FoamStream , the restoration … a lesson learned .

[GPW]

Nothing like a big ole’ Thick piece of canvas to cover up a lot of sins huh ? By the time the long strips go on (12’ high ) it’ll be even better …

[GPW]

Early morning , coffee in hand , I was thinking about a “filler “ for the foam with damaged surface areas … We tried lightweight spackling , ( it came off ) , then we tried drywall mud … ( it came off too)
And then we thought about something we’ve used a lot in the past … Artist Acrylic modeling paste … Which is sticky like Paint , but really Thick like the other products and would likely provide much better for adhesion , and you can sand it … naturally the Foam will/should always fail first , unlike the spackle which apparently never got really stuck to the foam …

Something else to test …

[OP827]

How about gripper with wood flour or other filler?

[GPW]

OP, you know we haven’t tried that as yet but it “should" work … ( a speculation) ? Another something to test …
I do remember the original MP filler was Marble dust … It had great adherence and dried solid …and possibly ( maybe ) might make a “weave filler” for those that like a smooth surface … smooth out seams too ( sorta’ like trailer “Bondo” ) … Just an idea ...

So close to being finished ( outside ) , just trying to avoid the summer tropical rains ( every day) .. Doing little bits as we can …

Ps. I looked in my bag of marbles and there wasn’t any dust to speak of … …

[me&z]

Ps. I looked in my bag of marbles and there wasn’t any dust to speak of … …

Must resist! No jokes about GPW's marbles.

[GPW]

Oh go ahead !!! I seem to have misplaced most of them anyway ...

[GPW]

My helper came over this morning and we attached the rest of the canvas… the Strips … Plus one more coat of Gripper on the outside … ( after this one dries ) one more to go and then we paint ... The pics …

[GPW]

more pics …

note: clothespins held the canvas to the corner moulding while the Gripper dried …

[GPW]

I did just go out and paint the other #2 coat of Gripper on the shadow side ( it’s HOT ) . This time I mixed a little of the paint color in with it to help make the color transition , and show where I may have missed a spot … All looks good now …. This Foamie repair is even easier than I thought it would be … Hardest thing is waiting for a sunny day … ( and those baby birds ) ...

[GPW]

Just went out this morning to check how the morning dew and the drip edges worked …There were a few drops running down the side of the trailer and ending at the very bottom of the drip edge and then to the ground… The floor underneath was completely dry …

Note: I highly suspect it was the dew all along that contributed to the softening of the previous floor … Every day that water would run under the trailer floor and keep the canvas WET … which in turn rotted the canvas and attracted Ants … grrr!

So the Big lesson learned , use Drip Edges !!!

I’d also like to express my deepest Appreciation those who made such Great suggestions … Pooling our ideas together like this can only lead to making Better camper trailers in the future.
Foamie trailers have really evolved since those first uncertain days … Thanks Everybody !!!

[HMK]

I always liked this build. I guess I need to start at the beginning and see what happened. Glad you were able to fix it!

[GPW]

HMK, Thanks !!! We learn as we go , so some mistakes ( bad choices ) are likely … Nothing that can’t be easily corrected here… Turns out the speculation about Foamie ease of repair was True … No problems … even for a major renovation like this one … working Inside a big space would have made it much quicker and even easier …
We still have one last thing to install , the rear floor board and drip edge … Already cut and fit to exact width , primed all around , drip edging installed , we’ve only to bolt it in place and proceed with the finishing … The bulk of all the work done now , this is really easy , just finishing up

[GPW]

Pics of the rear end floor board and green “tell-tale” primer …

[GPW]

Got the back board installed and floorboard … Threshold back in place … and now a little caulking here and there …. some canvas strips ,and we paint the whole thing … getting close now …

So tight once again it whistles when we close the door …

[GPW]

And while we were resting inside from the heat , a friendly Fat Dog with funny ears showed up outside the Studio …and hung around for a while till it wandered off… Living in the woods has many little surprises ...