Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Hi all, started my TD today, and finished the deck, and put the sides up. I guess most of the prep i did paid off. Now i can go slow and easy(ya right), but im still a bit lost as to how to paint it.

Ive seen some people stain, the laquare? to give it a "woody" feel. my question is what type of stain, and what type of finish to make weatherproof.

Thanks
scaramoche aka doug

to make it weatherproof, I would suggest Spar Urethane...



Mike...

mikeschn wrote:to make it weatherproof, I would suggest Spar Urethane...



Mike...

Mike is this what people generally put over epoxy also ?

I don't know about most people, but I do know that Steve Frederick put that over the fiberglass on my Lil Diner...



Mike...

mikeschn wrote:I don't know about most people, but I do know that Steve Frederick put that over the fiberglass on my Lil Diner...



Mike...

Thanks for the info.

I'm glad I held up on getting the shellak then lol, the paint person at home depot said "try shellak lol. Ill pick some up tomorrow.

thanks

Doug,

Read down the bottom of the threat.

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=32556&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

I also used spar varnish, but used a brush for the first half.
Then I read Bohemian's post and tried it out.
Got much better looking results and saved a punch of time.


Wolfgang

I used the exact same thing under my aluminum on builds 2 and 3 just to help protect it from condensation or what not. Also I used multiple coats to protect the edges of the plywood. I applied it before and after frame construction on all the edges, door and window openings. Then I used a roller and just gobbed it over the whole body. It was getting covered up anyway, but it almost made me want to build a woody.

I'm glad I held up on getting the shellak then lol, the paint person at home depot said "try shellak lol

Scara...

In your journey learning how to create, you'll find many people very happy to give you advice.
Be aware that most mean well, some know a little, and only a few know of what they speak.


Research any and every part of your build.
With the Internet, and life in general, it is very easy to get correct information, but you must be aware of, and understand that you have to wade through all the "advice" given by those who have also found the Internet (or Home Depot) a great place to "feel important" by handing out their opinions...or a kind of sort of similar to someone elses opinion, which may be nothing more than what they "think" might work.

Rob

You might tell the sales person that Shellac is said by the makers that it drys hard and may crack. Spar Varnish is also UV protective. Give it a few coats. You should also make sure you get the ends really good.

Stain is your choice. I had trouble with Minwax not letting the varnish stick really well. Might just be my experience.....

the spar urethane posted above is about your best bet. urethane is very good stuff and is a lot better than varnish. you need something that is a long oil product (spar) so it will not crack from the shrinking and swelling that wood goes through. you need something for wood not just outdoors and you want some UV protection.

stain is basically pigment, a carrier and a solvent. some companies add other things with it to give you a do it all in one gimmick. as long as your stain has no wax or other finish added to it you won't have any problems.. look on the can carefully. you can also try water base and alcohol base dyes. these are clear like kool-aid and don't cover the grain of the wood like most pigment stains do. this can be a plus or a minus depending on the effect you're looking for. dyes don't blent the colour of different pieces of wood together as well as pigment stain does and dyes don't hide detail in the grain.. it all depends on what you want to do.

you might also give some thought to the sheen you want. most spar varnish and urethane are gloss. some brands sell different sheen like gloss, semi-gloss, satin, low lustre and flat. some sell flattening agent that you add to get the sheen you want.

IMO gloss looks like crap unless you're really good at finishing AND staining, AND sanding, AND woodwork in general AND did a really nice job on everything... satin and pigmented oil stain is the best option if your woodwork is less than perfect and less than primo materials.

Miriam C. wrote:You might tell the sales person that Shellac is said by the makers that it drys hard and may crack. Spar Varnish is also UV protective. Give it a few coats. You should also make sure you get the ends really good.

Stain is your choice. I had trouble with Minwax not letting the varnish stick really well. Might just be my experience.....

i'd have to know the stain and top coat you used to know for sure but here's a few maybes

1- heavily pigmented stains applied and then not wiped off properly can leave your wood coated with pigments on the surface. like a fine coating of dust, this will interfere with good adhesion. make sure you wipe the panel down really well. sometimes people try to stain too big of an area at once and the stain dries too much before wiping it off.. if this happens, just get a rag damp with stain and re-wipe. the fresh stain will reactive the old stuff and allow you to properly wipe the residue off.. better still, get some solvent that is the same as in the stain and use that on the rag.

2- you used an oil based stain and did not let it dry long enough before coating it with your top coat. on the can it says 4 hours?? well that for hours is at 75 degrees. this may end up to be 2 days in a dark 50 degree garage. although it is not always the case, it is often enough to consider it a rule.. you can not put a product on an uncured, undried product.

3- moisture content in wood. most products for wood are supposed to be applied to wood with between 7 and 14% moisture content. anything higher than that can be bad news.. once it makes it to the garage it isn't long before wood can pick up a lot of moisture and still feel dry. you need to get to about 20% before it starts to feel damp. make sure your wood is good and dry.