building a foamie from SIP panels plus glue advice?

[Trogdor]

Well...........I do really like Alu and my wife really likes it, I never should of shown her a picture of the ATMA tear!

I may reconsider tho as it will cost an esay £500.00 I reckon, and thats before the trim and edging etc! She wasn't a fan of the canvas when I did some test panels tho, what other options are there? Fibreglass looks like a lot of work and the epoxy version isn't cheap!

If only I could get a good finish with hardboard or OSB (although OSB is too thick)................. Nice and cheap!

[GPW]

Trog , it all really depends on the depth of your pocket book ... and your fabricating skills with metal ... if it’s just the look you want , then you won’t be happy till you get it ... But if you want the Ultimate in Practicality , then a straight up Foamie' (canvas skinned) is impossible to beat ... It’s all been proven here...

BTW, Aluminum looks nice , for a while , then turns gray and dull, needs polishing ... Maybe you can get the wife to do that ... you might mention that to her...

[Trogdor]

fat chance of getting her to do that! Not much chance for me either, hate polishing!

I was planning on getting anodised alu to combat that problem, I think that it shouldn't need polishing?

To be honest any decent finish is going to cost................. birch ply would be about that much too! Not too sure on fibreglass.

[GPW]

There is something to be said for Simple and Thrifty ... ultimately... crumbs for thought...

[mgb4tim]

That sounds workable Tom , but there are many unanswered questions about foam and aluminum ... long term adhesion , expansion and contraction with the foam , and the possibility of lifting , wrinkling later , and the question of how to join the panels with the Al....

I had the roof of my Patio Enclosures (http://www.patioenclosures.com/) sunroom replaced a 2 years ago. It was thin aluminum with a core of EPS. But, the ESP was stock 3/4" cut into 3" strips, then glued up to make a 3" thick panel 4' wide. These panels get fitted into aluminum i-beams. They also make it 6" thick, if needed. The aluminum didn't look much thicker than coil stock, but had a pebble texture.

I weigh 280# and can walk across the roof with no flexing. Not sure what glue they use, but that's a testament to the structural integrity of the foam/AL SIP.

[Trogdor]

Thanks for all the help and advice so far everyone.

I have just made a test panel using 3mm hardboard (masonite) on both sides, its nice and strong but a bit heavier than I expected! I think the glue must add a bit of weight! Anyway I am planning on using hard board with eps to construct the trailer. I am planning on painting the exterior in expoxy paint or possibly using alu, depening on how flush I feel! And on the interior I am planning of wallpapering the hardboard, or that thin carpet stuff!

I just wanted to ask, the hardboard will need to be waterproofed, I plan on using the "mix" but do I do that before making the SIP panel or do I do it after? I would prefer to do it before but am unsure of how well it will adhere to the foam. Also is the white sprit the same as mineral sprits? Over here paint thinner is quite expensive but white sprit is pretty cheap and I think its the same as mineral sprits. Its certainly used as paint thinner anyway so should work!

Cheers

[Trogdor]

That sounds workable Tom , but there are many unanswered questions about foam and aluminum ... long term adhesion , expansion and contraction with the foam , and the possibility of lifting , wrinkling later , and the question of how to join the panels with the Al....

I had the roof of my Patio Enclosures (http://www.patioenclosures.com/) sunroom replaced a 2 years ago. It was thin aluminum with a core of EPS. But, the ESP was stock 3/4" cut into 3" strips, then glued up to make a 3" thick panel 4' wide. These panels get fitted into aluminum i-beams. They also make it 6" thick, if needed. The aluminum didn't look much thicker than coil stock, but had a pebble texture.

I weigh 280# and can walk across the roof with no flexing. Not sure what glue they use, but that's a testament to the structural integrity of the foam/AL SIP.

Hi, thanks for the info,

I wish I could find out what glue they used, I suspect it is a contact adhesive like linux mentioned earlier. The alu didn't bond that well to the GG, I was able to pull it off without too much issue. Another problem with the alu I had was that it deformed and punctured easily so using the hardboard underneath will stop that happening.