Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Hi all,

I haven't found this answer in the forum so I thought I'd ask the question.

We're going to paint our exterior walls. We're using 1/4" ply with 1"x2" studs/framing and the interior wall will also be 1/4" ply (Unless I find some nice luan around town). We're going to seal our seams with fiberglass. We're going to use counter sinking wood screws as well as Titebond III to secure 1/4 ply to studs.

Here's the question: What would you cover the screws with?

Our thought is to use fiberglass epoxy. Normally on a house my husband would use wood putty but we're afraid that it might crack or fall out from the trailer's movement on the road.

Any thoughts?

Lynn

Hi Lynn. We'll I have a couple suggestions for you.

Yes, regular wood putty will most likely crack, but paint should still cover it nicely and you're going to have to paint every 4-5 years anyway if it sits outside.

I make my own putty.. I take fine sawdust from the exact wood I'm using, usually found in your table saw cabint, not on the floor...the stuff on the floor is to big, but the stuff stuck in the cabinet works well.. mix with TiteBond III - not II.. III is waterproof; fill your hole over full. Let it dry for 24 hours and sand flush.

Second, I've had luck using Silicone with the same method - "overfill". Silicone will expand and contract nicely with temps.

Third, mix some two part epoxy, fill and sand.

Paint hides alot with adequate priming. I highly recommend Sherwin Williams ProHide Primer in GREY...it takes good paint to cover up the grey, but NOTHING shows through it.. no bleed through what-so-ever.

It's key you have something for ANY filler to bond to. So ensure you counter sink adequately.

What I did to hide all my screws was glued a 1/8" sheet of luan to the exterior after everything was secured.
Before.


After

I'd vote for a thickened epoxy....Doug

Epoxy thickened with microballoons. Mix it up to a peanutbutter consistency and put it on. It also sands down easily.

Keith B wrote:I make my own putty.. I take fine sawdust from the exact wood I'm using, usually found in your table saw cabint, not on the floor...the stuff on the floor is to big, but the stuff stuck in the cabinet works well.. mix with TiteBond III - not II.. III is waterproof; fill your hole over full. Let it dry for 24 hours and sand flush.

Hey Keith, I really like this idea. I'll try it on a test board first.

bledsoe3 wrote:What I did to hide all my screws was glued a 1/8" sheet of luan to the exterior after everything was secured.

Hi Bledsoe3, Thanks for the idea and the pics, great job btw.

doug hodder wrote:I'd vote for a thickened epoxy....Doug

Thanks Doug, I appreciate your input.

asianflava wrote:Epoxy thickened with microballoons. Mix it up to a peanutbutter consistency and put it on. It also sands down easily.

Hi Asianflava, what are and where would I get microballoons?

Lynn

I painted mine. I used Bondo brand wood filler. THe stuff work great. I was able to fill & sand with in 30 minutes. I the coated it with CPS before I painted.

I bought a bottle at a local hobby shop (remote control planes, boate, etc). It's a small bottle and works when you need a whole lot.

This is an online hobby shop
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wt ... XDS37&P=ML

I also used West Systems 407 Low Density Filler. I bought mine at West Marine. You'd think that they were the same company but they aren't.

Go to Products and scroll down to fillers
http://www.westsystem.com/

http://www.westmarine.com/

asianflava wrote:Epoxy thickened with microballoons. Mix it up to a peanutbutter consistency and put it on. It also sands down easily.

Ok can someone please tell me ... what are microballoons? I havent heard that before... Not in English anyway....

Classic Finn

Microballoons are tiny little balls of plastic or expanded glass beads that you mix with epoxy for a light and sandable filler. They have the appearance of powdered sugar and are extremely light.

Leon wrote:Microballoons are tiny little balls of plastic or expanded glass beads that you mix with epoxy for a light and sandable filler. They have the appearance of powdered sugar and are extremely light.

Thank You Leon. I,ll have to check into it here... Now that I know what it is..

Classic Finn

how long does it take to blow up them balloons?

To save the trouble of blowing up the microballoons you could substitute any other type of thixotropic filler. The microballoons just sand easier.

halfdome, Danny wrote:Counter sinking screws into 1/4" plywood won't leave much meat to pull everything up tight. The screws are only there as a clamp until the glue dries as it is when you glue & nail things together. Why not just use the best glue possible and just fill up vessels like buckets, cans etc and anything else of weight and place it all on top of your framing as weight clamps while the glue dries for a day or two. Make sure every inch is covered with glue & weights. This way you don't need the screws or need to fill those countersink holes. I use a soft plastic Bondo spreader to spread my glue on projects as it's flexible and spreads glue very fast.;) Danny

We glued first with weights, so you're saying we don't need to put screws in? That would be awesome.

Lynn