Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Tomorrow I'm starting to assemble my tear ... WoooooHoooo

The question I have is what should I use to attach the 1/8 Luan ply ceiling to the roofbows? I don't think I should use my brad nailer ... I figure it should have more of a head to it to help hold it until the glue dries.

Whatzz ya think ?

Wild Mike

havent gotten that far yet Mike,,how bout a 2x4 or three and make a prop to hold in place till the glue sets up,,,wedge it between the floor and the celing panel at the cross bow,,,just thinking out loud

chip

I guess Im just too old school and would like to put some staples or screw or something besides just the glue.

But I had thought about using something to prop up the ceiling ... besides the guy helping me that is.

Wild Mike

I am building a trailer large enough to stand up in and attached all my 1/8" luan with PL glue. Great stuff! Clamp or brace the panels in place , let stand for 24 hours and they won't come loose. My ceiling don't have any nails or screws at all. Good luck, Joe

Wild Mike, I built my Tear from the inside out. That is, I fabricated the walls first,with a "ledge" at the headliner. I wrapped the headliner over this ledge. It just fell into place . I added the roof spars after the headliner placement, glued into place, no fasteners, except to the walls. As for brads, I used an electric brad nailer/stapler to fasten everything that was hidden. Even in exposed areas, the nail head is small enough to not be seen after stain/varnish. Check out my Build Journal for more mayhem!
I hope this helps,
Blessings, Steve

Wild Mike wrote:I guess Im just too old school and would like to put some staples or screw or something besides just the glue

I felt the same way, Mike, but I used PL Premium Construction Adhesive and I guarantee the wood will break before the bond does.

Joseph

Greeetings from Colorado Mike!

I used 1/8" tempered masonite [water proof glue] for my ceiling. I glued the panel to the ribs with Liquid Nails Construction Adhesive. I held the panel in place with #6 X 3/4" wood screws while the adhesive cured. After the adhesive had cured, I went back, countersunk all of the screws and filled in the holes with wood putty. Later, sanded it all down and painted it with a Navajo White kitchen/bath semi-gloss paint.

Two reasons. The kitchen/bath semi-gloss is durable and a snap to clean. Just wipe/wash it down. I used the same method on the inside of the galley hatch... Secondly, the "white" ceiling brightens up the interior of the teardrop. Gives it a feeling of spaciousness. With the natural "unstained" double bead tongue & groove pine walls, the interior is nice and bright.

George

I did it just the opposite of you George. I painted my walls white, and left the ceiling wood.

The walls lighten it up quite a bit, but the light doesn't come from the ceiling like it might in a home.

I've done it both ways, actually, and both ways are ok! Better than an all wood interior!

Mike...