had it to do over.. I'D HAVE USED WOOD INSTEAD. That's all I have to say about that.

Thanks everybody!!

See? That's why this forum is THE BEST!!!!

I didn't / don't know much about masonite, it makes me think of siding, and I wondered about the content or if it's got any 'wood' to it, because of the exterior factor. Even with a great primer and good paint, still.

The masonite I was shown has a smooth, kind of 'finish' side and the other side had the fiberous, bumpy side. I think I'd feel better with the mahogany.

So I guess I could use the $10 sheets of mahog. on the exterior , then use the $8 masonite on the inside and save a few bucks.

The outside will be double, so it equals $20 per sheet, but I'll just put one layer on the inside.

YEA!!! Maybe I'll get the roof started next week!!! WOO HOO!!!!!

PROGRESS!!!!

Julie

Hey Doug;

To be clear about this, I'm not trying to convince anyone to use one material or the other. I've only built this one tear, so I'm no authority, fer sure.

Another factor which helped me decide to go with the masonite, AFTER I had tried the water test, was price. I live in a really small town, with only one source of materials. You pay their price.
The masonite I bought was $11 a sheet. The least expensive plywood alternative was over twice that price, and it wasn't the good stuff, either.

Next tear I build, (and I'm gonna build another!) will see me in the big city with a shopping list. This first one taught me a lot.

Good luck with your continuing construction saga, Julie!!

I would like to echo Dean in that the masonite will certainly do the job!!!!! I've also learned a ton on this thing. I'm sure I'll build a second someday, too.

I think a lot of it boils down to personal perference. I happen to prefer plywood over masonite.

But irregardless of your choice, as long as it's sealed well, your teardrop should last for many years.

Just go ahead and build it the way you feel most comfortable. You'll learn a lot, and who knows, you might build a second one the other way, just to be different!



Mike...