Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I know this has been talked about in several threads, primarily in the Foamie sections, but I am planning on using this technique on my wood trailer. I was thinking about Gako roof as an inexpensive simple one step solution, but after talking to a painting expert he reminded me that the biggest concern is flex and sheer at the joints, and cracking of the coating at the joints. Grako is a great product, but it is made for stationary roofs that only flex from temperature changes, not a trailer bouncing down the freeway. He highly recommended the use of Gako (or any product) in conjunction with a fabric. This brought me back to the idea of canvas & Titebond II combo. I understand that for foamies since the skin is a structural component a heavy canvas fabric is important over a muslin type of material, but how about for wood construction? I am thinking that bed sheets will be plenty thick for this application since it is no longer a structural component, and give a smoother finish as well.

Thoughts?

Check out desertmouse's build. They used canvas and Titebond II. I have seen there trailer in person and it is very nice.



http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=45718

Dan

That's what got me thinking. I thought maybe Goodwill bed sheets would give a smoother finish and be cheaper... Until I priced sheets at Goodwill! I'll probably go with the Harbor Freight drop cloths, but still undecided. Thanks!

You might also want to look at the canvas suppliers list in the Foamie section. For a smoother finish, you could use a lighter weight canvas or cloth. Fabric stores usually have duck cloth and heavier muslin. One thing to watch out for is the fiber content. I have also seen discussions where fiberglass cloth is used with TBII or TBIII to make coverings. I was thinking about going that route to save some $$. I'm not at that point in my build, but soon.

I used the drop cloth/ titebond III covering on a sailboat I built last summer. We use the boat several times a week and I have been very pleased with its performance.

Should work very well on your teardrop.

Larry