Canvas alternative ...

[KCStudly]

It was very well written, and it is always more difficult to read between the lines when there is no opportunity to judge one's facial expressions or body language.

If I was a cynical sort of person (which maybe I am a little... or a lot), I could chose to interpret some of the wording as smugly underhanded with a veil of righteousness.

But for the sake of keeping the peace, and giving benefit of doubt, I won't do that. (See what I did there? Get my point?)



I'm not mad. I didn't, "bite the hook". Peace out.

Words are just words. Actions speak louder.

No one should ever feel weird about asking a question. My impression of almost all of the people here, and especially the regulars, is that we are all good people trying to be helpful. ...And we are all humans (at least I think so... ), so, yes, sometimes we will get impatient, or bored, or may even come off sounding short. But then again, maybe that is the mood of the person reading unintended criticism into the reply.

As a side note, there is only one person in my "foe" filter because they just rub me the wrong way. As far as I know they have not posted to this thread (which is the whole point of adding someone to your foe filter), so I'll just leave that at that.

Let's get back on topic, shall we? I'll recap.

Canvas alternatives:
Linens have been proven to work well with standard wood glues (TB2). Often times they have been used as interior skins for their finer "grain".

Waterproof fabrics don't work as well and sometimes not well at all with water based glues, and you have to be careful with non-water based glues and XPS foam. Feel free to experiment and report back, or search for examples of other people who have done so. We'll try to steer you toward the people and threads that have done so; but remember, we are all getting older and most of us don't keep a database of links, bookmarks or other references. That being said, big Mike did a bunch of testing early on; seek out his foamie related posts. (If you are unaware, we call him big Mike because he owns the forum. We owe the privilege of this whole ball of wax to him, so if possible, make a donation^ there in the header where it says "Donate".) Here is his profile page which might help you track down his postings: http://tnttt.com/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=2.

I believe a mesh duck blind material was either tested or considered; may have been nylon. IIRC it never got off the ground or was unsuccessful (water proof fabric with water based glue... see above). Same for Tyvek house wrap.

The proven, thrifty, easy method comes back to organic fiber non-waterproofed canvas or duck cloth (some people feel it is necessary to wash the "sizing" out of the fabric and preshrink prior to use; others report no problems having not done this); TB2 glue; and whatever latex exterior grade primer and/or paint gives you the desired texture you are looking for (or lack there of).

Some people can only source thinner foam in their regions and have to peel the protective plastic film off before covering. Thicker foam doesn't have the plastic film because it stands up to shipping and handling on its own. Some people feel it is necessary to rough up or stipple (poke a bunch of holes with a wall paper spiky roller thing) before skinning; others report good results with minimal prep.

Do a small scale test. If you like what you see, do a medium scale test to be sure.

Most of all, have fun and build on.

[GPW]

"If you don't want anyone criticizing anything just come out and say it." OK !!! I have years of my life invested in this , my only "return" is knowing I helped some people build affordable trailers ...
If you don't like me , then Ignore me .....

[aggie79]

So I ordered a bunch of swatches (one of each color) from http://www.rockywoods.com/Fabrics-Kits/ ... on-Fabrics

Since it is almost completely water proof all by itself, it is abrasion resistant, it can be "welded" (found a cool video on youtube) instead of stitched, would this make a god alternative for a foamy?

In the pre-foamie era, many moons ago, MadJack constructed a "traditional" teardrop that used camouflage nylon fabric over plywood sidewalks using epoxy. It is still looks good and is watertight today.

[Socal Tom]

I just finished up a job of skinning the roof of my TD with a polyester cloth intended for use with roof coatings. What I did was follow the recommendations for canvas/cotton. Paint a 50/50 solution of TB2 onto the luan, then soak the cloth in TB2. I wouldn't do it this way again. The poly cloth didn't hold the glue, so much of it ran off. I think a better plan would have been to roll out some straight TB2, apply the cloth to it. This cloth is fairly thin and looks very nice under 2 coats of paint. I did some trimming after the glue dried, and those sections pulled off cleanly. I think full strength glue would have adhered better. It shouldn't be an issue in my case, but for foam that could be a bigger deal. I'm counting on the paint to provide the final adhesive to hold it down, and so far it looks like a successful outcome will arrive. I plan to sand it after the 2nd coat dries adequately , then apply one more coat that should be pretty darn smooth. With two coats the cloth texture is lightly visible, and it looks like a very water tight surface.
Tom

[rowerwet]

The waterproofing in PMF comes from the paint, the fabric is there to hold the paint together so it can't Crack or peel.
Waterproof fabric doesn't make sense to me, but let us know how it goes.

[greygoos]

I just finished up a job of skinning the roof of my TD with a polyester cloth intended for use with roof coatings. What I did was follow the recommendations for canvas/cotton. Paint a 50/50 solution of TB2 onto the luan, then soak the cloth in TB2. I wouldn't do it this way again. The poly cloth didn't hold the glue, so much of it ran off. I think a better plan would have been to roll out some straight TB2, apply the cloth to it. This cloth is fairly thin and looks very nice under 2 coats of paint. I did some trimming after the glue dried, and those sections pulled off cleanly. I think full strength glue would have adhered better. It shouldn't be an issue in my case, but for foam that could be a bigger deal. I'm counting on the paint to provide the final adhesive to hold it down, and so far it looks like a successful outcome will arrive. I plan to sand it after the 2nd coat dries adequately , then apply one more coat that should be pretty darn smooth. With two coats the cloth texture is lightly visible, and it looks like a very water tight surface.
Tom

Can you post a picture of the cloth here on the forum without any paint. I have seen a a poly cloth at a box store that is similar to a gauze like material except it is much stronger. The poly I saw is laid down after the first coat of roll on roofing is applied and then a second coat of roll on goes on. The poly cloth is used as a bond for the roll on. I will try and locate a picture.

[greygoos]

Here is a pic of the poly cloth I have come across. I am not suggesting using this item in place of canvas or any other covering that has been used before. I am always open to learning something new. If this has been covered before please excuse a repetitive posting. I have read the "The Big Thread" and all of the Foamie builds and it has been quite an education but I cant remember it all. Thanks to all of you for sharing your knowledge. I am looking forward to my own build and especially looking forward to your opinions, comments, suggestions and pointing me in the right direction.

[Socal Tom]

Here is a pic of the poly cloth I have come across. I am not suggesting using this item in place of canvas or any other covering that has been used before. I am always open to learning something new. If this has been covered before please excuse a repetitive posting. I have read the "The Big Thread" and all of the Foamie builds and it has been quite an education but I cant remember it all. Thanks to all of you for sharing your knowledge. I am looking forward to my own build and especially looking forward to your opinions, comments, suggestions and pointing me in the right direction.

That looks like the cloth I used. I don't know that I would use it on a foamy, but for covering my roof it looks good, and seems water proof.
Tom

FWIW, today, I skinned the galley hatch ( remember, I working on a wooden TD). I didn't use any glue, I laid down a thickish layer of paint, put down the poly cloth, and rolled another coat of the paint over the top. About an hour later, I trimmed the cloth, and it was stuck as least as well as the diluted TB2 ( on poly) and the paint wasn't even fully dry yet. I think if you are skinning a wooden TD, you can skip the glue, and just use paint.
Tom