I was able to find a color at Durabak that is VERY close to the stain color I chose for the rest of the tear. I applied the Durabak just to the nose of the trailer. This was mostly because I had some "issues" with the bending of the wood for the nose and had to improvise a bit. This left the wood on the nose looking particularly ugly. I needed something to cover it.
The Durabak had colors to choose from. I ordered a couple samples (which they sent me very quickly) of the two browns i thought were close. I was surprised how perfectly the darker one matches.
The Durabak rolled on very easily and it really covered well. I did end up using two coats, but I covered a LOT of area. I really didn't need to buy as much as I did. Because I had so much, and because it has a limited shelf life, I went ahead and rolled it on the surfaces of the bottom of my galley area. It is covering the area where my storage boxes and cooler sit. Nice protection.
I sound like I work for them but I really could not be happier with the stuff.
I think if I was to build another tear, I would be tempted to cover the whole thing with this stuff for ultimate protection.
In this picture, the nose and tongue box are coated with the Durabak. The wall of the tear and the roof are only stained. The color match is so good it's hard to tell in a picture!
I will say one thing: If you are thinking of coating the sides, etc. where people might rub up against it, I don't think I'd use the textured roller they provide. I did use it for the nose because of the ugly wood I wanted to camoflage. But the texture is REALLY rough. If you rub up against it with your arm or something, it's pretty uncomfortable. You could scrape yourself pretty good if not careful.
Other than that, I really love this stuff. It's only been on there a couple months now, so I can't speak for longevity. But so far, I am a fan.
Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2011 11:36 am