Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

So it's time for me to install my exterior plywood skin. What do you think I should use? Good old plywood? Luan? Oak Ply? Masonite? Whatever I end up with, it will be covered in aluminum.

Also, do I need to seal my exterior skin prior to covering with Aluminum?

Here is what I'm covering...


Thanks again!

Bill

I'd go with Luan. It is plenty strong for the side of a sandwich wall. You could seal the trailer before aluminum but if you put a good trim on the corner you shouldn't need to. Just guild it. A friend of mine did the aluminum and just glued it on with carpet glue. It looks great & no leaks. He didn't seal the trailer first.

Bill,
I really like Russian Birch plywood (very similar to Baltic Birch.) Plywood Company of Fort Worth has the stuff in 3mm thickness increments (~1/8"). They come in 5'x5' sheets and some are available in 4'x8'. They are not open on Saturdays, though, so you need to swing by during the week. http://plywoodcompany.com/application/home/main.aspx

I've used both the 3mm (ceiling) and 6mm (upper and lower floor skins) in my build, and I will be using the 3mm on the exterior followed by aluminum. On the floor I used 3 coats CPES, 1 coat epoxy, and (by Saturday afternoon) 1 coat rubberized undercoating. I will probably use CPES on the exterior plywood, because I have some left, but I think any sealer, like a water based poly would be sufficient.

Tom

Since the visible exterior is going to be aluminum, I think I'm going to use luan. It really only needs to provide a firm backing for the aluminum. I think a coat or two of a poly sealer would be a good idea too. It any water makes it through the poly should go a long way toward preventing any rot.

Thanks for all the input!