Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[GPW]

Hull liner ????

[Conedodger]

Its what they use for headliners and other things on boats, the one i used was almost like a thin textured carpet and its used to cover stuff up such as inside drawers etc

http://www.ozite.com/dfiles/HullLiner.pdf

[GPW]

That would be very nice indeed !! Alas, I must find something more ... Thrifty!!! And I'd rather paint something textural on than "hang " anything ... Doing that overhead work by myself was challenging ... Just trying to keep this one as simple as possible ... We'll save the decorative elements for a Bigger Foamie , certain to follow ...

[pat g]

GPW,

Great Progress. I heartily agree with you about Walmart (the evil empire) I've made a serious effort to stay out of their stores for years. Nuff said.

I am lucky that my Wife has a commercial account with Sherwin Williams so I do not have to pay an arm and a leg for paint (just an arm).

Later I'll post pics in my journal of my final preparations for my first camping trip in the foam TD.

Pat G

[GPW]

Pat, That first trip should be Fun !!! Your Trailer came out So NICE !!! We'd Love to see the pics !!!

I should have gone to the SW store in the first place ... grrrrr!!!! You think adding some sheetrock mud to the paint would give me a little texture... Nice if I could spray it on , but I'll have to roll it on , lacking proper spray eqpt. ... and Not wanting to rent any ..

[eaglesdare]

i am thinking about adding that indoor/outdoor carpet to the inside of mine.

[GPW]

Would look really nice huh ? Maybe as a wainscoting ??? That would be easy ... kick proof ...

[GPW]

Just got back from the hdwe. (Ironmonger) where I bought 3 lbs. of "joint compound" (sheetrock mud ) ... The plan is to mix this with the cheap paint and roll it on with a Coarse nappy roller ... that should work and hide a lot of little things best not seen ... Just like texturing a wall at home , so no big deal ... everybody's done that eh !!! I'll put Kraft paper on the floor so we don't accidentally texture that too ... I have a marbled paint job planned for the floor , although it will probably be covered up with a rug ... Now just looking for a kiddie mop ...

[pat g]

GPW,

I did not know how the joint compound would hold up. Guess you'll let us know! I don't think I'd add too much though. I was wondering if maybe just a thicker paint with long nap roller would be sufficient. Look forward to the results.

Pat G

[Ratkity]

Isn't there stuff you can add to paint to cause it to be textured? Sorta like little styrofoam balls, but made for paint.

Picts, GPW, don't forget the pictures!!

Hugs,
Ratkity

[Anita Rae]

When they did the orange peel surface on our house they mixed dry wall mud with paint and shot it on. I'm thinkin' you could do the same thing with a roller. Or maybe kind of flick it on with a pain brush. Just a suggestion.

[mezmo]

Hi GPW,

Just a couple ponderings on your question:

Would the dry wall compound and paint tend to crack as it dried?
It may depend on how much you add and/or how thick you apply
it? Will any of your practical artist experience with mixing paint come
to bear/help on this?

As alternatives to the compound [which is fairly cheap I must admit],
what about the micro spheres/balloons they use to thicken epoxy or
even some of that "ceramic" paint that supposedly has something
like them already mixed into it?

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[GPW]

Well for one thing , it's going to be applied texturally , not like plaster... By rolling it on (or spraying it on ) the idea is to end up with many little globs of paint .. These little globs , not being applied as a "film" are not subject (as much) to stretching , shrinking , cracking , because of the small surface area of each one ... The Impressionists proved this by applying their paint in a similar manner (dots and dabs)... Paintings which are a fresh today as the day they were painted... Paint applied as a film is subject to cracking , stretching , etc. over the entire surface ...

The test ... paint two pieces of cloth ... one in the traditional manner ,the paint forming a continuous film across the surface ... one with the little globs of paint ... Now stretch and crumple the cloths ... the film cracks , the dots/globs , just move closer or farther away from each other ...
The plan on the inside is JUST like how we do it in houses ... A gazillion little dots applied to the walls to create a texture to cover/hide the surface underneath ... which for me is mostly the frayed seams , which look unsightly and un professional , and could have been largely avoided had your humble narrator not been so thrifty (read: Stupid) and bought a good pair of pinking shears ...

Mez, I really don't like to use micro balloons because they float in the air and get EVERYWHERE including in your lungs ... and stay there Don't much care for that idea ...

AR, that's the way ... just like the home walls ...

Rat, the little foam balls produce what we call a "popcorn" finish ... Looks good on ceilings , covers many many imperfections , but is difficult to re-paint and tends to shed when rubbed against ... probably Not the best finish in a trailer ... Now there is a "deck" finish which has little bits of rubber in it ... Used that before , on boats , fine on decks (non-slip), scratchy feeling on walls ... grrrr!!!

Now my artistic sensibilities tell me to mix more binder (the glue in ALL paint) in with the texture to better help the adhesion ... Since I have straight Acrylic polymer ,which I use for paintings, a little of that added to the mix should help make it more "sticky"... Paint is basically 3 parts .. the pigment (which gives it the color) , the binder (glue) that holds it all together , and a solvent which thins/cleans it ... in our case the Universal solvent , Water...

So the plan is to use this sticky, lumpy mixture , LIGHTLY rolled on with a coarse nappy roller , just enough to distract the eye from all the irregularities of the covered wall ... If I do it correctly , we should still be able to see the wall color showing through the texture in places (not applied too thickly) ... Once painted over ( in the traditional manner with a color coat ) , it should provide a durable and long lasting finish ... That's the plan ...
Anybody having a better way , i'd certainly appreciate knowing about it ...

[eaglesdare]

i can't suggest anything, i still haven't even canvased my insides. my foam still shows.

[GPW]

Eagle ... That "Foamie Look" ... Nothing wrong with that eh ???
Please excuse me for being so obsessed with appearance ... as a "proof of concept", I'm just trying to make it as traditionally(visually) acceptable/attractive as possible ... Take it as far as I can go ... practically ...

Why??? Unfortunately a good many trailers are purchased on their "eye-appeal" alone with little considerations for the structure of maintenance involved later ... I bought a commercial TT in that manner (just didn't know any better at the time ) Very Pretty , but quickly falling apart due to CHEAP thoughtless (price point -bean counter) construction and awful materials .... But it is Pretty ... The wife Loves it ..

For a "utilitarian" Foamie , I wouldn't bother with any of that ... it's just a hard tent eh ???