Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

So I'm gettingy teardrop tomorrow and it is a shell in the interior. My question is do you recommend painting or staining the wood. I've heard that painting white makes it seems bigger but I do like the look of natural stained wood. Any opinions?

Phishstyx wrote:So I'm gettingy teardrop tomorrow and it is a shell in the interior. My question is do you recommend painting or staining the wood. I've heard that painting white makes it seems bigger but I do like the look of natural stained wood. Any opinions?

Well, I really like naturally finished wood. But what kind of plywood is it? Here's three coats of polyurethane without any stain:



If you stain the wood, it should still get two or three coats of polyurethane. It needs to be sealed. I'd have a fan blowing fumes out while your'e doing the finish.

Tony

I like the warmth of wood also, just feels better to me than paint, but everyone is different & there's no right or wrong answer here. I pre-finished most of my build before putting it together, it's easier to stain & finish things when they're on the bench than with the walls & ceiling in place. Less mess, less stink & less trouble. I used birch plywood (like Tony's picture above shows), but gave it a light honey-maple stain, so it is a little bit darker. Again, a few coats of urethane make it a nice durable finish & seal the wood well.

I built the cabinets first, finished them & then used them to make up the box as I went for the assembly.

Just my opinion but I like wood the best, reminds me of fine furniture or nice house, paint reminds me of a cheap apartment. If mine wasn't wood inside then I would go with carpet or hull liner.

Dan

Personally, I think there are a bunch of variables involved - first one being "what do YOU like".

I do agree that wood looks real nice, but if you don't work with it for a living (or a life long hobby), paint can help hide some of those small mistakes. And for those who can't afford $50 sheets of ply (or use re-purposed wood) paint can give a better appearance to lower quality materials.

What's on the outside? The stained interiors look great if the outside is covered in aluminum or left as a woody, but if you have a painted canvas exterior a stained wood interior may not match aesthetically.

Will there be children camping with you? Kids aren't clean and leave their mark everywhere (I say this in a good way). I'd much rather repaint a wall than re-finish one after a six year old drags a camping shovel through the trailer (as already mentioned, carpet or hull liner on the walls/ceiling is also good in this case).

I have kids so easy choice here. One coat of primer and two coats of Sherwin Williams semi gloss super paint.

With kids, paint is a good idea, especially paint with a washable finish.
Also, in our small trailers, light colors work best. Dark colors absorb light and can make the walls feel like they are closing in on you.

S. Heisley wrote: With kids, paint is a good idea, especially paint with a washable finish.
Also, in our small trailers, light colors work best. Dark colors absorb light and can make the walls feel like they are closing in on you.

Yup. My walls are tantalizing teal and the headliner and cabinets are Greek vanilla.

The same color scheme will go in the galley with a boomerang print counter. Going retro.