Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Information on CPES is saying it covers as much as 300 sq. feet per gallon on sanded hardwood. I would imagine this would apply to the Baltic Birch ply on a TD. My first question is for those of you with experience with this product: How much is usually required for 2nd, 3rd, or more coats as I'm trying to determine how much to order for my 5 wide by 9 long by 5 high TD? How many coats is considered adaquate?

Secondly, The Rot Doctor seems to be the "vendor of choice" on the board for CPES. This product can be had for about 10% less through Jamestown Distributors (whom I usually consider to be very expensive). Is there any reason for preferring the Rot Doctor?:thinking:

Thanks,


Mike

You will need less for the second and third coats - two coats has worked for me - three would be better.

I buy all my epoxy at Fiberglass Coatings Inc - seem to have better prices and as I understand it there are a few manufacturers of epoxy in which everybody puts there name on.

Ken J.

Well, the Rot Doctor website says "On new wood you can plan between 200 and 300 sq ft per gallon". From my experience I have found that to be pretty close. I bought the 2 gallon unit and I covered about 600 sq ft before I ran out (that was first and second coats). This was on Baltic Birch. I think 2 coats is adequate. I ordered from Rot Doctor just because at the time I didn't know it was sold by anyone else. I have ordered stuff from Jamestown Distributors before and their service is good. I'd go with whomever is cheaper.

I just looked at the prices. This is not a "deal breaker" but it would really be a "bank breaker" for me.

I need to look at alternate coatings(cheaper) for my project. What has everybody else used?

I'm using epoxy and fiberglass cloth from raka.com on my (under construction) teardrop.

All of the sides, hatch, and galley lid will be fiberglassed. My TD's 54" high x 132" long sides are made from 3 pieces of 1/4" plywood (sandwich construction with a 3/4" frame). The epoxy and fiberglass cloth helps bridge and smooth out the plywood joints.

A friend used epoxy paint over bare plywood on his TD. Over time the plywood checked and cracked. To fix it he sanded off all the paint the them epoxied all the plywood. He then painted it, again.

I'll paint my fiberglassed TD for UV protection. It should look good, be very waterproof, resist wood cracking/checking, and be lighter than aluminum. Probably less costly too.

Esteban wrote:I'm using epoxy and fiberglass cloth from raka.com on my (under construction) teardrop.

All of the sides, hatch, and galley lid will be fiberglassed. My TD's 54" high x 132" long sides are made from 3 pieces of 1/4" plywood (sandwich construction with a 3/4" frame). The epoxy and fiberglass cloth helps bridge and smooth out the plywood joints.

A friend used epoxy paint over bare plywood on his TD. Over time the plywood checked and cracked. To fix it he sanded off all the paint the them epoxied all the plywood. He then painted it, again.

I'll paint my fiberglassed TD for UV protection. It should look good, be very waterproof, resist wood cracking/checking, and be lighter than aluminum. Probably less costly too.

Hi Estaban
how thick is the cloth? and how many layers will you be using? Hope you dont mind me asking.

Esteban wrote:A friend used epoxy paint over bare plywood on his TD. Over time the plywood checked and cracked. To fix it he sanded off all the paint the them epoxied all the plywood. He then painted it, again.

CPES will keep that from happening. It's a penetrating epoxy that will help prevent checking and cracking. If you want to just paint your tear, then it's an alternative to glassing. But it ain't cheap!

I came across this while surfing for "penetrating epoxy": http://www.epoxyproducts.com/penetrating4u.html.

I haven't used either product and can't vouch for this possible alternative but at least it is an interesting read. Most likely, though, I will rely on the postive experiences of others when I get to this stage of my build and use Rot Doctor's product.

aggie79,

I believe the product on the Jamestown Distributor's web page is identical to the one on The Rot Doctor's - but Jamestown's is about $23 less for the 2 gallon kit. That's not a huge difference, but every little bit helps, especially when you're getting near the end of your build and getting tired of spending money on the project. As asked in my OP, I wonder if there is a reason why The Rot Doctor seems to be the vendor of choice for this product?

My guess is:

Good Customer Service
Good Customer Advice
Good Website

glider wrote:Hi Estaban
how thick is the cloth? and how many layers will you be using? Hope you dont mind me asking.

Glider, Happy to help.

I used 3.2 0z. cloth on the side walls. It was a tight weave and it was a little difficult to brush all the bubbles out of the epoxy. If I were to do it again I'd use a slightly heavier plain weave fiberglass cloth.

On the roof and hatch I'll be using 4 oz. fiberglass cloth. It's a plain weave, so it should be much easier to brush out air bubbles.

I'm planning to use a single layer of epoxy/fiberglass cloth. If I have very much leftover fiberglass cloth I may double it up in front for a little extra protection from flying rocks.

In a boaters forum I read that, as a rule of thumb, one complete layer of epoxy and fiberglass cloth weighs twice as much per square yard as the weight of the cloth alone. So 4 oz. cloth (weight per square yard) and epoxy will only weigh about 8 oz. (a half pound) per square yard. That's a similar weight to a square foot of aluminum sheet. In other words fiberglass may only weigh about 1/9th as much as aluminum sheet would.

I learned the information about the weight of fiberglass after buying my fiberglassing materials. If I were to get a "do over" I'd probably use 4 oz. cloth for the walls, and might use 6 oz. for the roof and hatch because the weight of fiberglass is so much lighter than an aluminum skin.

My 5x11 trailer will have about 180-200 square feet of exterior area for the walls, roof, and hatch. Using a fiberglass, instead of an aluminum, skin may lighten my TD by roughly 70-80 pounds.

Sorry for giving such a long answer to your short question.