water proofing your wood

[pchast]

It combines with the free oxygen to gel like that.
A good plastic bag that seals may hold it a while.

[GPW]

Thanks Pete , I was wondering about that …

[greygoos]

Speaking of the mix: I have been led to believe that using a 10 ounce tube of painters caulk shaken with a quart of alcohol will give you a penetrating water proof mix. I am not suggesting that it is better or equal to the MIX that has been applied to numerous builds on this forum. I am going to give it a shot on a project I am working on and will report back. In my area a tube of caulk (not 100 percent silicone) is under 2.00 and a quart of alcohol is about a buck or it was the last time I looked.

[GPW]

That sounds interesting …

[John61CT]

I would be surprised if the same thinner / solvent would work the same with all products marketed as "painter's caulk".

Plus you don't specify what you mean by "alcohol"

[GPW]

Good idea , but I’m sticking with the mix , I Know that works !!!

[greygoos]

I would be surprised if the same thinner / solvent would work the same with all products marketed as "painter's caulk".

Plus you don't specify what you mean by "alcohol"

I was speaking about rubbing alcohol and I thought I mentioned a specific brand of caulk. It was just a thought. Maybe you can show us an actual example of a project that you have built.

[kimphan]

Hi,
Question about picking the right part of the trailer that are wood to waterproof.
I just bought a prebuild flat bed (see picture). My plan is to create an inner frame and sandwich glue the inner frame with my 2" insulation wall against the outter frame of the flat bed(I saw that idea in one of the bug out foamie videos). I just picked up spar polyurethane and paint thinner and will use the mix on them.

1) Bottom should I
- a) Flip my trailer upside down and paint the 2x4 woods that stick out? -
- b) Or should I remove the plywood and paint all of the 2x4 and the covered (bottom) of the flatbed's plywood floor and then screw the floor back? A lot More work but I will do it if it's worth it.
2) Should I paint The exposed (top) of the plywood floor of the flat bed? (That I will lay my foam board on) - If I do 1a, then I probably want to do this, right? If I already do 1b, then will skip this step or should I do it too? Also, This one I have to make sure I don't paint the part that I will glue the foam on, right?
3) The 2x4 outer frame of my flatbed's floor? - This one I will cover it with PMF 's canvas and glue on later so I should not waterproof them now, right?

I think I only need to do 1a and 2 and have a good coverage there. What do you think?

[GPW]

Kim, Best waterproof everything !!! 25% polyurethane varnish , 75% Mineral Spirits … Paint it on the wood till a drop of water on the surface no longer penetrates ( the drop just evaporates ) and you’ll be good for many years …

If you live in a wet climate , drip edges on the floor bottom are a Good idea too …

[kimphan]

Thank you, GPW!!!
Thanks for the advice on the drip edges too... I will do some more research on it.

[dbhosttexas]

Okay I hadn't considered using wood in my build at all due to concerns over rot. This gives me more confidence to work with a material I am already super familiar and comfortable with...

I am curious though, and mind you, this thread is TL:DR, so I only read the first page-ish, and am here now...

I have seen another mix out there that consists of basically silicone sealant and mineral spirits dillution, that is commonly used to silicone coat stuff like tent fabrics. Has anyone tried that mix on wood, and is it any better or worse than the Poly / Mineral spirits mix?

[tony.latham]

Okay I hadn't considered using wood in my build at all due to concerns over rot.

We had our house built three years ago. It's wood. Unless it burns, it'll still be here for many generations. A properly built home doesn't rot and neither does a well-built teardrop.

What you generally see on these pages is OSB failure or plywood delamination because of water intrusion. And it's usually swollen OSB referred to as rot.

If you build it well, it needs to go in your will.

Tony

[QueticoBill]

The USDA Forest Products Laboratory in Madison WI has published research and test results as well as some homemade water repellants/preservatives. They've been at it since 1910. You can search for the Madison Formula, and alternatives to it.