Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Some of these "tween" sleep and full awake thoughts were so far outside the box I couldn't even see it.

Vinyl floor covering for the exterior. Plenty of size, patterns, and great for those "high traffic" areas. How about a nice floral pattern?

From there I thought of astroturf / green patio carpet layed out as a football field. But wait, there's more!

The most bizarre was a shag carpet covering. It looked fine until I put it through a rain storm.

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This is reality, this is reality, THIS is reality.
Yes Dorothy, you could have gone home anytime you wanted. All you had to do....

I recommend that you start by looking at this webpage...

http://www.mikenchell.com/weekender/skinning.html

Then try improving on that...

Mike...

Vinyl flooring that is the best one I have ever heard. It will last a long time when completely glued down. I love it and it is cheaper and easier to work with than sheets of metal. Say a nice black and whit checker board pattern.

What was the cost of the materials you used to finish your Tear? I like the idea of painting the tear rather that messing with the aluminum.

Yes a coast comparison would be nice …. $80 a sheet of aluminum x 4 “ouch”. Vinyl flooring $125 for the inside and out. Or the paint?

But... will vinyl stand the UV rays and other sunlight hazards ?

I take it, we are talking about that very thin vinyl of about .025 in...

Mike..what does the CPS and 255 cost per sq ft ?

Your white Baja Benroy seems not to need the usual roof to edge moldings...is that correct ?

Pardon if questions sound silly...I'm a blacksmith, not a builder...

Vinyl is not designed for exterior use. It will probably yellow, and crack with exposure to the elements.

Then you are better off covering it with PVC like Bev did, or TPO like Chip did.

I like Uniflex255 for a number of reasons...
I don't need to buy contact cement, and rollers to apply it with.
I don't need to buy edge molding, inserts, screws and caulking
You can probably cover a 4x8 teardrop with 1 gallon of Uniflex 255.
If you make a design change, it's easy to touch up the affected area
Ditto if you get some road damage
You can refresh it with a new coat of paint if it starts looking bad
It has UV inhibitors in it, so it can handle the weather!
It's white, which keeps the teardrop much cooler during the day
It has a nice textured surface
It hides minor imperfections in the wood.

With the money you save on contact cement, corner molding, screws, caulking and labor, you can buy a better paint, roll it on and be done with it.

Mike...

P.S. I don't know the cost per sq ft. You'd have to ask Dr. Rot.

I'm for paint/epoxy first, aluminum second (I like the look, but not the work) and everything else last.

I agree on the u/v problem.... and also, moisture. There will be seams at the corners that will (not maybe) eventually fail.... then you will have a gigantic mess to deal with (to remove it, and what damage is underrneath)..... to me, another good idea gone bad...

Having just finished skinning my trailer with aluminum, if I were building it again, I'd go with the paint.

Like many have said, working with the aluminum is a pain, finding the moulding is a bigger pain, and sealing the joints is a questionable pain. Is it really sealed? The thing is, I won't know until it either rots away from the inside, or doesn't?

I can say, however, that I like the look.

What are some of the successful paint options ?

There must be other, locally obtained options than Mr.Rot's product

I plan on having "woodie" sides with a preferrably,white roof..can I paint "right to the edge' and negate the need for moldings ?

BTW..I went to a local lumber yard and asked about 4' x 8' sheet aluminum...recieved a... DUH...for an answer..

H & T,

The places that I found that stocked aluminum sheet were metal wholesalers, 18 wheeler type trailer repair places, sign shops, and plastic supply shops.

Don't know much about paint, but I do know there are some exotic, two part, 20 year house paints available these days.

Thanks Each and every one of you for your timely answers...

re Rot Doc... delivery is quick.... quicker would be marine epoxy at similar prices....

I buy online for a couple of reasons... way more options, no running around, delivered to my door.... all pluses in my opinion... just need to think a few days ahead....

My 30 day build actually went off like clockwork, but I did have a kind of a plan, ordering at least a week ahead, but I had parts/products on hand when I needed them... so I built during the day and organized at night.

mikeschn wrote:I recommend that you start by looking at this webpage...

http://www.mikenchell.com/weekender/skinning.html

Then try improving on that...

Mike...

Very infomative, and I think I'm going to go the Uniflex 255 route. I'm sure the finish is real nice, and the big plus is you can easily make modifiations to the TD in the future. Plus, I don't think it can get any easier than this.

And when I trade in my silver Silverado in a few years for, let's say a red one, I'll change the color!

That astroturf idea painted up to look like a football field would look awesome on TailgatingNut's trailer.