Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Apply tightbond thoroughly with roller - roll on canvas.

The canvas is now stuck to the tightbond and mostly appears dry.

At this point would you

1. Apply a bunch more tightbond or tightbond/water.

2. Let it dry for a day or so and then apply a bunch more tightbond or tightbond/water.

Let it dry for a day then just start painting it. You can actually use the paint to adhere the canvas. Glidden Gripper primer is the best found so far for this process. Block filler primer will fill the weave if you want a smoother finish. Then top coat with your favorite color.

Yup, what wagondude said.

I did # 1 on my sides. It seems connected fairly well but has separated in a very few areas. But in a few areas where I left it dry it's connected like a rock. For my front, back and roof I will do what I described in #2.

Irv , be aware that canvas will shrink over depressions in the foam giving an appearance of lifting ... it’s merely going over(bridging) a shallow hole ... A good reason for block sanding the foam first for a nice level surface ...

GPW wrote:Irv , be aware that canvas will shrink over depressions in the foam giving an appearance of lifting ... it’s merely going over(bridging) a shallow hole ... A good reason for block sanding the foam first for a nice level surface ...

My trailer is in fact not a foamie. I brought my question here because you guys seem to have the best info on canvasing. My trailer uses 1/8" ply all around and 2x2s for framing. 1.5" foam certainly adds structure as well. I consider it a very lightweight hybrid.

wagondude wrote:You can actually use the paint to adhere the canvas.

Yes, on old boat cabin tops, where a canvas covering first got used, only paint was used for the whole process. But it would have been old end-of-tins of paint from under the workbench, so I guess that counts as more nearly like glue....

Wood would seem easier to cover than foam eh ? You shouldn’t have any lifting or separating over wood , unless the surface was contaminated ...

Irving:

While not a teardrop, but a small sailboat, I used full strength TB III to adhere the canvas to plywood. Followed by two coats of 50/50 diluted TBIII.
Primed and painted with Behr porchpaint. After almost a year sailing 1-2 days a week (most weeks), been very pleased with the way the canvas has held up.

Larry

clermont cubby wrote:Primed and painted with Behr porchpaint. After almost a year sailing 1-2 days a week (most weeks), been very pleased with the way the canvas has held up.

Well that's interesting. We're currently repainting our porch with a Behr waterproof "solid color stain" and I can tell you that it glues cotton canvas gloves to wood stirring sticks very, very well.

My first coat of paint (exterior paint/primer in one from home depot) has a crackly looking surface in many places. I applied it with a roller over my Titebond II/canvas shell. Anyone else experience this? I'm hoping the 2nd and 3rd coat will take care of it.

That looks like a shrinkage issue to me.

How long was it between adhering the canvas and applying the primer?

KCStudly wrote:That looks like a shrinkage issue to me.

How long was it between adhering the canvas and applying the primer?

It was drying all cracked like that within 15 minutes of applying. 60 degrees outside. Sunny day. I let the titebond dry for 24 hours. Probably should wait longer?

I dunno. What's your opinion of the primer/paint? Have you tried that successfully on other projects?

I would consider trying to scrub or rake any of the loose paint chips off before attempting to recover. I'm thinking maybe one of those pet brushes with the rubber fingers might "exfoliate" the paint chips without digging at the canvas and fraying the threads like I would expect sand paper to do.

Mind you I truly have zero experience with canvas and paint, if you don't count the research that I have done here on the forum.

Irv , what you’ve experienced is the old Crafters trick of producing a crackle finish ... paint and glue ... (Google has examples ) The only thing to do is let it dry thoroughly and re paint ...