Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I researched the forum and could not find any help, but I know others have dealt with this. I used Raka epoxy on the exterior and also along all the edges such as the galley and door openings. I also coated around the doors and galley edge. I'm now refinishing the interior. I sanded everything really good and started applying my interior poly finish, but the underlying epoxy darkened the wood and is still visible. The difference between the bare wood and epoxy stripes is noticeable

Do I have to back up and sand back to bare wood and apply epoxy to the interior or will additional coats of interior poly eventually create a uniform look? I think I know the answer



Here's another vote for prefinishing your interior before assembly. Rookie mistake.

It looks some of the epoxy got on the interior wood and sealed it like a finish and now with the real finish its darker.

First I doubt you could sand it all out without sanding through the veneer of the plywood.

If you are using a poly with stain mixed in, you could try to just add another coat to the lighter areas and see if it gets darker and once it matches give it one more coat.

Other course there is always paint.

Yah,

I purposely ran a brush of epoxy around the door so I would have a nice watertight edge. However, now I realize my mistake. Let me know if anyone has any other ideas. I may do some type of hull liner or interior paneling to lighten the interior up anyway.

Just a thought....if you are using something like interior Minnwax polyurethane or polycrylic, swapping to something like Helmsman Spar Urethane might just blend the areas better.

The best way to check is take some scrap and make up some test panels...a person wouldn't want to goof up those finished walls.

you are completely screwed.. no if ands or buts about it.. even if you tried to sand back to bare wood you will not get rid of all of the effect because the epoxy and the finish have both penetrated below the surface, and on thin veneer there's just not enough material there to sand enough away.. you would need to go well below what you think is the surface of the wood.. you could try but there's very little chance it will work out for you without sanding through..

this is why you DO NOT use any finish or finishing technique without making test panel or doing a small inconspicuous area first.. this includes using any adhesive or filler you may be using on the project on the test panel in the same way you will use it on the finished project....

in my opinion your choices other than living with it are..

1) replace the panel
2) apply a cover panel
3) apply moulding or trim
4) sand as best you can, stain and blend for an "antique" or "faux" finish
5) paint or wall covering

all of these will be less work than trying to get back to a clean bright finish on what is there.. you can try but I would not.. even if you make it look OK now, in time it will show up again as the wood and finish ages.. this is the nature of wood and there's no way around it..

afreegreek wrote:you are completely screwed.. no if ands or buts about it.. even if you tried to sand back to bare wood you will not get rid of all of the effect because the epoxy and the finish have both penetrated below the surface, and on thin veneer there's just not enough material there to sand enough away.. you would need to go well below what you think is the surface of the wood.. you could try but there's very little chance it will work out for you without sanding through..

this is why you DO NOT use any finish or finishing technique without making test panel or doing a small inconspicuous area first.. this includes using any adhesive or filler you may be using on the project on the test panel in the same way you will use it on the finished project....

in my opinion your choices other than living with it are..

1) replace the panel
2) apply a cover panel
3) apply moulding or trim
4) sand as best you can, stain and blend for an "antique" or "faux" finish
5) paint or wall covering

all of these will be less work than trying to get back to a clean bright finish on what is there.. you can try but I would not.. even if you make it look OK now, in time it will show up again as the wood and finish ages.. this is the nature of wood and there's no way around it..

I agree, you will probably have to live with it or do one of the above. If you had put epoxy on the entire panel rather than just the door edges, it would have all blended. What my old timer neighbor used to say to me when I screwed something up was "You'll never see it from a galloping horse"



Larry C