Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

George is so correct about this , and as an aside , even Latex paint can take up to two weeks to really dry and cure …
On foam to foam joins ( non porous ) it took almost a month for TB2 to completely dry inside … and that was two pieces of 1/4” foam … ( I was amazed it dried at all … )
But then all this is really incidental , considering the “ sock” effect holds everything together … and it’s where canvas overlaps canvas that must be glued securely , and that’s easy !!!

Hello all, just doing my research before I take on this step. Have already had a goof on our build and we just got started, so I am going back over the things that I read extensively about before to make sure I have a good understanding before making another gaff.

Reading through this thread, here is what I am planning to do...hopefully someone can weigh in here if I have this incorrect. From the videos I watched and from what I am getting from the information here, this is the general process I am going to want to follow:

1. Lightly sand foam to roughen up smooth surface.
2. Wipe down with dry cloth (or do I want to use alcohol here? seeing some juries out on this one)
3. Prime the surface with Valspar Bonding Primer (even before reading this thread, this was the option I was going to go with, had some family members use it in some renovation projects that swear by it)
4. Allow Primer to dry completely
5. Using a 50/50 TB II solution, I paint it onto the primed foam, paint it on the canvas, paint another coat on the foam, and smooth down the canvas using a small roller (George Coe method from his videos)

After this process is completed, I am assuming I could use this same primer on the outside of the completely dried canvas and then paint my desired color? Am I missing anything here?

Thank you!

I usually clean the foam with alcohol before I glue or paint it is just a precaution for me. Alcohol is cheap.

I use a spray bottle of water and spray the top of the canvas with a bit of water before I roll it out. Looks like you got the rest right. George.

On my build I'm using killz primer on foam, lightly sanded and wiped down with a damp cloth to remove dust, then wiped again with alcohol to remove any release agent from the foam manufacturer.

Impressive how just a coat of paint adds a bit of stiffness to the boards. The surface is nicely textured and looks like it will take TB2 nicely.

tony.latham wrote:If you read the material data safety sheet on Glidden Gripper, you'll understand why it's no longer manufactured. The stuff was nasty. The term carcinogenic is mentioned along with serious fume issues:
https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/ab/ab0a96d4-5e52-4d64-bda3-a9b32b3caea8.pdf



Tony

ghcoe wrote:A lot of the traditional products are no longer made. So everyone is in the same boat (pun intended) trying to find products on the marked that will work.

Lead paint comes to mind. As protection against the elements for a home, the stuff was FANTASTIC! Painting the baby's crib so he can chew on the rails when he's teething? Maybe not so much...

Products come and go for various reasons …. We just have to use what’s available …The Gripper worked well, but I think there are others that will also work … We just have to find and test them eh ???

There is probably nothing wrong with using regular paint as a primer … especially if it’s a quality “oops “ paint … But not being as heavily pigmented as Primer , it may not “Fill” as much as you like …

WE must remember that the foam surface will Always Fail first before any paint or glue will … The benefit of the paint and canvas shrinking around the foam structure as it dries enhances the “sock” effect … negating the need for super adhesion … Technically it’s " shrink wrapped “ !!!