Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Made several purchases this week..5 sheets Plywood,3 windows excellent shape(20 bucks at pullnsave,...They also opened up a Home Depo close by..They said Penofin sealer stain is great on plywood & it's all you need.Called the company & they said the same thing...I also checked out a product called readyseal...The company said it would work fine on plywood also...Both company's say it's all that would be needed...Does anyone have hands experience w/either product?...both have uv protection,meldew,non cracking,peeling...etc...You folks sure are helping out in BIG way....Thanks...

This thread was the only result for the word "penofin." It's been almost 7 years, hopefully someone has an opinion on it now. I was thinking of using CPES on the oustide of my tear, but would this product accomplish about the same thing?

http://www.penofinstain.com/penofin-premium-red-label

Dustin,

Although I am not a qualified expert, it seems that most outdoor stain/sealer products are designed for decks and patio furniture, which are generally made of rot resistant wood, and or are designed to shed water so the wood can dry quickly.

I think such products would do a fine job on the broad expanses of plywood on a trailer, but may not offer the needed protection in areas where endgrain, and mated surfaces cannot quickly dry out because of location or design.

In general simple terms, wood is not harmed by getting wet, it is harmed by not being able to quickly dry when wetted.
In trailer construction, you will have many areas that require pieces of wood to be tightly mated, leaving many opportunities for moisture to get in, but not out.
If you can prevent moisture intrusion from the start, you have achieved encapsulation, which means your teardrop is sealed in a water tight envelope.
Most products that simply "penetrate" but do not encapsulate, fall short of the goal.

Rob

I've used the penofin on some exterior cedar furniture. It lasted a long time and I was happy with the results, however...unless they've changed the formula....it's way nasty stuff to use. I wouldn't want to be sleeping in a box covered with it. Even got to me and I paint pretty regularly. I heard I can't get it in Ca anymore, but haven't been looking for it. Doug

Thanks for the advice. So would CPES probably be the best option if I'm using 1/2" oak plywood for the outer skin? My next question is does the CPES go over stain very well?

Thanks again.

While I don't work with CPES, I'd not put it over any oil based type stain. I use epoxy and aniline dyes under mine. I believe that Miriam used it over an oil based and had some issues. Aniline dyes are sold as a powder and you can doctor up your own color intensities/shades with water or alcohol. I'm told that the water based dyes are more UV fast than the alcohol based ones. Woodworking suppliers have the dye, Woodcraft, Woodworkers supply etc...

It's just my opinion, and I'm sure others will disagree with me, but an epoxy will build up a thicker coat giving more depth of finish on a woody, much faster than CPES. I use it to seal all the edges as well. Once it's sealed....CPES is done penetrating....it won't do it anymore. Then it's time to build a finish....and CPES is slow at doing that, it's a lower viscosity.

As for putting it over Penofin....I don't know about the formula now, but based on what it's done for me in the past....I would say that's a big no! It stayed sticky for quite a while...and it stinks big time. Doug

I will throw in my two cents.

Penofin(sp?) could work but the problem is that it does not fill the grain and since you are using an open grain wood it will get dirty easy and hard to clean. More than likely yuou may have to pressure wash the trailer to get it clean and then you might be forcing water inside a place you do not want it.

I do not know how the glue in the plywood will hold up to the penetrating oil either.

You can use a marine spar varnish to build up the finish.

If you want a long lasting finish you can use an automotive clearcoat, it is expensive and able to hold up to washing.

Good luck in whatever you use and let us know.