outer covering

[medic7830]

i see alot of td's covered in aluimun and epoxy can you use masonite or somthing like it???

[Gerdo]

I think we have determined that Masonite would break down if it got wet and would not be a good choice. I know people have used luan and they make water resistant luan. Then paint it.

[Ira]

Well, SOME people determined that.

I think it was like a 55% to 45% consensus against masonite, but the 45% had some great arguments on their side:

Like HUNTING cabins that they built with the stuff that lasted for YEARS.

Whoever is retired and has the time to find it, there's one INCREDIBLE thread here all about it.

There's even a long HISTORY of masonite. Provided, I believe, by George Telford.

Come back, George! I myself love and understand you!

[surveytech]

here is a spec sheet on tempered masonite.........

http://www.gunnersens.com.au/brochures/temprd.pdf


tells you how to cut it, where to use it and how to finish it.
Probably more than you would ever want to know.....LOL
.
.

[Ira]

Well, according to that spec sheet, she ain't no good for exterior use. But a bunch of people here strongly claimed different. Also, are there BETTER grades than tempered? And also again, if covered in epoxy or aluminum as mentioned above?

Being an old fart who grew up with this stuff in Brooklyn's "finished basements," I myself always leaned toward if it gets really wet, it's gonna decompose.

But that's not what its proponents here said.

[mikeschn]

I myself always leaned toward if it gets really wet, it's gonna decompose.

I tend to agree with you IRA...

So who is going to volunteer to build a Teardrop with an masonite roof, and put it under IRA's tarp?



Mike...

[davel]

The Bluebonnet Tear is completely masonite outside. While we have had trouble with dampness around the doors and hatch, it is more a matter of it having been exposed to the weather before it was properly sealed. The main sides and top have held up well over the last two years.

I believe that the main thing with using it is to make sure it is sealed before exposure to the weather. I am currently reskining the hatch because of water damage, but that was because of my not properly sealing the edges around the hinge.

[Micro469]

Davel... Do you store it outside? Do you have snow from November to March? Does it rain for 1/2 the year? All these have an adverse effect on what you build your tear with. If you live in a warm/hot climate with little rain , then masonite would probably work great. But in colder climates with a lot of rain/snow, and stored outside...... it would deteriorate faster. (In my opinion, anyway)

[davel]

John,

Yes it is stored outside. Of course we very seldom see snow, get ice everyonce in a while. I agree that if we lived in an area like what you mention it probably wouldn't have that long of life span. Then again it depends on how well it is sealed.

I built with masonite because it was cheap and I was using it to learn with. Only time will tell how long it will hold up. After two years though I'm optomistic that it will be around for years to come.

[surveytech]

I am wondering if the edges were sealed if that would improve the life of the product. A lot of us pay special attention to plywood edges when it comes to sealing/waterproofing and if those same techinques were applied to Masonite it may improve the life of the product.

Or maybe not........just thinking out loud.

[Podunkfla]

Masonite... at least the tempered variety, is at least as moisture resistant as luan plywood. Plus, I don't think it expands and contracts as much? I have seen boats & kayaks built with it that lasted for years. Of course, they were encapsulated with epoxy & fiberglass. I guess you could use cardboard as long as you epoxied it.

I have cut lots outdoor sign letters out of Masonite, MDF (medium density fiberboard) and even Styrofoam. If they were properly sealed with epoxy or polyester resin then painted, they will last for many years outside. Just my .02

[davel]

I am wondering if the edges were sealed if that would improve the life of the product. A lot of us pay special attention to plywood edges when it comes to sealing/waterproofing and if those same techinques were applied to Masonite it may improve the life of the product.

Or maybe not........just thinking out loud.

I think you've hit it on the head. I think sealing the edges makes the difference. All of the damage on the hatch I'm redoing is along the edges where I didn't seal it properly. The rest of the tear show no signs at all. It is covered with 3 coats of primer, 3 coats of latex house paint, and then has two coats of Glisten PC. Makes me want to do some experiments and see how much water masonite can really take. Oh no not another project.

[dwgriff1]

It's the coating that makes the difference -- paint in our case.

There are literally millions of showers in the US, with tile glued onto sheetrock. Sheetrock gets near water and it literally falls apart. The key is to keep it dry, with a coating, in most cases ceramic tile.

Even though that is a bad way to make a shower, there are millions of them out there that get abused every day and still give 10 to 12 years of good service.

The key, as I see it, is coatings and maintaining those coatings.

dave

[forestfrog]

After cutting the 'Mander's sidewall pattern from tempered hardboard/masonite last week, I left the scraps laying around the outdoor work area. They've been rained on three times, sat in standing water, then endured a couple of high temperature/humidity days.

I picked up the pieces today and they show no signs of damage/warping/expansion/etc.... I bent one 24" piece back on itself and it returned to it's original (flat) shape when released. This stuff is tougher than many people give it credit for...I may use it in the future (in well sealed applications).



The 'fraying' along the edge is from the jigsaw blade, not water damage: