Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I'm considering abandoning my plan to use 3/4" oak plywood for my side walls. It's pretty expensive ($118 / 4x10 sheet) and the exterior is just going to be painted anyway. I can get a 4x10 sheet of ACX ply for about 1/2 the price of the oak. It would probably need some filling and sanding on the "C" side to get a nice smooth surface, but if I can come up with a neat (and somewhat simple) way to paint the interior, I think I'll be just as happy.

So... ideas? How-to's? I was thinking sponging or textures of some sort, but have no experience in the such.

Just curious, Zach, where are you getting your 10' ply?

You might try what I did on mine. The interior of the galley bulkhead is cheap fir plywood. lots of knots, torn grain, etc. I filled voids with Durhams rock hard water putty first



Then I glued an old bedsheet to the ply with titebond.



two coats of latex house paint, and it look a LOT better.



cheap too....

Sam

I wanted a quick way to insulate and decorate at the same time.

I found a full bolt of soft neutral material. After cutting and test fitting 3/4" 4x8 sheets of foam to wedge fit tightly I wrapped them with the material and back taped them with some killer stick tape. Then simply pressed the now custom cut and decorated panels back into place.

Sponge painting is easy and covers a multitude of sins. I sponged our small bathroom between the kids room and a curio cabinet that I put in the master bath to display old bathroom and medicine items. You still have to prep the surface, fill all the bad spots. I use Durham's Putty also. It's good stuff. Cheap and easy to work with. Once everything is nice and smooth, prime the surface, then apply the base color. Use a natural sponge and have at it. I cut them into smaller pieces. It makes it easier to apply the texture. Wedge shaped pieces are used to get into corners and tight spots. You can use as many matching or contrasting colors as you want. There are no rules. I planned on a wainscot with some sort of fabric above it, but now am considering a sponged finish instead. It's cheaper (good for a cheapskate like me) than the fabric and not much more work

Becky - there is a company that has two locations in PA, called Industrial Plywood. They carry most sizes/thickness in stock, even 4x10. I also contacted a cabinet company that is about 20 minutes from me. They said that they can order it for me, and that their shipments come in every Monday.

Zach,

Unfortunately, I'm not the creative type, so I checked out the website you provided. The have MDO plywood under their sign materials. If you are not familiar, MDO means medium density overlay. Being made for signs, it is weather resistant and dead flat (no grain shows through.) In Fort Worth it is only slightly more expensive than 4 x 10 ACX ply. You may want to check it out.

Take care,
Tom

Hey Zach
Just my 5c.... I did an evening course in interior decorative effects a few years ago, so here's a couple of tips if you're sponging.

IMHO it can look super, but has to be done quite delicately. If you're using a water based paint, soak the sponge in water, then squeeze it out, before dipping in the paint. Then dab it on scrap newspaper to take off the excess paint, before going anywhere near your wall. That way you're applying a small amount of paint, with a soft supple sponge which isnt too heavily loaded.

In the same way, if using oil based paint, wet the sponge in turpentine/white spirit/paint thinners. [transatlantic translation function may not be working here!]

You can get more fancy and use tinted glazes - a semi transparent paint which you colour. A nice technique is to appply the glaze ALL over your basecoated wall, then sponge it OFF. But maybe this technique had better wait for your next build!

Here's a couple of images:

Badly done crude effect: http://www.flickr.com/photos/56606002@N07/5256899309/

Better quality effect:

Good luck... pity I'm not closer...I'd come and help!

Zach, check out how Sharon did her floor in her My Away. The craft paper and poly would work on walls just as well and you could throw in some pieces of old road maps or magazine covers or whatever.
http://tnttt.com/viewto ... &start=330

The floor pictures and technique description start on page 23

Bill

Thanks for the input everyone!

desertmoose - I can't believe you painted over those lovely sheets!

Bob - I like the idea of building insulation into the finishing "system". If over-engineered, I could have different finishes for different panels, and be able to swap them in and out.

Carl - the tip for the small wedges will definitely come in handy if I decide to try my hand at sponging. Thanks!

Tom - Is MDO effective as a structural panel? I don't believe I've ever worked with or seen the stuff. The stuff I initially thought you meant was MDF, which I wouldnt touch with a 10 foot stick. Sounds like the MDO is a bit different though.

mallymal - Thanks for the tips on sponge painting! If I decide to go that route I'll have to make a test panel and practice a little.

Bill - Sharon's build had slipped my mind. I saw that floor of hers and LOVED it! I'll definitely read up a bit more on how she did that.

Zach, why going for such thick walls? I did mine out of the 3/8ths MDO plywood, both sides are smooth. The place I got mine from in south jersey had 4x10 sheets for 1/2" for 50 or 60 a sheet. You can frame it and add insulation for that harsh pa winter lol.

deryk

I considered marine hull liner or outdoor carpeting. My friends Scamp has it on the inside and it makes it feel cozy.

http://www.yourautotrim.com/huhfa.html

absolutsnwbrdr wrote:Tom - Is MDO effective as a structural panel? I don't believe I've ever worked with or seen the stuff. The stuff I initially thought you meant was MDF, which I wouldnt touch with a 10 foot stick. Sounds like the MDO is a bit different though.

Zach -

MDO is plywood with one or both sides having a Medium Density Overlay face. Another benefit is that 3/4" MDO is usually an actual 3/4" thickness rather than the nominal thickness.

The MDO I used for my teardrop had only one MDO face. In the pictures below, you can see one side with the MDO face and one with the plywood face (opposite sides of the teardrop.)





MDF is Medium Density Fiberboard. I wouldn't use it on a teardrop, but it is a great material for many things if it doesn't get wet. I use it for templates and jigs. My table saw mobile base and my panel cart is made of MDF and have lasted for years. In the picture below, you can see a corner of my table saw base and behind it is the panel cart.



Take care,
Tom

Along the lines of sponging, my neighbor used wadded up plastic grocery bags, instead of a sponge, for his entire living room. The design is larger and less perfect but it still looks great and it was nearly fool proof.

Here's another idea:

Paint the walls anyway you want and then add framed pockets that are just big enough to hold pictures of where you've been or where you want to go or what you like to see and/or do. You can use any of various types of trim boards and clear lucite or other such materials, leaving enough room at the top so that you can slip a new picture in whenever you want to. (If you use this method, it's probably best to put the frames up high enough so that they won't be in the way when you sleep.) Most people would be so drawn to the pictures that they wouldn't even notice how you finished the walls.

Deryk the Pirate wrote:Zach, why going for such thick walls? I did mine out of the 3/8ths MDO plywood, both sides are smooth. The place I got mine from in south jersey had 4x10 sheets for 1/2" for 50 or 60 a sheet. You can frame it and add insulation for that harsh pa winter lol.

deryk

Cutting 2 sides from 3/4" seems easier than doing the laminated insulated wall panels. If its going to be really cold out, I usually bring enough blankets or another warm body along for the trip.

Tom- I'll have to look into some prices on the MDO. Sounds like a good product for this.

Sharon - I really like the look of just the torn paper bags. Maybe even sponging on top of that would set it apart even more. Your picture frame idea sounds neat too, but I'm not sure that its right for me. Thanks for the idea though!